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Welcome and Introduce Yourself

Welcome to the Internet of Things (IoT) network discussion page on Engineering Communities!
This is a thread to introduce yourself to your fellow network members. We’d love to hear more about you so here are a few questions to start you off:

Name:
Brief career history:
What interests you about IoT:
Other interests:

0 Alex Barrett over 6 years ago

Mike, I too grew with the internet, starting out on punched paper tape, relishing the venerable BBC Micro, and watching computing evolve from an isolated home PC to a globally connected device you hold in your hand. I look back fondly on the days when a microcontroller datasheet was a single document you could read in an evening, and when the entire codebase had been lovingly sculpted by your own hand. Today you buy a system, open a stock application and a whole raft of libraries, and tinker round the edges to make your own application.

The IoT is forcing the melding of 'big technologies' like TCP/IP, Bluetooth, USB and crypto security with the grass roots electronics of embedded low power devices. Unfortunately the skills set isn't keeping pace.

It would be great to see the IET help the UK become an IoT leader, if it has the vision and resources to do so. We will see.
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0 Mike McKean over 6 years ago

Hi Alex,

Thanks for the reply. Nice to read about your background.
The part about the IET and leading is interesting. You would
think that an organization such as the IET could be a leader in
this area? I am not sure if they are more electricity/power
aligned than electronics and computing?

If you go into the Savoy place building anytime soon, please
email me. I'm always looking for an excuse to go in.

.........................................

Mike McKean

CEO, MSM Systems Ltd

Linkedin: uk.linkedin.com/.../mike-mckean-991a7743

Twitter: @mmckean917

Office +44 (0) 203 086 7267

Mobile +44 (0) 7539 341 216

Email mike.mckean@msm-systems.com

Web https://www.msm-systems.com/

Support https://www.msm-systems.com/support-portal/

We are an IT Reseller, with a focus on significantly reducing
the risks and costs of; IT procurement, maintenance, and
support.

.............................
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0 Alex Barrett over 6 years ago

"All those wishing to volunteer take one pace forward." - This isn't something the IET as a body will do, or even be aware of. It is going to take people like us, interested groups within the membership, to use the IET as a vehicle to achieve recognised UK IoT leadership. I'm guessing Natalia as the IET staff member managing this group can tell us whether this community group or a relevant TPN is the right vehicle for promoting this? In my view the IoT and Cyber Security Communities belong under one umbrella.
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0 Former Staff Member over 6 years ago

Welcome Mike McKean‍ and thanks for introducing yourself! The IoT paper you're writing sounds interesting.

Have you heard of the IoT London Meetup? It's a lecture/networking event held monthly. The IET hosted an event recently at Savoy Place, as they switch venues every month. It would be a good place to start to meet people in IoT

The IET strives to represent all of engineering not just the more traditional electricity/power sectors. IoT is one of the 'key topics' for the IET at the moment

@Alex Barrett‍ this community is definitely one of the places in the IET to do that. Other relevant areas of the organisaton would include our Sectors and Standards teams who are also looking into IoT. If you or anyone would be interested, please let me know and I can put yoou in touch with the relevant people

Combining the IoT and Cyber communities is a very interesting idea and one that has crossed my mind. They seem to overlap quite significantly and in the Sectors team for instance, they do both fall under the same umbrella of Information and Communications. A merging would really be down to the volunteers and members of the community - is there appetite for this?
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0 Mike McKean over 6 years ago

Thanks.

I looked at that IoT Meetup. I think it has over 10,000 members.
Not sure how many attend meetups. But sounds way too big for me. I
want to find a group of 5 to 20 or so people who are real geeks.
Who love technology. If you can put me in touch with such a group,
I'd be grateful.

If Alex is the right person, then brilliant.

Note. When I choose to reply using email, does that email go to
you nindividually, or is it published more widely?

.........................................

Mike McKean

CEO, MSM Systems Ltd

Linkedin: uk.linkedin.com/.../mike-mckean-991a7743

Twitter: @mmckean917

Office +44 (0) 203 086 7267

Mobile +44 (0) 7539 341 216

Email mike.mckean@msm-systems.com

Web https://www.msm-systems.com/

Support https://www.msm-systems.com/support-portal/

We are an IT Reseller, with a focus on significantly reducing
the risks and costs of; IT procurement, maintenance, and
support.

.............................
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0 Mike McKean over 6 years ago

Ok, I "see" my replies are public. No problems.
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0 Alex Barrett over 6 years ago

We have various Meetup groups in Norwich, mostly what I would consider "big software" folks (PC software, apps, servers & databases, event titles I don't understand), but at one we are working up a local LoRA network with the Things Network.

Security is going to be a vital part of the IoT, but it is easy to get buried in the security and lose sight of the task at hand. Both IoT and cybersecurity are big topics, and they have a large area of overlap. I'm in two minds as to whether the two communities should merge or just work together?

Can we determine the geographic spread of the group membership? If there is a cluster in SE UK maybe we could organise a weekend day conference? I only know about local network budgets and planning, so I'm not sure how a community group would organise this? How do we differ from a TPN? Can we get relevant product vendors involved, I'm thinking Microchip/Atmel, ST, NXP, Maxim etc. who make both IoT platforms and security devices?
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0 Former Staff Member over 6 years ago

Alex Barrett‍ the difference between LN and TPN's is best described as the below (from this page)

Local Networks - Based on a geographic area, IET Local Networks have a presence around the world from California to Japan and many areas in between.

Technical and Professional Networks - These networks produce high-level technical content, support the IET's knowledge portfolio and give members important networking opportunities.

Both have budgets and committees and work in similar ways; the main difference is in the engineering scope of events.

The IoT TPN do have some events in the pipeline (on various topics) so keep an eye on the Events page for more details during the year.
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0 Alex Barrett over 6 years ago

Natalia, my real question was the relationship between these Communities (IoT & Crypto) to TPNs. Can the communities organise meetings and events?
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0 Mike McKean over 6 years ago

To Alex and Natalia,
Is it possible to create a new TPN, based on the IoT?
I wanted to suggest that, I don’t think that Cyber Security should be linked to the IoT or vice versa. Happy to debate that separately. But, I think that the IoT is sufficiently important enough to justify its own TPN.
In terms of the value of my opinion, I don’t know how credible my technical opinions are. As per my introduction, I have been “out” of this area for 30 years. I am working to catch up.
Regards
Mike
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