Like every new-born technology, the Internet of Things (IoT) is also facing a shortage of people who can claim themselves as the “smart” people of IoT. In easier words, the global enterprise sector is at a significant loss of IoT-specialist staff at the senior decision & strategy making level. The shortage is not only pointed out in the upper-level staff but the mid-level IoT management teams that are expert at IoT deployment, data sciences, and cyber security skills. This might turn out to be a grave situation for the expected and predicted growth of IoT industry in the immediate upcoming years. Unless the deficit starts to roll back with more and more people getting educated and trained in required IoT skills where the demand is high, the richly-imagined bright future of IoT will be in vain.
“The scenario, however, is not as dangerous as it’s being portrayed; the rise of IoT has already stressed many educational institutions to start offering diplomas and degrees in IoT management,” says an optimistic Mr. Clovis Lacerda, founder of Parlacom Brazil. This is indeed true as many leading Universities around the world are now offering degrees in IoT, Data Sciences, and other closely related skills. But the number of trainees and students is still not up to that mark where an ample supply of IoT experts is met with precision. If we get more into details: 76% of global enterprise firms lack strategic/senior staff; 72% of global firms lack IoT management staff; 80% global enterprises do not have qualified on-demand IoT support personnel’s; 60% of global enterprises lack individuals who are expert in data analytics and cyber security, and the list continues to go on in more detailed perspective on shortage of IoT expert staff at offices.
This shortage highlights the immediate requirement for organizations worldwide to push forward the agenda of IoT-based education, as much as they hype about the fantastic future which IoT will bring to this world. But on the whole, we must also not forget that every new technology takes time to satisfactorily fit itself, both electronically and humanely. 30 year ago, Microsoft initially launched its celebrated Windows operating system in 1985, and it did flop at that time. However, Windows OS today is the most widely used operating system of all times. It took almost 15 – 20 years for the Windows to really prove its worth and make an impact that is fully worthy of its potential. This is the case with all kinds of new technologies, and so is with IoT as well.