Most of the Cloud platforms already include analysis tools, which may be enough for many applications. At this stage, your focus is not only functionality but also form-factor. The IoT device enclosure, hardware user interface, etc., are elements that require the focus of both your engineering and industrial design teams. For this stage, you can also leverage hardware components like Arduino, Beagle Bone, Raspberry Pi, or the OEM version of CompactRIO as the core of your device. Your hardware engineering team can use these building blocks as part of your own custom hardware to create a semi-custom IoT device.
It’s one of the reasons why the IoT platform market, which is still relatively young and evolving, is one of strategic partnerships, platforms of platforms and mergers and acquisitions. There are ample IoT platform definitions which all point to differently named but similar capabilities and reasons why IoT platforms are important. The variety of types of IoT platforms, as well as their backgrounds/origins and how they work together in ecosystems matter so let’s first add a few more first. Some examples to illustrate this importance of additional technologies and of specific IoT technologies in the evolution of IoT projects and, as a consequence, in the fragmented IoT platform market. Let’s already say the IoT platform has become an important part of IoT and Industrial IoT (IIoT) deployments and that there are several types and vendors with their own focus and go-to-market strategies.
Examples of IoT Platform in a sentence
IoT platforms exist in part 3 and, often, part 4 of what’s described above. With all the varying kinds of hardware and the different connectivity options, there needs to be a way of making everything work together. In this piece, I’ll provide a simple, non-technical explanation of IoT platforms.
These devices can transfer data to one another without human intervention. The Internet of Things can include anything with a sensor that is assigned a unique identifier (UID). The primary goal of the IoT is to create self-reporting devices that can communicate with each other (and users) in real time. In 2023, billions of internet-connected devices collect and share data for consumer and industry use. IoT has been an important aspect in the creation of digital twins — which is a virtual representation of a real-world entity or process.
Connected homes
There are hundreds of players in this space now, some of them admittedly rather self-proclaimed IoT platform vendors. IoT platforms that are inexpensive upfront will likely cost you more in time/effort. This comes back to the same point in bold above, the less you spend the more work you’ll have to do on your own, which takes time. An IoT platform can make managing the security of your IoT assets much easier.
But managing IoT cybersecurity is also about protecting critical equipment, such as pacemakers or entire manufacturing plants—which, if attacked, could put your customers’ health or your company’s total production capability at risk. Using an application enablement platform, MachNation says, among others, leads to a faster time to market; ensures a high-quality, reliable, secure offering; and enables enterprises to build competitive advantage in their markets the company says. IoT application enablement platforms reduce development time and costs. The Internet of Things (IoT) can’t function without software, including middleware, known as an IoT or IoT cloud platform. As a form of middleware, an IoT platform, sits between the layers of IoT devices and IoT gateways (and thus data) on one hand and applications, which it enables to build, on the other (hence why IoT platforms are also called Application Enablement Platforms or AEPs).
Industrial internet of things
It refers to the interconnectedness of physical devices, such as appliances and vehicles, that are embedded with software, sensors, and connectivity which enables these objects to connect and exchange data. This technology allows for the collection and sharing of data from a vast network of devices, creating opportunities for more efficient and automated systems. An IoT platform provides businesses with data they need to transition with confidence. It helps organizations build bridges with their customers through recurring services for remote monitoring, more smart field services, and performance management, all to improve the customer experience. On one end, thin edge is defined by an architecture where data from devices are collected and transmitted for centralized processing. It is a lightweight and modular approach that provides new or current devices with an easy, rapid way to connect to established systems.
While connectivity and data acquisition are imperative for IIoT, they are not the end goals, but rather the foundation and path to something bigger. AWS IoT includes services like security, data encryption, and access control to device data. It is built on secure and proven cloud infrastructure and IoT networks and scales to billions of devices and trillions of messages. AWS IoT also integrates with other AWS services so you can create complete solutions. The internet of things, or IoT, is a network of interrelated devices that connect and exchange data with other IoT devices and the cloud. IoT devices are typically embedded with technology such as sensors and software and can include mechanical and digital machines and consumer objects.
How to select the right IoT platform?
Cloud technology is used for remote data storage and IoT device management – making the data accessible to multiple devices in the network. This is a device, like a television, security camera, or exercise equipment that has been given computing capabilities. It collects data from its environment, user inputs, or usage patterns and communicates data over the internet to and from its IoT application. IoT sensors, sometimes called smart sensors, convert real-world variables into data that devices can interpret and share. For example, temperature sensors detect heat and convert temperature changes into data. Motion sensors detect movement by monitoring ultrasonic waves and triggering a desired action when those waves are interrupted.
An IoT platform helps facilitate the communication, data flow, device management, and the functionality of applications. IoT enables these smart devices to communicate with each other and with other internet-enabled devices, like smartphones and gateways, creating a vast network of interconnected devices that can exchange data and perform a variety of tasks autonomously. This can include everything from monitoring environmental conditions in farms, to managing traffic patterns with smart cars and other smart automotive devices, to controlling machines and processes in factories, to tracking inventory and shipments in warehouses. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices, vehicles, appliances and other physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software and network connectivity that allows them to collect and share data.
What is an IIoT Platform?
It’ll require you to work closely with various groups in your company, including Engineering, UX, Data Science, Finance, and more. The IoT device platforms you’ll encounter at this stage, usually come directly from chip manufacturers such as Intel, ARM, Nordic, and Xilinx. Selecting the right IoT device platform depends on where you are in the IoT product adoption curve. Given this complexity, it is not likely that you’ll find one single IoT platform that covers all areas of the IoT technology stack. Therefore, you will need a few different types of IoT platforms to cover the whole spectrum.
- For this stage, you can also leverage hardware components like Arduino, Beagle Bone, Raspberry Pi, or the OEM version of CompactRIO as the core of your device.
- Today, you’ll find chip manufacturers like ARM, who have robust connectivity and Cloud platforms.
- Instead of sending sensor data to be processed on a distant server, which would lead to latencies too high to safely respond to sudden changes on the road, a vehicle’s systems process data directly onboard for autonomous navigation.
- In agriculture, IoT-based smart farming systems can help monitor light, temperature, humidity and soil moisture of crop fields using connected sensors.
- IoT connects billions of devices to the internet and involves the use of billions of data points, all of which must be secured.
Other clusters include sales enablement, energy management, autonomous vehicles (the fastest-growing cluster), and safety and security. On a more generic level, MachNation points out that rather than building their own platforms, enterprises are choosing to purchase cloud-based offerings from best-in-class IoT AEP vendors. As always, it’s probably a mix of the two, but I believe that the first explanation iot platform vendors is more compelling. This makes it all the more important to consider which one you use because if you choose an IoT platform that doesn’t become one of the dominant players, this could prove problematic in the future. An IoT security solution is an absolute essential to doing business in today’s connected world. Without security, your business is vulnerable to hacks and data security breaches.
A few words on IoT application enablement platforms
As you approach product-market fit, you might need to develop increasingly customized IoT devices that more closely resemble the functionality and form-factor of your final product. But working with network operators introduces new challenges, including added complexity when connecting the IoT device to a mobile network, and maintaining partnerships with cellular carriers all over the world to ensure your product can operate globally. But keep in mind that feasibility should only be considered AFTER you have desirability and viability. In other words, you need to make sure you are solving a real customer pain and that your solution will lead to financial gains, before building your product.