Lists of Questions and Answers on IoT
Q1. How would you best describe IoT? Why has it gained so much buzz in the recent years?
A1. A network of smart objects and devices equipped with sensors to acquire data, computers to process it and actuators to manipulate the real-life environment physically can be termed as the Internet of Things. In the Internet of Things, the focus is on creating analytically rich data sets and automated analytical tools to optimize operational efficiencies.
According to Gartner, more than 50 billion devices are predicted to be connected to the Internet by 2020. Cisco has predicted that the global IoT market will be $14.4 trillion by 2022. With the potential to deliver efficiency in processes and cost optimization to a broad spectrum of enterprise tasks, the adoption of IoT is proliferating.
Q2. From which professional backgrounds is it possible to make a shift to IoT?
A2. Internet of things is essentially a collection of many technologies. With the exponential increase in connected devices, several new roles and opportunities are being created. Skills like Electronic circuit design, application development, microcontroller programming, data analytics and networking are few skills which are in demand because of the rise of the Internet of Things technologies.
Chances are that you might already belong to the Internet of Things Domain. IoT doesn’t demand an overall shift from your current role as it is an interdisciplinary technology. Professionals from any background can jumpstart their career in IoT with a basic upskilling.
Q3. What are the skills or expertise that someone must learn or have in order to be successful in the IoT field?
A3. IoT is basically a combination of multiple skills. Skills like electronic circuit design, microcontroller computing platforms, programming languages preferably C and Python, networking, communication technologies, cloud computing and big data are few skills professionals need to have a basic understanding of.
A diversified skill-set is more in demand in the Internet of Things. Once a professional has gained the overall understanding of all the components of IoT, they may choose one of the above-mentioned areas to gain in-depth knowledge and expertise depending on their desired role.
Q4. What’s the connection of IoT with Big Data and how is it going to be affected?
A4. Big Data, Cloud, and IoT are all interconnected. Data is growing in size. Big data describes the large volume of data. Everyday 2.5 Quintillion bytes of data is being generated. The huge growth in the volume of data is the result of an addition of new sources. These new sources are IoT devices collecting data using sensors. The data is not just growing in size but also in variety.
There is an increased focus on analyzing it in real time to gain valuable insights. The conventional tools to store and process this unstructured data are not proving adequate. There is a need for organizations to develop more effective tools to leverage big data.
Q5. What is the security concerns related to IoT? Is the present security infrastructure enough to handle the data security requirements of IoT?
A5. Concerns for Data security and privacy are rising because of the proliferation of connected devices in homes, offices, and industries. These devices are vulnerable to hacking. People are very much concerned about the possibilities of data being stolen from their devices. There could be three potential hack points; devices, network, and cloud.
Data is on the fly on networks while at rest on devices and cloud. To attack servers IoT endpoints could be used by hackers as launch pads. Device designer and software developers need to incorporate adequate security and privacy measures at the initial stage of design and development.
Q6. Can you name some of the industries which have benefited the most from IoT?
A6. There have been many successful IoT implementations. The largest producer of printing presses in the world, Heidelberg, with a market share of nearly 50% of the world, has transformed their business by building connected printing presses. Another example of successful IoT implementation is by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR);
In order to provide a very high level of additional services to its clients, they implemented a connected car project which has become a differentiator in the high-end automotive market creating high levels of brand loyalty. Latest in the list of successful IoT implementation is Amazon Go that has revolutionized the retail industry. Amazon Go has merged the digital world with the real world for creating an amazing customer experience
Q7. What advice can you give to the students or professionals who are interested in a career in IoT?
A7. There couldn’t be a better time to redefine your careers. IoT has been disrupting existing business and markets. New opportunities are being created at the same time existing roles are becoming obsolete. An early entry into an emerging market will definitely better as most of the organizations are in exploratory mode.
Q8. How will IoT benefit the end-users?
A8. IoT is constantly changing the way we live, work and get entertained. It is creating immense opportunities and possibilities for businesses to innovate in services and products. IoT will impact all the aspects of end users lives. We are making devices context aware by embedding intelligence into them.
And not just devices, we are also embedding intelligence into an environment, through this embedded intelligence we are enabling them to capture real-time data. This harnessing of intelligence will definitely enhance and augment human capabilities to understand and manage their lives in a better way.
Q9. Which technology do you think will make IoT a game changer in the future?
A9. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are the technologies going to be proved game changers.
Q10. How do you think IoT will shape in the years ahead? Will it lead to something bigger?
A10. As per Gartner’s prediction, by 2020 more than 50 billion devices are going to be connected to the internet in one way or another. These devices got to be intelligent and self-reliant. With the help of intelligent computers embedded into devices, the primary aim is to make things autonomous.
This process will obviously build a parallel society of more than 100 billion smart, intelligent, self-reliant and autonomous machines in parallel to human society. These machines will certainly help us in making business and production processes efficient. We have already entered into an intelligence-driven world. It will continue to fuel the process of human evolution through a series of new inventions.
