Additional Info
Interpretation of IoT :
The internet of things, commonly referred to as IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical & digital machines, objects, animals, or people that are provided with unique identifiers or UIDs and the capability to transfer data over a given network without requiring any human-to-human or even human-to-computer interaction to make the transfer possible. A thing in the internet of things could be a person with a heart monitor implant, a farm animal with a biochip inside of it, an automobile that has in-built sensors to alert the driver when the tire pressure is low, or any other natural or man-made object that can be assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address to it and can transfer and receive data over a shared network. Increasingly, many organizations in a variety of industries are using IoT to operate efficiently, better understand what customers want to deliver enhanced customer service, improve their decision-making and also increase the value of the business.
IoT Workflow :
An ecosystem of IoT consists of web-enabled smart devices that make use of embedded systems, like processors, sensors, and communication hardware to collect, send, and act on data they acquire from their immediate environments. IoT devices have to share the sensor data they collect by connecting to an IoT gateway or other edge devices where the data is either sent to a cloud to be analyzed or analyzed locally through the network. Occasionally, these devices communicate with other devices related to them and act upon the information they get from one another in synchronicity. The devices do most of the work without any human intervention, although it is possible for people to interact with the devices -- for instance, by setting them up, giving them instructions, or accessing the data. The connectivity, networking, and communication protocols used with these web-enabled devices majorly depend on the specific IoT applications deployed at the beginning of the project. IoT also makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help in making data collecting processes easier and dynamic as compared to earlier methods of data accumulation.
Why is IoT important?
The internet of things allows people to live and work smarter while gaining complete control over their lives. In addition to offering smart devices to even automate homes, IoT is essential to any kind of business. IoT provides businesses with a real-time observation into how their systems work, delivering insights into the performance of machines to the supply chain, and logistics operations. IoT supports companies by enabling automated processes that reduce labor costs. It also lessens waste and improves service delivery, thereby making it less expensive to manufacture and deliver goods, also simultaneously offering transparency into customer transactions.
This said, IoT is one of the most important technologies of our everyday life, and it will continue to be so as more businesses realize the potential of interconnected devices to keep them competitive.
IoT standards and frameworks :
There are quite a few emerging IoT standards, the following are included:
- IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPAN) is an open standard that is usually defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). A 6LoWPAN standard allows even a low-power radio to communicate to the internet, this includes 804.15.4, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Z-Wave (for home automation).
- ZigBee is known to be a low-power, low-data rate wireless network used mainly in industrial settings. ZigBee is developed around the base of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard. The ZigBee Alliance is the creator of Dotdot, the universal language for IoT that enables smart objects to work securely on any network and understand each other.
- LiteOS, a Unix-like operating system (OS) is used for wireless sensor networks. LiteOS offers support to smartphones, wearables, intelligent manufacturing applications, smart homes, and the internet of vehicles (IoV). The OS serves as a smart device development platform as well.
- OneM2M is known as a machine-to-machine service layer that can be embedded in software and hardware to connect devices. according to the global standardization body, OneM2M, was created to develop reusable standards to enable IoT applications across different verticals to communicate.
- Data Distribution Service (DDS) was developed by the Object Management Group (OMG) and is a standard for IoT real-time, scalable, and high-performance M2M communication.
Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) known as an open-source published standard for asynchronous messaging by wire. AMQP allows encrypted and interoperable messaging between organizations and applications. The protocol is used in client-server messaging and IoT device management systems.
- Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is a protocol that was designed by the IETF that specifies how low-power, compute-constrained devices can operate in the internet of things.Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is a protocol solely for WANs designed to support huge networks, such as smart cities, with millions of low-power devices.
Making a Career in IoT :
Making a career in IoT is not the wrong choice for anyone looking to get into it. IoT is by no means small offering a wide assortment of IoT career opportunities, some of which you would find listed below:
Data Analytics: An IoT system generates a lot of data, and with the sheer number of such gadgets connected, the amount of data that is generated is overwhelming. Not to mention, without the presence of someone to make sense of this data and convert it into information, all the data is essentially garbage. So the need for a data analysis wing in any IoT-based company is very essential. To become a data analyst, you would need to have a good hold on statistics.
