Ryan Smith, from IQ Telecom, is one of our in-house experts in all things IoT. He discusses the sector’s current trends.

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WHAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN THE TELECOMS SECTOR IN RELATION TO THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)?

At the moment in terms of shaping the market, IoT is very much on a curve moving from theory to reality.

Machine to machine (M2M) connectivity has been around for a number of years within vendors and operators as well as network companies who specifically support M2M communication such as Aeris. Further to this, there are a number of companies who have been internally realigning their sta�, products and market proposition in order to maintain and acquire a larger footprint within the M2M & IoT space.

As a recruitment company operating entirely in the Telecoms space, M2M technologies and capabilities is something we know very well so the transition into the

market, now described as the Internet of Things (IoT), has been natural for us.

I believe wearables and connected devices within the home have, commercially, had the biggest impact on the consumer market over the last 12 months - but with a growing desire and importance arising within automotive, healthcare and smart cities I feel these industries will also have an astronomical impact on the market moving forward.

Additionally there will be a number of others acquiring and taking footholds in their respective industries, some more profound and designed specifically for the hyper connected world and others building customer propositions in order to capture market share. The wonderful thing about this new craze (which is here to stay in my opinion) will be the learning curve many experience and the e�ect it has on how people choose to live their lives.

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HOW WILL HEALTHCARE EVOLVE WITH THE USE OF IOT?

IoT could a�ect the healthcare sector in any number of ways from simply controlling your prescriptions via connected pill pots, to life saving medical and healthcare systems. Other examples include elderly patient care, sensors are being installed into environments where the elderly live on their own. These sensors detect movement so should there be a prolonged period with zero activity, carers will be alerted to visit the premises to check on the individual. Both the private and public medical sectors will benefit from smart devices concerning rapid and intelligent patient care.

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WHEN DO YOU THINK IOT IS GOING TO BECOME ‘THE NORM’?

That is the million dollar question! IoT is pervasive and growing rapidly, that’s for sure. When it comes to new technologies, people are excited, tentative or just impervious. As the IoT is still in its infancy, the jury is out on the a�ect it will have for various demographic groups and those companies involved both big and small.

However, there is strong investment from VC firms, Corporate Investors, Governments (Innovate UK), Crowd Funding and notable acquisitions. PTC with Thingworx and Axeda being an example we’re all familiar with. This also poses the question, how will the U.S. impact U.K. and European markets?

IOT IS PERVASIVE AND GROWING RAPIDLY, THAT’S FOR SURE.

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WHAT ARE THE IN DEMAND SKILLS GOING TO BE FOR IOT?

At the moment, R&D, hardware and software development, pre-sales or technical pre-sales, marketing and product management have probably been where the majority of hiring has taken place. While these numbers are relatively low, they are gradually rising. With a few exceptions including the likes of Intel, Arm, Jasper and PTC as previously mentioned.

The reason for this is obvious – product lifecycle from concept and ideation through to delivery typically includes the disciplines I mentioned above, plus others of course.

Your researchers need to research and products need to be built and developed. Step forward Software Developers, Embedded Engineers, Hardware Designers, and Validation Engineers etc.

The product then needs to be released to your customer’s community. There is a growing demand for technical pre-sales professionals, those that understand the technology and what the impact is to the business; not just what it does but how to di�erentiate why their ‘product or service’ is better suited to others in the market, how this will be integrated into the business and where the results will come from, and why.

Ryan Smith, IQ Telecom

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As is most common, marketing and product management are working closely together during this transition. The right depth of technical detail needs to be understood with each person championing their discipline, you’ll typically find that technical product manager and marketers are most desirable, employers want their sta� to understand the technology, whether it be at Grass Roots or C-Suite level. There are various channels a company will use when going to market so the knowledge and skills of those driving it are paramount. Whilst this is obvious for all companies, those showcasing themselves as a force within the Internet of Things need to get it right first time.

I think that the employment market will be more buoyant in coming months. Human intuition will lead some to wonder “what else is going on in this industry that I’m not aware of?”. Companies will soon have more reason to hire which, for those passively interested in the undercurrent of the IoT employment market, could pave the way for exciting career moves at all employment levels.

A respectable amount of hiring has been made through personal referrals, industry communities, subject matter experts and personal contact lists. It’s still a relatively small community which is good news for incubators and start-ups especially; they can hire top talent and keep costs down at the same time. My advice though, do not disregard leaning on your networks and stay close to previous colleagues and professional acquaintances.

THE RIGHT DEPTH OF TECHNICAL DETAIL NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTOOD...

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