Solving the IoT Talent Shortage with Low-code

The IoT market is booming across industries, but the complexity of end-to-end IoT solutions and the scarcity of multidisciplinary developers are creating a major talent bottleneck. By enabling citizen developers through low-code platforms—with visual tools, prebuilt connectors, and scalable cloud capabilities—organizations can accelerate IoT application delivery, reduce costs, and broaden participation beyond traditional engineers. Although customization is somewhat limited, low-code is emerging as a low-risk, high-reward strategy that will increasingly underpin IoT-focused application development in the coming years.

Written by

FPT Software

Published on

August 28, 2023

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the Internet of Things (IoT) market is entering a phase of rapid expansion. Industry reports project billions of connected devices and trillions of dollars in economic value in the coming years. By 2030, the number of IoT devices worldwide is expected to reach around 29 billion, nearly doubling the count recorded in 2020 [1].

This acceleration is also reflected in global IoT spending. According to IDC, worldwide expenditure on IoT has increased year over year by at least $40 billion since 2018 [2]. Organizations in multiple sectors are adopting IoT to strengthen their operations and competitiveness, including manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and smart homes. Across these industries, companies are using IoT to:

Improve operational efficiency and optimize resource utilization
Enhance and personalize customer experiences
Enable new, data-driven and service-based business models

Forbes reports that around 80% of companies have integrated some form of IoT into their operations [3]. This adoption is being accelerated by the rollout of 5G networks, which significantly boosts real-time data processing and analytics capabilities. At the same time, the cost of IoT sensors, devices and connectivity has been steadily declining, making IoT more affordable and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Combined with the widespread availability of cloud computing and scalable infrastructure, these factors are laying the groundwork for a broad-based IoT transformation.

Key challenges in implementing an IoT system

Implementing an IoT system and building IoT applications is far from straightforward. Organizations must address a series of interrelated requirements to move from concept to a reliable, scalable solution:

Define clear business objectives to ensure every IoT initiative is tied to measurable outcomes.
Carefully select appropriate IoT platforms that can support current needs and future growth.
Address data security and privacy risks across devices, networks, and cloud infrastructure.
Integrate IoT solutions with existing systems and workflows without disrupting operations.
Continuously analyze incoming data to extract actionable insights rather than raw metrics.
Build or acquire the right talent with the expertise needed to navigate this complex IoT landscape.

Enabling citizen development in IoT

Finding professionals with the expertise to implement IoT applications can be a challenging task. IoT is a relatively new and rapidly evolving field in which the pool of experienced IoT developers remains limited. The technology landscape is also changing constantly, with new protocols, platforms, and tools emerging on a regular basis.

The multidisciplinary nature of IoT development makes it difficult to find developers who possess expertise across all relevant domains. To implement IoT applications effectively, developers need a diverse skill set that combines knowledge in areas such as:

Embedded systems and hardware integration
Networking protocols
Data analytics
Cloud computing
Security

According to IoT World Today’s IoT Adoption Survey, 45% of respondents identified the lack of skills as a main challenge in implementing IoT [4].

This is where citizen developers play a vital role in addressing the talent shortage in IoT application development. As the demand for IoT expertise surpasses the available pool of skilled professionals, citizen developers help close the gap by leveraging low-code and no-code development platforms. Gartner predicts that there will be four times more citizen developers than professional developers working in large enterprises [5]. These platforms enable individuals with strong domain knowledge and business acumen, but limited coding experience, to actively contribute to the creation of IoT applications.

Citizen development not only helps alleviate the talent shortage but also brings a fresh perspective to IoT application development. This ultimately drives digital transformation and enables organizations to fully leverage the benefits of IoT technology.

Low-code as a growth engine for factory IoT applications

Low-code platforms, known for their strong ability to bridge the skills gap, play a major role in developing factory IoT applications. The low-code market has grown significantly in recent years, driven by the demand for faster application delivery, the scarcity of skilled developers, and the need for greater business agility. More than 72% of IT leaders acknowledge that using a low-code solution in their organization helps enhance productivity, foster innovation, and accelerate development timelines [6]. Notably, McKinsey indicates that companies can improve their retention rate by up to 47% when development teams have access to such tools [7]. As digitalization continues to expand, low-code technology is expected to gain even more traction in the IoT domain, enabling organizations to build and deploy applications more quickly while reducing development costs and improving time-to-market.

In factory environments, low-code platforms address several key challenges across the IoT application lifecycle:

Device Integration: Connecting and integrating diverse IoT devices that use different protocols and communication standards can be complex. Low-code platforms provide pre-built connectors and APIs that simplify this process, enabling developers to configure and connect devices quickly without extensive coding or deep protocol expertise.
Data Management: IoT systems generate large volumes of data from multiple devices, which require efficient and reliable handling. Low-code platforms offer built-in data management capabilities, including data storage, processing, and analytics, making it easier to manage IoT data and derive insights without extensive manual coding.
Application Development: Building IoT applications traditionally involves complex coding and integration tasks. Low-code platforms provide visual modeling tools, drag-and-drop interfaces, and pre-built templates, allowing developers to design and develop IoT applications rapidly. This accelerates the development process and reduces reliance on manual coding.
Scalability: Scaling an IoT system to support a growing number of devices or users can be challenging. Low-code platforms offer scalability features, such as auto-scaling capabilities and cloud integration, which simplify the expansion of IoT infrastructure. These platforms handle underlying infrastructure complexities, enabling organizations to scale their IoT systems as needed.
Rapid Iteration and Deployment: IoT systems often require frequent iterations and updates. Low-code platforms streamline the development workflow, enabling developers to implement changes quickly, test new features, and deploy updates with less effort and shorter cycles than traditional software development.

Outlook for Low-Code in IoT

While low-code platforms offer fewer customization options because they prioritize ease of use over advanced complexity, they remain a low-risk, high-reward choice for many businesses. This balance makes low-code particularly attractive for organizations that need to innovate quickly without taking on excessive technical or financial risk.

According to Gartner, more than 65% of application development activity will be driven by low-code platforms [8]. This projection strongly signals the rising importance of low-code and highlights its ability to accelerate development cycles and enable broader participation in the IoT ecosystem.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there an IoT talent shortage and how big is the gap?

IoT requires skills across embedded systems, hardware, networking, cloud, analytics, and security, but the field is still young and evolving rapidly. Experienced IoT developers are scarce and expensive, and surveys show that lack of skills is a top barrier for a large share of organizations pursuing IoT.

How do low-code platforms help close the IoT skills gap?

Low-code platforms let domain experts and small teams assemble IoT apps visually using templates, connectors, and drag-and-drop logic instead of heavy coding. This accelerates development, reduces dependence on scarce specialists, simplifies device and data integration, and enables rapid iteration in factory and industrial environments.

Is low-code a good long-term bet for IoT app development?

Low-code sacrifices some deep customization in exchange for speed, lower risk, and wider participation. Analyst research points to strong growth, with a large share of application development expected to involve low-code. For many IoT scenarios it offers a high-reward way to prototype, scale, and iterate without large upfront investments.

What are the key requirements to implement IoT systems well?

Successful IoT initiatives begin with clear business goals and deliberate choices about platforms and architecture. You must secure devices and data, integrate with existing systems, design for analytics from the outset, and ensure access to the right mix of skills across hardware, networking, cloud, and security.

How fast is the IoT market growing and how big will it get?

Analysts expect tens of billions of IoT devices and trillions in value by 2030, with device counts nearly doubling from 2020. Spending has been rising by at least tens of billions of dollars each year, led by sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation that use IoT to optimize operations and enable new business models.