IoT is generally called a collection of gadgets connected to the internet which has broadened the scopes of the internet to another level. As IoT is on the go to connect billions of devices through the internet, there has been arising needs on assuring the quality and increase in the number of testing teams in the industry which has led to the rise of implementation of automation into IoT devices through modernized strategies and updated techniques to meet the needs for ensuring the same.
HISTORY
Decades before when Kevin Ashton suggested the term Internet of Things, at least a few in the technological arena were skeptical about such an intelligent adaptation system where we would be adding sensors and intelligence to basic objects around us. The discussions were going on during the ’80s and ’90s but it took almost more than a decade for the technology to barely reach the vision they were envisaging. The main issue for the technological ancestors was that since the technology was at a phase where processes were a bit slow compared to today, they weren’t able to reap out the maximum output for the vision and some of the early projects were on halt since the technology wasn't ready at that point of time.
Later on, after years of innovations and technological advancements, cheap and power frugal chips which made wireless communications possible surfaced the market and along with the penetration of cellular and wireless devices and increased availability of internet broadband, everything was step by step paving the way for IoT to scale to its proper place. And now getting huge and bigger, IoT has made connections among things that can be more than the total human population all over the planet. Statistics have been showing that there would be around 41.6 billion connected IoT devices while we reach 2025 and among which most of them would be under the industrial and automotive equipment areas. The possibility of an increase in some strong smart home adaptations is also on the list but it couldn’t outnumber the former sections as they are making innovations at a much faster pace in those two sectors.
IoT AND INDUSTRIES
The introduction of IoT has been accelerating all kinds of industries at a rapid speed. With the introduction of new technologies and market dynamics, more and more businesses are now keen on adopting IoT products to expand and upgrade their workspace digital ecosystems. Multiple giant companies like Microsoft, GE, Tata, etc. have been putting lots of initiatives in this regard collaborating with new generation startups for developing and implementing solid IoT testing strategies to ensure device reliability since it has to manage complex and serious architecture, different kinds of data and that too in massive volumes.
STRUCTURE OF IoT
Defining the structure, IoT consists of mainly three elements which include things, communication, and computing. The physical objects that are converted to connectible devices like cars, security devices, navigations systems, etc. are called things. Communication indicates the uninterrupted electronic communication among the devices included in a network and computations includes the processes which are essential for processing, monitoring, and taking part in communications.
IoT was introduced with the prime objective to strengthen gadgets and devices to work perfectly with errands and settle for the most favorable decisions while executing tasks. Almost everything around, us has turned smart by the introduction of IoT which has favored the work processing speed and accuracy in multiple task completions with very little time and more precision. The domination of IoT, in both conceptual and practical ways has widely changed the outlook of people working together. The evolution has been a very positive journey that has completely revolutionized the workspace cultures which has made an impact on day-to-day activities and also to form successful and elaborate digital ecosystems.
IoT IN TECHNOLOGY
While talking about the introduction of IoT into the technological arena, the software industry has been showing a vigorous inclination towards test automation and discussions are going on the effect of the same on IoT and its recent developments. From the past 8 to 10 years the IoT gadgets have been multiplied enormously in number and also were projected to increment to about 50 million gadgets by the end of 2020. These statistics have made the software industries push the QA and testing groups to alter their testing procedure so that they can easily squeeze into the IoT framework with ease. They are specifically taking care to make their approaches distinctive when it comes to testing strategies and methodologies.
AUTOMATION AND IoT
As observed, Automation has been evolved as the most significant component in IoT which has caused the testing methods and strategies to be more accurate so that they can bring the best results out of it. This plan is very important since IoT has been defined as the most moving innovation of the present day and also it has become the most integral part in opening doors for many businesses and also assists organizations to profit from new income streams with reduced human intervention and labor along with improved analytics. These all reasons have made the software companies step up the rate of their software service delivery which includes fixes and innovations which makes the need for automation more and more critical.
Statistics have been showing that, by the year 2019, about 66% of the total clients are likely to purchase advanced technologies for themselves which would lead to the demand for building associated gadgets increase to a very high rate. At this phase where there is a surge in demand, Automation is a simple and safe way to accommodate this situation which stands out as the most adaptable approach to IoT application development. Consisting of a group of nimble approaches, it helps in increasing the efficiency of the system by working out the best strategies in communication, teamwork, integrity, and constant thinking. Improvements would be made in the current application where the automation processes remain very vital.
The automation process guarantees that the application is of multi-user nature and can safely be deployed into a dispersed environment. It ensures a good response time for the application along with proper data validation throughout the process. It also helps to enhance the application expansion both locally or through the web and also maintains real-time data accuracy and provides access control through the encryption-decryption method.
ARISING CHALLENGES IN IoT
Since the need for these applications is increasing in the IoT framework, there are certain challenges that would show up. Since the demand is getting higher, the companies must ensure that the applications are completely tried and tested before they are being deployed to the IoT ecosystem. This includes the active participation of a software tester who must consistently ensure that the hardware and software are tested properly and also maintaining the connectivity while sending these huge chunks of IoT data in real-time. Along with this, a clear knowledge of future challenges with IoT testing would also help in making the right move at the right time making innovative improvements without causing any delays in the network arrangement.
It has been proven that IoT has become a fundamental part of the digital world as organizations are relentlessly trying hard to make possible quests for all sorts of creative approaches to improve their strategic methods to churn the finest results out. This has made the automation test to be considered as a need rather than an alternative. The QA teams will need time as well as mastery to manage the presence of all the parts moving in the interconnected IoT system. Apart from checking up on the system's functionality, software testers would have to make sure that the gadgets are secure and dynamic in regular as well as surprising situations.
FUTURE OF IoT AND AUTOMATION
The future is waiting to witness many more surprises with more involvement of automation in the IoT universe. One can assemble many stunning tasks utilizing the idea of proper and strategic automation systems. They would be able to add new possibilities and also manufacture smart and efficient gadgets with improved intelligence, accuracy, and precision which would help in reducing human workload to a very high extend and make the world a more brilliant spot to live in.
FURTHER READING
- A detailed analysis of Deep Learning for Internet of Things (IoT) Security
- A detailed analysis of Deep Learning for Internet of Things (IoT) Applications
- Mesh Networking Topologies for Reliable and Scalable IoT Deployment
- Has the pandemic accelerated the need to deploy IoT Solutions?
- The Rise of IoT Fleet Management Systems: Challenges and Solutions
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