The six key skills driving IoT success
March 6, 2019 5:06 AM
6 top skills that organizations needs for IoT success
Data management and analytics, security and artificial intelligence are among the technology areas where organizations must make their investments for IoT payoffs.
The skills that will give an organization the edge in IoT projects
With a broad ecosystem that includes hardware, software, standards and services, success with Internet of Things efforts requires new skills in many areas, says Seth Robinson , senior director of technology analysis at CompTIA. These new skills are built on top of a solid foundation in IT fundamentals, which means that getting started isn’t as challenging as it might appear. The six must-have skills for success are:
IoT and Security
“It’s no surprise to see IT security at the top of the list of critical skills,” Robinson notes. “The move to cloud computing demonstrated that new technology needs a new approach to security, and IoT is no exception. There are definitely some specific areas of concern with IoT, like reviewing products from non-IT vendors and monitoring for suspicious activity in non-IT environments, but some of the main activities in securing IoT systems are managing devices and securing data across networks.”
IoT and Data
“Data management and data analysis are the keys to unlocking the benefits of IoT,” Robinson says. “All the data collected from sensor networks can provide new insights and opportunities for automation, but it needs to be managed properly. Many companies are building more discipline into their data processes in order to pursue more advanced data practices.”
IoT and Computer Networking
“All that data needs to make its way from the endpoints to the back office for collection and analysis,” Robinson says. “One of the most common surprise costs with technical projects these days is network upgrades. Even relatively recent networks may not have the bandwidth or quality of service required to handle the many new streams of data.”
IoT and Tech Support
“Device support is the area where companies would like to see the most improvement, since new IoT devices often have different power requirements and firmware processes,” Robinson explains. “While the specifics may be unique to each device, there is a base layer of knowledge needed. From here, IT pros can further specialize in IoT, including understanding the details that come from different vendors.”
IoT and Cloud Computing
“Especially as IoT systems go beyond the walls of a business, cloud computing will be used to help deal with the data and crunch numbers on the back end,” Robinson says. “IoT in general will tax the existing resources for many organizations, and they will want to extend their current cloud strategies to help kickstart IoT initiatives.”
IoT and Linux
“Finally, artificial intelligence (AI) is necessary to help automate the many moving pieces of IoT. AI itself is an emerging technology, and many companies are exploring the trend separately as they build out architecture that has AI as part of the stack,” Robinson says. “Combining IoT and AI might be a little advanced at this point, but scripting is the first step toward IT automation.”