The airline itself is able to run more efficiently from the ability to monitor engine performance and proactively perform maintenance at times when the plane is not scheduled to carry passengers and cause delays.

FORBES: The Industrial Internet: Like Facebook For Things

Fuel economy may suffer as well, so it is worthwhile to monitor your engine's overall performance while testing the lower-octane fuel.

WSJ: Is Regular Gas Good Enough?

Companies are also using it (the company provides the engine in MediaVantage) to monitor Twitter and Facebook when they release a new product.

FORBES: Text Analytics Show Why Bellagio Underperforms Bally's

Since 1996, the U.S. has required each vehicle to have an onboard diagnostic computer to monitor everything from engine to transmission sensors to look for emissions-related problems.

FORBES: How To Predict What Will Go Wrong With Your Car Down The Road

Perhaps Monitor could have survived if it had broken itself into two pieces: a cash cow and an innovation engine.

FORBES: Cobbler's Shoes: Strategy Guru Michael Porter's Monitor Group Bankrupt