The IoT is the latest in a long line of tech disciplines at risk from the ever-growing skills shortage, with businesses worldwide jeopardising the success of their IoT deployments and the security of their data.
A new survey from Inmarsat has identified that a significant proportion of global enterprises lack IoT skills, with 76% of those surveyed needing additional staff at a senior, strategic level with the necessary skills for IoT deployments.
A further 72% identified a shortage of staff with management-level experience of IoT deployments, and 80% lacked skills in the hands-on delivery of IoT solutions, to ensure that the solutions work as intended.
The skills shortage threatening IoT success also extends to specific technical disciplines, with 60% of respondents requiring additional staff experienced in cybersecurity to handle the vast quantities of data generated by the IoT. 
In addition, 46% identified a deficit of staff with experience in analytics and data science and around half (48%) lacked the technical support skills needed to make their IoT projects successful.
“There is a clear recognition by organisations from all industries that IoT will play a fundamental role in their digital transformation and in their ability to achieve competitive advantage,” said Paul Gudonis, President of the Inmarsat Enterprise Business Unit.
“But for that to happen businesses need to have the correct skill sets in place, and, as our research demonstrates, many currently find themselves without the skilled staff required for this transformation, and unable to take advantage of the potential that IoT solutions offer. Unless this skills deficit is properly addressed, there’s a risk that IoT projects will fail and that businesses will open themselves up to new security threats, putting an unwelcome brake on innovation.”
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The key to the skills shortage, according to Mr Gudonis, is in upskilling existing staff while hiring new staff to fill in gaps in internal skillsets.
“Longer term, the focus needs to be on establishing strategic partnerships with IoT specialists. With economies of scale on their side, specialist partners can help businesses overcome their skills bottlenecks and make their IoT deployments successful,” Mr Gudonis said.
