The Internet of Things (IoT) is a vision that integrates sensors and actuators into the environment, enabling seamless data sharing across platforms to create a common operating picture (COP). Enabled by technologies like RFID, NFC, and embedded sensors, IoT has evolved beyond its infancy and is poised to transform the Internet into a fully integrated Future Internet. As we move from static web (www) to social web (web2) to ubiquitous computing web (web3), the need for data-on-demand using intuitive queries increases. This paper presents a cloud-centric vision for IoT, discussing key enabling technologies and application domains. A cloud implementation using Aneka, which integrates private and public clouds, is presented. The paper also explores open challenges and future directions in IoT, emphasizing the need for convergence of WSN, the Internet, and distributed computing. IoT has the potential to revolutionize various domains, including healthcare, enterprise, utilities, and mobile applications. The paper highlights the importance of cloud computing in providing scalable, reliable, and autonomous services for IoT applications. It also discusses the challenges of addressing unique device identification, data storage, analytics, and visualization in IoT. The paper concludes with a roadmap of key developments in IoT research, emphasizing the need for standardization and interoperability to achieve the full potential of IoT.The Internet of Things (IoT) is a vision that integrates sensors and actuators into the environment, enabling seamless data sharing across platforms to create a common operating picture (COP). Enabled by technologies like RFID, NFC, and embedded sensors, IoT has evolved beyond its infancy and is poised to transform the Internet into a fully integrated Future Internet. As we move from static web (www) to social web (web2) to ubiquitous computing web (web3), the need for data-on-demand using intuitive queries increases. This paper presents a cloud-centric vision for IoT, discussing key enabling technologies and application domains. A cloud implementation using Aneka, which integrates private and public clouds, is presented. The paper also explores open challenges and future directions in IoT, emphasizing the need for convergence of WSN, the Internet, and distributed computing. IoT has the potential to revolutionize various domains, including healthcare, enterprise, utilities, and mobile applications. The paper highlights the importance of cloud computing in providing scalable, reliable, and autonomous services for IoT applications. It also discusses the challenges of addressing unique device identification, data storage, analytics, and visualization in IoT. The paper concludes with a roadmap of key developments in IoT research, emphasizing the need for standardization and interoperability to achieve the full potential of IoT.