‘Companies will soon have post for chief IoT officers’

In the years to come, disruption created by the Internet of Things seems inevitable. However creating awareness and getting equipped with technology needs to be implemented at many levels in the country, says, Dr. Rishi Bhatnagar, co-author of “Enterprise IoT” and chairperson of the IET IoT Panel, India. On the sidelines of the Annual IoT Conference, 2016 held by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Dr Bhatnagar spoke to

Shadma Shaikh

. Edited excerpts:

IoT as a technology is still growing in India. What is the focus of IET IoT Panel There is a huge revolution coming in, in terms of technology. To give you an example, e-commerce biggies, including Flipkart and Snapdeal announced sale worth Rs. 600 crore during the Diwali season. This means people were ready to spend that much money. But the physical retailers didn’t get it. They’re way behind in the race since they are not equipped with technology.

The focus of the IET IoT panel is to make industry, government and academia aware of the upcoming trends in technology, educate them and make the them ready to be a part of the competition.

What kind of impact do you see IoT making in the country When we held a similar conference a year ago, a lot of people from the industry did not even know what IoT is. They didn’t realize the impact it could have on their businesses and the way the function. But it’s getting noticed a lot more now. Manufacturing sector in India, I think is quite advanced in terms of machine-to-machine communication.

Healthcare, I believe, is an important sector where IoT can make a difference. Also, 70 percent of the country’s population living in rural India does not have access to proper healthcare. These are the areas technology will take over and make a massive impact.

Enterprises have begun to take IoT very seriously and I think soon companies will have a post for Chief IoT Officer on their board. Skilling is one area that needs to be worked on.

You spoke about IoT India Congress. What is it all about Yes. We are planning to have a global level IoT conference this year in September. This will involve a lot of panel discussions, projects, ideas, exhibitions and discussions over the technology. Connected cars, smart buildings and other such projects will also be discussed during the event. We are trying to get the prime minister to inaugurate the event. IET is also launching a pilot credit course with SRM University where IoT will be taught as a subject for second and third year engineering students.

And since we are on the subject of automation, what are your thoughts on the whole “automation replacing human jobs” phenomena Let me ask you a question—when was the last time you went to a bank Physical infrastructure for banks might no longer be required in a few years. I’ll even say in the next 25 years there won’t be any hospitals. I’m not saying there won’t be any bankers, doctors and teachers. But these will be people who are equipped with technology and possess upgraded skills. They can’t be replaced.