The Internet of Things: What it is and how you can join its ‘smart’ revolution

The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way we live and communicate — right from the way you connect with others on your smartphone to when you command virtual assistants like Alexa or Siri to play the latest hits. This intercommunication of smart devices is beginning to have a telling effect on the jobs market, resulting in new scope and opportunities for students and young professionals.

What is IoT

IoT is a network of physical objects embedded with sensors, software and other technologies for connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems via the internet. These devices range from commonplace household items to sophisticated industrial tools.

Thanks to the ubiquity of smart technology, it’s been projected that the IoT industry will soon begin to determine the way society functions.

How IoT is changing the jobs industry

IoT is beginning to transform the way products are being designed, manufactured and delivered. Apart from impacting daily life in households, it’s influence is increasing workplace efficiency, resulting in improved worker safety, reduced downtime and lower error rates.

Key industry areas impacted by IoT:

• Remote control: IoT has revolutionised the way machinery is being maintained in the manufacturing facility. Earlier, most operations required skilled technicians to maintain machinery, But sensors now provide detailed information, allowing remote monitoring and maintenance of machines.

• Increased productivity: IoT devices connected to a network can communicate with one another to drive automation. They can be remotely monitored and controlled by onsite or offsite personnel. By analysing the data derived from IoT technology, businesses can uncover opportunities for business process optimisation.

• Inventory management: Software and devices track inventory changes in warehouses through an automated system. This allows companies to reassign employees to more cognitively significant tasks.

• Machine synchronisation: IoT-enabled machines can connect with one another to accomplish specific tasks or any synchronised action. In case a machine fails, sensors can prompt a service request or other action.

How to enter the IoT industry:

Since the IoT is an emerging technology, skills matter way more than your educational qualification. There’s no fixed eligibility criteria to enter this industry. If you’re doing a BTech/BE course in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering or IT, you’ve a good chance of breaking into the domain. You can also do your BSc in Maths, Stats, Physics or Chemistry and learn the skills that are required in this field.

Skills you need for different IoT areas:

Product Engineering: You must be able to construct things for IoT to succeed. Engineers are in high demand across industries — if you want to break into IoT, a hybrid strategy can help you stand out.

• You need to make two devices work well together — this involves a thorough understanding of APIs.

• You need excellent technical and architectural skills in a variety of platform engineering domains.

• You need a thorough understanding of the software architecture that supports big data.

Cybersecurity: Everything connected to the internet is vulnerable. Cybersecurity is one of the most important components of the IoT industry. Without the proper infrastructure and skilled professionals, the whole industry just cannot function.

• You need some knowledge of the end-point device identification and lifecycle management cybersecurity solutions.

• You need to analyse identified strategic risks — this involves quantitative risk assessment and industry-standard benchmarking.

• You need strong wireless networking experience, including security flaws and approaches.

Data Science: The actual value of IoT is realised in the form of acquiring and analysing data once the goods are developed and protected. Professionals that can wrangle that data and make this process more efficient will add the maximum value to any IoT company.

• You need to become a business intelligence (BI) specialist with expertise in sensor data analysis, data centre management, predictive analytics and programming.

• You need to establish effective collaboration around model development and deployment.

• You need some knowledge of a standard library, testing, pip packages, and Data Science toolkits.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI and machine learning Skills become essential when the task involves big data analysis and deriving findings.

Soft Skills: Soft skills like solid communication and interpersonal skills are required for IoT professionals to work closely with a team of developers to assist convert connectivity and other data-related goals.

Job roles in IoT:

• IoT developer: They create the application that enables devices to function. In their day-to-day employment, these developers use standard APIs and artificial languages like Java and C++. They build algorithms to analyse and manage volumes of data.

• IoT architect: They build the strategy and end-to-end architecture of IoT solutions in different technology areas. Their job is to identify and record the IoT state of an organisation.

• Embedded program engineer: They are in charge of integrating software engineering with non-computer devices and closely collaborating with the hardware.

• Product engineer: They develop the hardware of the product while integrating software to design a well-rounded device.

• IoT-embedded system designer: They collaborate closely with the hardware involved, demanding extensive information on the devices on which the microcode is to be based.

• IoT security engineer: Their job is to spot any breach in the connected devices space. They ensure that the IoT space is completely safe and secure from external and internal attacks.

• IoT system administrator: They manage the IoT setup by organising, deploying, and maintaining an organisation's IoT computer systems and configuration.

• IoT creator: They are primarily in charge of establishing methodologies for how IoT platforms, sensors and actuators should be designed.

• UI designer: This particular job requires a whole amount of creativity. They develop and design the UI that would sell the actual product in the market.