By Khadijah Kolapo

From smartphones to wearable devices to more complex systems like smart houses, the use of IoT devices is increasing everyday. Internet of things is a network of billions of devices around the world that are connected to the internet. They share data and are smart enough to choose which one is relevant to their function. What IoT does basically is make devices intelligent. It connects people and things thereby improving communication, optimizing processes and enabling smarter decision making.

IoT makes life easier but there are still a lot of challenges facing its growth. Here are some of them:

1. Internet Availability: Internet is the major component of the IoT without which it cannot function. There are, however, still countries in the world where there is no internet, internet use is subjected to strict laws or access is limited. For example, Cuba, Lesotho, Somalia and many more. This automatically reduces the reach of IoT in these countries.

2. Privacy and Security: IoT seeks to bridge the gap between our devices so they can function autonomously with little or no human input. This implies that every component in the system shares data and interacts i.e. our smartphone, microwave, car and house exchanges information. Now, imagine your microwave is hacked. The hacker will be able to access all your data including sensitive ones you would rather no one finds out. This poses a threat to the privacy of companies and individuals.

3. Increase in data generation: It has been estimated that by 2020, around 26 billion items and objects will be a part of the IoT. This will surely increase the amount of data generated and such data will need to be managed. This will require effective data mining, analysis and devices with larger storage capacities.

4. Understanding: While a lot of people use IoT devices, they do not fully understand what it actually is. They are not aware of the implications and benefits. Some people even think it is just about wearable devices.