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The
Internet of Everything is Certainly the hottest topic today. It is easy
for a technocal pundit to make many predictions since there is
significant interest and demand. However, the realities inherent in
making the capabilities real products are very significant.
The
article below highlights some of the huge engineering challenges.
Compunded with the countless security risks, the process will likely
need to evolve, not quickly instantiate.
Don't get into an early line just quite yet!
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More education needed to realize the Internet of
Everything
By Sudarshan Krishnamurthi, Cisco
Network World | Dec 10, 2014 11:12
AM PT
The Internet of Everything (IoE) is essentially
about connections, bringing people, processes, data and things together in
unprecedented ways. IoE delivers the right information to the right person (or
machine) at the right time, and converts data into intelligence to make better
decisions.
Practical advice for you to take
full advantage of the benefits of APM and keep your IT environment
Organizations will use the
connections made by IoE to transform our work and private lives, creating
smarter products and services, more convenience for consumers and new forms of
work-life integration. However, in order to capitalize on these connections,
organizations will need well-trained staff. Cisco predicts that approximately
220,000 new engineers will be needed globally every year for the next 10 years
to keep up with the technological surge of IoE. This is a gap that must be
filled if the potential of IoE is to be realized.
Because the network will serve as
the hub for the Internet of Everything, it will need to be more secure, agile,
context-aware, automated, dynamic and programmable. CareerBuilder projects that
five job roles in particular will be in high demand as a result: Cloud
architect, cybersecurity analyst, data scientist, mobile application developer
and network programmer.
All five roles are good career path
choices, both for those still deciding on a major and for workers looking to
make their next move. The online career community ITCareerFinder, for example,
named mobile application developer as the No.1 “best computer job for the
future.”
Here’s a closer look at the five hot
categories:
* Cloud Architect. According
to a November 2012 IDC report titled “Climate Change: Cloud’s Impact on IT
Organizations and Staffing,” demand for cloud-related positions will grow by 26
percent annually through 2015, with as many as 7 million cloud-related jobs
available worldwide. However, the report indicates that IT hiring managers were
unable to fill 1.7 million cloud positions in 2012 because job seekers lacked
the training and certification needed to work in a cloud-enabled world.
* Cybersecurity Analyst. Security
will be of particular concern, as the attack surface will increase
significantly due to IoE. All these connected devices will generate and
exchange substantial volumes of data, as well. The role of the data analyst
will therefore be crucial in terms of converting this data into usable
information. Getting prepared for IoE will require the existing workforce to be
re-skilled and the incoming workforce to be upskilled in order to understand IT
networking to a greater degree.
As opposed to other network security
roles that focus on “building the castle,” a cybersecurity analyst pays closest
attention to “guarding the castle.” Working in a security operations center,
the cybersecurity analyst monitors security equipment, recognizes attacks, and
responds to security events.
The fact that retailers, banks,
healthcare providers, and other organizations reported 167 data breaches in the
state of California during 2013 underscores the need for greater security in
the IoE era. The 2014 Cisco Annual Security Report predicts a shortage of more
than a million security professionals across the globe during the next five
years.
A few of the recent data breaches
provides a prime example of the necessity for three key skills for the IoE era
mentioned above: enterprise networking, cybersecurity and data analysis. In
some cases, the weaknesses inherent in IoE enabled a security breach (imagine
connected coffee pots, air conditioners, etc. being turned against a business).
The technology exists to connect
everything, but unsecured connections can spell disaster. So, IoE requires
people with the skills to deploy the infrastructure that connects things, data,
people and processes, and build in security simultaneously.
IoE will require IT professionals
who understand this connected infrastructure so deeply that they are able to
proactively secure it from threats. Cybersecurity analysts will be needed to
help determine where threats are coming from, particularly if any breach
attempts are successful. These analysts will act as security guards for the
network with their specialized skills and insights.
