4 challenges that are faced by IoT developers

 IoT developers have taken the world by storm by creating and connecting millions of devices that now play an integral part in our lives. But this added utility comes with its own set of caveats and IoT challenges that need to be sorted.

IoT developers are constantly developing new and advanced devices for homes and offices that are connected with each other and the Internet. These devices are creating unprecedented opportunities in reducing energy consumption, cutting down costs, improving customer service, and building a sustainable approach towards our environment. But that’s just one side to the coin. The other side is the many challenges that glare at IoT developers.

4 challenges faced by IoT developers

Security challenges

IoT is already posing a serious threat to tech giants and government agencies all around the world. Smart fridges, cameras, and assault rifles are being hacked, casting an aura of fear with regards to the security and future of IoT. This problem is bound to escalate as IoT gets engrained more and more into our lives. Critical city infrastructure can be hacked, as in the case of the Ukraine power grid hack. In the rush to launch their product before their competitors, companies focus more on providing features than on the security. Moreover, most IoT developers have an embedded programming background, due to which they are ignorant about IoT programming and the threats related to it.

Privacy Challenges

IoT devices also collect sensitive data that is often protected by legislations like Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) in the U.S. However, special precautions needed for handling such information are amiss. Another thing to take into consideration is that while data generated by a single device may not be sensitive, it may reveal a lot of personal information when combined with data from other appliances.

Connectivity Challenges

One of the biggest challenges for IoT in the future is to connect large number of devices. Presently, we rely upon centralized, server/client model to authorize, authenticate, and connect several nodes present on the network. This model is sufficient for the number of IoT devices that are currently a part of the ecosystem. However, in the near future, when hundreds of billions of devices will join the network, it will turn into a bottleneck. Moreover, the capability of current cloud servers is so less that it can breakdown if it has to handle large amounts of information.

Compatibility and Longevity Challenges

Different technologies like ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) are all battling to become the dominant transport mechanism between devices and hubs. This becomes a major source of problems when a lot of devices have to be connected; such dense connectivity requires the deployment of extra hardware and software. There are various other compatibility issues that are bound to stem due to the non-unified cloud services and lack of standardized M2M protocols.

Despite the immaturity of the Internet of Things (IoT) posing so many challenges, developers will not be deterred from chasing success in this area. IoT is an ecosystem of ever-increasing complexity; it is the next level to automate every object in our life. Since this is a relatively new area as compared to big data and cloud, and promises a bright future, developers will soon come up with solutions to the above stated problems.