Network and the networking structure: Any Internet of things machine is considered complicated. The complexity comes from the arrays of sensors that are supposed to be both attached to the device and the internet. If the connection is broken or any of the complex mesh links, that is if any IoT machine is not planned correctly, then the machine would not feel as intuitive as it could have been otherwise. This is where having a knowledge of Networks and their architecture comes into the picture.
Security: Any tech-related industry has to be protected from hackers and malicious programs, IoT fares no differently. If protection is overlooked, then the tool’s explosion or the sensor in question becomes a genuine possibility. Not only that, if any hacker who is miles away or lives in your vicinity gets a hold of your fridge, which is connected to your home network, will also get a hold on the network itself.
Hardware and Devices: Internet of Things main aim is at connecting various devices to the internet. The connection that IoT wants to establish is only possible with the use of proper hardware devices. Saying that hardware is the bread and butter of the Internet of Things industry would be an understatement. However, the hardware you would create for any IoT company will be mostly sensors and transmitters. You should also have knowledge about how Bluetooth’s integration is done and keep updating your knowledge as and when new technologies become mainstream.
The creation of User Interface: UI - User Interface is the key to make any technology more user-friendly. The Internet of Things aims to give everyone the information that the sensors of various machines hooked up to the internet produces. This vision of IoT will never come to fulfillment without a proper User Interface. The importance of having a good User Interface could be traced back to when the first computer came out.
Career Opportunities in IoT :
We have discussed the various niches that you could work on if you can envision a future in the Internet of Things. Let us now move our focus to the multiple titles you could get if you have a job in IoT. Mentioned below are some of the IoT career opportunities based on the title of the job.
Sensors and Actuator Professional: Choosing to be a Sensors and Actuator professional, you would be working with sensors and actuators. You would be working with developing devices, as mentioned earlier. This includes your role to be to test out the various tools you create continually. Your responsibility would include keeping track of the industry and performing research on the different new technologies available and how you would be able to integrate them into the sensors and actuators that you are required to produce.
Embedded Programs Engineer: An embedded programs engineer would be tasked to create the various PCBs, firmware, etc. You will also be assigned to quantify the performance and troubleshoot the devices you make or program.
Safety Engineering: This job will task you with ensuring that the IoT technologies that are being created are safe from hackers’ potential attempts to gain control. You must know about penetration testing, and also you should continuously check for any loopholes that you can detect.
Benefits of IoT :
The internet of things offers many benefits to organizations. Some of the benefits are industry-specific, while some are applicable across multiple industries. Some of the common benefits of IoT enable most businesses are :
- The ability to monitor the overall business processes.
- improve customer experience through tracking surveys and response.
- saving time and money;
- enhance the productivity of employees;
- Integrate and adapt new business models.
- Make better decisions for the business; and generate higher revenue.
IoT pushes companies to rethink their ways of approaching businesses and provides them the tools to improve their business strategies. Generally, IoT is most abundant in the field of manufacturing, transportation, and utility organizations. They make use of sensors and various IoT devices; however, it has also been found to be used in cases for organizations within agriculture, infrastructure, and home automation industries, paving the way for some organizations toward digital transformation. It is possible for IoT to benefit farmers in agriculture by making their job easier. Sensors collect data on rainfall, humidity, temperature, and soil content, including other factors. This data would help automate farming techniques. The ability to observe operations surrounding infrastructure is also a factor that IoT can be helpful with. For example, Sensors could be used to monitor events or changes within old structural buildings, bridges, and other infrastructures. This carries benefits with it, such as cost-saving, time saved, quality-of-life workflow changes, and paperless workflow.A home automation business can make use of IoT to monitor and manipulate mechanical as well as electrical systems in a building to coordinate. On a bigger scale, smart cities can encourage citizens to reduce waste and unnecessary energy consumption. IoT works in every industry, including businesses dealing with healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing.
The Pros and cons of IoT :
- The ability to access any information from anywhere at any time on any device within a given network.
- Improved communication between all the connected electronic devices.
- Easy transferring of data packets over a connected network saving precious time and money.
- Automating tasks that help to improve the quality of a business's services and in turn, reduce the need for human intervention.
