Firms lack skills to adopt IoT and big data analytics

IT decision makers say skills shortages are delaying the adoption of new technologies such as the Internet of Things and big data analytics, according to Capita/Cisco research.

Among the key findings of the research is a “disconnect” between the apparent relevance of a trend compared with the number of decision makers who say their industry has the skills to implement it.

For example, while 70 percent of IT decision makers said the Internet of Things (IoT) was relevant to their business, almost three quarters (71 percent) said they did not have the skills to identify the opportunities for growth offered by IoT. And 80 percent said they did not have the skills to capitalise on the data received from IoT. Just 30 percent said IoT was being implemented.

Similarly, 90 percent said big data was relevant to their business, but it was being implemented in fewer than four in 10 businesses (39 percent), and 64 percent did not have the skills to recognise how they could use big data within their business.

The report identified several key barriers to implementation of IoT, the most prevalent being the perceived risk of security breaches, issues surrounding data governance and overcoming problems created by adapting legacy IT systems.

Legacy IT infrastructure was the top barrier to the implementation of big data, along with data governance issues and cost.

Adam Jarvis, managing director, Capita Technology Solutions, said: “It’s clear that there are several important, technology-led trends which have the capacity to transform the way business is done.

“Whilst it is encouraging that levels of awareness around the strategic benefits of those trends are high, these results suggest more needs to be done to support businesses and help them close what is a substantial skills gap.”

Previously published findings from the same research found that just one in three IT decision makers believed key technology advances, such as cloud-based solutions, big data and wearable tech will be available in their industry within the next 12 months.

Capita surveyed 125 IT professionals across the insurance, finance, legal services and manufacturing industries.

@AntonySavvas