What does the future hold for the IoT?
The next phase in the evolution of IT infrastructure is the Internet of Things (IoT). Particularly platforms that will handle a large proportion of the data load from millions, or even billions, of connected devices.
However, a data ecosystem of this scale takes time to develop. So, as we approach 2020, how far has the IoT come? And what is likely to take shape over the next few years?
Although it is already producing huge volumes of data, this is nothing compared to what is going to happen over the next decade. Virtually everything we see, touch, and perhaps even parts of our own bodies, will soon be generating continuous streams of data to processing and storage elements. In centralised data facilities, they will be analysed, combined and manipulated.
IoT gains momentum
According to Zebra Technologies, the average business has invested $4.6 million in IoT infrastructure over the past year, an increase of 4 % compared to 2017. Around 84 % of businesses expect to complete their IoT implementation by 2021, although this is certainly a false truth. The IoT is unlikely to be "complete". In principle, it never will be, any more than the current data centre infrastructure is complete. On the other hand, it is very likely that the IoT will reach a sufficient stage of development over the next two years to start making a significant contribution to business models.
CB Insights, which estimates that within two years, almost everyone on Earth will be producing 1.5GB of data per day, is perhaps a more interesting figure. Spending on IoT systems and services will rise from less than $500 billion in 2013 to more than $1.7 trillion in 2019. By 2022, CB Insight expects advanced infrastructures alone to spend more than $6.7 billion.
Of course, advanced technology is made up of a myriad of categories and sub-categories, all of which should enable a wide range of use cases. From smart appliances and cars to entire smart cities. If there is one overriding theme to this technology base, however, it is finding ways to process the huge amount of data in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Artificial Intelligence to the rescue
Artificial intelligence is one of the most fundamental technologies in this effort. Not just in the IoT, but in virtually all data infrastructures. Gartner predicts that tools such as Machine Learning, neural networks, autonomic analysis and other applications should prove invaluable in getting data to the right place, analysing it in the right context and providing the right information to the right people. In many cases, these actions will need to be taken in real or near-real time. For example, when an autonomous car is driving along the motorway, or when a connected medical device is providing a life-saving service to a patient.
At the same time, intelligent systems will have to determine for themselves which data needs to be processed locally and which needs to be routed to centralised facilities. To do this, it will not be enough to automate the process, but will require a high degree of autonomy in which the machines themselves decide how to proceed in a wide range of circumstances.
What skills should you focus on?
Clearly, these developments will lead to the demand for entirely new skill sets. What's more, some of the skills needed today will no longer be necessary. Once networks, for example, have the ability to source and configure themselves, traditional administrative responsibilities will fade, while more strategic roles will take on greater importance. IDC is already drawing attention to the lack of skilled professionals capable of overseeing AI-driven processes. This will become a major issue as most organisations expect at least a 90 % success rate in implementing AI on IoT infrastructure over the next two years.
The popular view is that artificial intelligence should work on its own, without human supervision. The fact is that virtually no intelligent solution will work properly without the help of a competent computer scientist to guide it through its choices. This means that tomorrow's business facing the IoT will have to make a choice:
- Retain existing IT staff,
- Outsource intelligent operations to specialists,
- Experiment directly with open source models.
For many, the last option is the most intriguing. Indeed, it seems that much of the IoT will be based on an open infrastructure. As Rocky Bullock recently explained, open source will be crucial. By its very nature, it will require broad collaboration across a sea of systems and platforms. Certainly, some proprietary solutions will take root, but even these will require broad interoperability with their environment if they are to meet the expectations of most users.
Finally...
From this perspective, we can expect the development of open and interoperable standards to regulate the wide range of technologies that underpin the IoT. Including intelligent and automated platforms. For now, much of this work is being done piecemeal through organisations such as IEEE, OCP and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP). However, it is reasonable to expect more global solutions to emerge.
The IoT will undoubtedly see continued development across a wide range of functions, such as security, governance and so on. But the focus over the coming year will be on bringing the digital economy to the forefront of current operations that are largely taking place in the shadows. Once it becomes a service and revenue generator in its own right, rather than simply an extension of the existing infrastructure, we will be able to say that we live in a fully connected world.