* Data Scientist. IoE is a
major contributor to global IP data center traffic, which is already on the
order of hundreds of exabytes per month. With all of that data swirling around,
the role of the data scientist will be paramount. Data scientists search for patterns in data
and analyze data trends, with an eye to learning about user behavior or improving
user experience. They also look for potential storage failures or even security
threats. As the third annual Cisco Connected World Technology Report indicates,
“The data scientist combines creative imagination with IT skills to unlock the
power of data.”
The third annual report, which was
based on a survey of 1,800 IT professionals in 18 countries, reveals that in
this IoE era—with its dramatic increase in new connections—the majority of
respondents (73%) saw their big data strategy as needing to include data from
digital sensors, meters, cars, video monitors, and smart devices. The survey
also indicates that 40% were already using “data in motion,” that is, data in
transit—from devices, sensors, video, and monitors—that a data scientist can
work with in real time.
* Mobile Application Developer. According
to the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast
Update, 2013-2018, by the end of 2014, the number of mobile-connected devices
will exceed the number of people on Earth, and by 2018 there will be nearly 1.4
mobile devices per capita. The ongoing proliferation of mobile devices will
continue to make the job role of mobile application developer highly important
to IoE.
* Network Programmer. In the
IoE world, leveraging programmable networks facilitates a gathering of
information that, in turn, enables automation in the configuration of the IT
infrastructure. As a result, information can be intelligently applied to
infrastructure configuration, allowing the needed scale in the number of
devices that can be effectively managed. Programmability helps ensure the
correct level of automation, easing the pressure on the IT infrastructure,
streamlining the identification and resolution of data bottlenecks, and thereby
increasing efficiency.
It is the combination of deep
network engineering knowledge and the ability to utilize a programming language
such as C, Java, or Python that puts the network programmer in high demand.
Educating
to Fill the Gap
The networker’s view and
responsibilities are expanding to include many new technologies as well as duties.
There are many emerging roles in the future for IoE – business transformation
specialists, cloud brokers, network programmers and data scientists. Cyber
security becomes more pervasive and networking careers becomes more
specialized.
Top News
Application developers who are
implementing SDN technologies, as well as those at the
business application layer, will need a tighter grasp of the new world they
operate in. With the convergence of operational technologies and IT on the
horizon, engineers will need to become trained in IT and networking. Companies
will need to work with industries throughout the world to create the pathway
for IT networking skills and talent development.
In addition, students must be
prepared from the beginning to understand the network and its underlying
connection to everything. It is incumbent on IT companies to work with
universities, secondary schools, networking academies and learning partners to
develop curricula to ensure that rising talent is well prepared to understand
the functioning of the network and its relationship to IoE.
Network training needs to filter
down to grade school in order for the next generation to be equipped with
critical thinking, complex problem solving, data analysis, and communication
and collaboration skills associated with IoE.
As students move to a Bring Your Own
Device, ubiquitous access model, their needs and preferences regarding where
and when they get training are changing along with what they are learning. Students
now prefer mobile, video-based, game-based learning that not only is an
evolution of traditional delivery but also helps remove barriers to education.
A 2013 survey of Cisco certified professionals revealed a strong preference for
hands-on practice labs, simulations and video-based training. Rather than
attending a class on each of these subjects, this core knowledge set will be
available in real time on an as-needed basis.
Shifts in technology require us to
consider not only how job roles are changing but also how learner preferences
are changing and, therefore, how education is delivered. The good news is that
the technology with connected devices and collaboration software can help make
this happen, since the technology and infrastructure are there to move in this
direction.
Harnessing the potential of IoE
means a faster path to strategic insights and increased profitability; rapid
delivery of differentiated IoE-enabled services and experiences; and security
that helps enable IoE business because it’s integrated, open, continuous and
pervasive. These create sustainable competitive advantage. In order to reach
this goal, though, current and future employees must be properly trained.
Organizations, educational institutions and industries must work together to
instill the 21st-century skills needed to gather in the full harvest
of IoE benefits that will improve all aspects of human life.
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