IoT is the next big thing in the digital world and in order to make IoT a success, professionals with skill sets necessary for the functioning of IoT will be required. Hence we present the top 10 skills that a professional needs to enter the world of IoT.

1. Embedded systems

The “things” component in IoT is essentially electronic or electromechanical devices. Devices that are able to measure, perceive or react to the environment around them. Think of these devices as having some bit of computational ability to measure using sensors and then transmit the signal from these sensors. That’s where knowledge of embedded systems come handy, and is the most needed skillset for IoT. Embedded system (within IoT) refers to a system where there are items and objects with sensors embedded in them, which are connected to the web and hence are able to communicate among themselves and with us. So having knowledge in areas of embedded systems electronics design, fabrication technologies, measurement systems, and hardware knowledge of the machines used for creating an embedded system will allow you to enter the field of IoT and become an IoT professional.

2. Networking

In IoT, networking will be important as all devices are expected to be connected to each other. Hence professionals will skills related to hardware in communication devices will be very much needed by the industry. Knowledge in areas of connectivity solutions like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc will be required. Also familiarity with computer-aided and wireless sensor design and other hardware related awareness will be an incentive for a professional looking to enter IoT industry.

3. Computer programming

For any sensor to communicate, it will be required to be fed with a software and this software is called embedded software. It is important on the part of the IoT professional to have knowledge about writing embedded code to allow the sensors to communicate with other devices and enable data transfer. This communication of devices is extremely important for IoT to be implemented.

4. Machine Learning

In the era of smart devices, sensors will play a crucial role. In an embedded system, we expect all devices and objects to communicate with each other will the help of sensors. These sensors, in turn, will generate huge amount of data and it will be important to interpret this data for improving the way IoT functions. Hence a candidate having knowledge of machine learning or analytics skills will be a notch higher than the ones who don’t.

5. Big Data

Having knowledge of Big Data will help a professional to be a part of the IoT industry. As IoT devices will be generating enormous amount of data, Big Data skills will be required to analyse and interpret this data for improving the functioning of IoT devices. For IoT organization, the analysis will be very vital to take decisions with respect to their future actions.

6. Network security

We have been talking about the amount of data generation and how it is to be stored and interpreted and so on. But there is one very important factor which need to be given prime importance and that is security of data and especially which is sensitive. Sensitive data could be your data of your location from your smartphone or your health history from your smart bands and data like this needs ultimate protection. Hence as an IoT professional, you will be responsible for cyber security and expected to have skills for the same.

7. UI / UX Design

Internet of things will bring in all types of objects in a system together to communicate with each other. These objects will all come in different shapes and sizes, some with display while other might not even have that. Hence a much needed or highly demanded skill among professionals in the IoT field will be user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design skills. UI/UX designers having knowledge of Responsive Web Design and Service Design will be most welcomed by the IoT industry.

8. Mobile Development

In the Internet of Things concept, all objects are expected to be controlled by mobile devices like smart phones, wearables, tablets, etc. Mobile applications will be required to do this, thereby making professionals with the knowledge of making mobile apps for iOS and android phones, most sought after in the IoT industry.

9. Cloud computing

With the amount of data Internet of Things will generate, data storage will be an issue and companies will have to take help of cloud services to manage excessive data. Hence the industry will look forward to professionals with knowledge of cloud computing technologies who can store and manage the data efficiently and make it available for analysis.

10. Soft Skills

Soft skills are always needed in any profession and IoT is no exception. Soft skills like effective verbal and written communication, presentation skills, and such other soft skills will help an IoT professional to communicate his work in an effective manner.   The above-mentioned skills sets are among the top that the IoT industry would be looking for in the workforce necessary for the growth and smooth functioning of the industry.