Seeking Internet of Things architects

The Internet of Things (IoT) architect will soon become a key figure in the job market. By 2020, more than 65% of companies worldwide will have devices connected to the internet. As such, companies will need someone responsible not only for planning, organizing and rolling out a structure of devices that work via the internet, but also for guaranteeing IT security. “From the moment devices are connected to the internet, they can be used to harm others”, warns Xavier Vilajosana, researcher with the IN3 Wireless Networks Research Lab (WiNe) research group.

In fact, in the United States, almost half a million people have had to update their pacemakers’ software to avoid the possibility of being hacked and, consequently, having their health put at risk. Furthermore, 20% of companies worldwide that work with the Internet of Things have suffered at least one attack in the last three years. Gartner, a consultancy firm, predicts that during 2018 companies will have to spend 1.5 billion dollars on security, a 28% increase on the 1.2 billion dollars spent in 2017.

The expansion of the IoT will cause organizations to consider asking their CIOs – often the most technological profile in a company – to be responsible for its governance. However, according to the experts, another type of CIO will be necessary, the “CIO of everything”, a person capable of managing an infrastructure of connected devices and making quick decisions to deal with operational contingencies and IT threats.

As with any emerging technology, the recipe for success will entail this manager having an interdisciplinary team of experts: the Internet of Things architects. “This new and emerging profile is an engineer with knowledge of IT, telecommunications, electronics, and, to an extent, data science as well”, Vilajosana points out. “It will be a profession in great demand in the coming years because knowledge of different disciplines is required along with a certain degree of specialization in systems integration so that connections between devices and cloud can be developed and maintained”, he adds.

According to the UOC researcher, the Internet of Things architect must be familiar with the most significant communications technologies and the design architecture of internet applications in addition to being competent in security mechanisms. “It is very important to be able to understand and contextualize the problems. Normally, this is only achieved through interdisciplinary teams that bring together engineers or specialists in the application or problem to be resolved”.


20.4 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020

Currently, there are 8.4 billion devices in the world connected to the internet, a figure which is forecast to rise to 20.4 billion by 2020, according to Gartner. These devices include refrigerators, domestic assistants such as Alexa or Echo, vehicles and smart watches, among others, and in sectors as diverse as the entertainment, automotive, manufacturing industry and health industries.


The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

One of the sectors that will need this new profile the most is the medical industry. Almost 60% of health organizations have already implanted IoT healthcare  (IoMT), something which has resulted in lower costs and an improved experience for clients. For example, this type of care allows a doctor to access the data of a cardiac monitor and view the progress of a patient without leaving the office, or check oxygen or sugar levels in the blood at any time of the day.