(Mubeen Jukaku, Technology Head, Emertxe Information Technologies & Expert in Embedded Systems, IoT, Software Design)
Introduction to Internet of Things:
The Internet of things (IoT) is an ecosystem of connected physical devices/objects that are accessible through the internet. IoT is a system of interrelated devices, digital products, objects, people or animals that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring any human interaction. The idea of this article is to provide an overview about IoT building blocks and call out how Electronics HW and Embedded Software play an integral role in IoT.
Components of IoT:
Now that you have a brief idea about how IoT works at high level, let us start building architectural understanding. Here is a diagram to give you a high level view.
IoT architecture is a structure of numerous elements. In simple words, IoT architecture has five major components. They are described as follows:
- IoT device: IoT device can be wireless sensors, software, actuators and computer devices. They are fixed to a specific object that runs through internet.
- IoT Gateway: IoT gateway is a device or a software program that serves as a connection point between cloud and multiple IoT devices.
- Network: Network is the bridging element that connects an array of IoT gateways to the Cloud platform by traditional TCP/IP network.
- Cloud: Cloud is a platform which takes massive volumes of data generated. They receive them via IoT gateways which in turn has tons of devices behind them.
- Applications: The synthesized data for the end user to derive meaningful insights. The application typically provides a User Interface (UI) to the end user.
Need to train manpower in IoT Domain as per the Industry Requirement: –
Knowing the growing need of IoT based skills in the market, the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI), which is set up under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), skill the youth of the country specifically in the electronics domain. The council has been working with the subject matter experts across India to create Qualification Packs (QPs) in accordance with the rising demand of IoT based skills in the market. Therefore, if you are looking forward to making your career in this domain, you can simply take training from the registered training partners of ESSCI that are available pan India.
Understanding the perspective of both Electronics Hardware and Embedded Software, the council has prepared two job-oriented courses (QP’s) in which the candidates can take training and get the job easily in the IoT domain. They are:
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IoT Hardware Analyst –
This QP primarily takes a complete hardware perspective. For Engineers coming from Electronics / Electrical background, this is an ideal QP if you want to have your career in the hardware aspect of IoT. The QP is designed as a pack of skills that includes Circuit design, Hardware realization in terms of PCB, Optimization, Verification and Validation, and System thinking aspects.
The NSQF (National Skill Qualification Framework) level for this job role is 5 and the minimum educational qualification required to enroll in this job role is Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering / Technology / Statistics / Mathematics / Computer Science.
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Embedded Full-Stack IoT Analyst –
This QP primarily takes the software perspective. With a primary focus on Embedded Software design, this QP focuses on skill-building in areas like Embedded programming, Operating Systems, UI development, Debugging, Testing and release of quality software. This QP also gives very good focus to inculcate engineering best practices. For engineers who are willing to have a career as Design Engineers, this QP would serve as an ideal skill pack.
This job role is covered under the NSQF Level 5 and the minimum educational qualification required is a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering / Technology / Statistics / Mathematics / Computer Science.
Future Outlook:-
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global internet of things (IoT) market was valued at US$190 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach US$1,102.6 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 24.7 percent in the forecast period.
Advanced principal technologies and a proliferation of devices have helped fuel the growth of IoT technologies. In fact, investments in IoT technology are projected to grow at 13.6 percent per year through 2022. Further growth in the coming years will be possible thanks to new sensors, more computing power, and reliable mobile connectivity.
Finally, the IoT market will grow because existing IT devices will need to be linked to the IoT. Growth in traditional connected IT devices is admittedly moderate—about 2 percent per year. However, the installed base of more than five billion smartphones, two billion personal computers, and one billion tablets indicate a massive market for device integration.
Conclusion:-
The future of IoT is virtually unlimited due to advances in technology and consumers desire to integrate devices such as smartphones with household machines. A Networking and connectivity protocol has made it possible to connect people and machines on all platforms. Also, there is so much data travelling from device to device. Security is another key concern will need to be addressed to keep up with demands. From an individual’s perspective IoT offers excellent career opportunities which need to be harnessed. However, it requires you to have the necessary skill which is going to be the key differentiator.
