This is a guest post for Internet of Business written by Mike Bainbridge, chief digital technologist at managed cloud company Rackspace.
IoT on its own? No big deal
The constant momentum driving ever-changing trends in technology has been gaining a new kind of thrust. The effect on society and how we live reflects this – and sometimes it can seem suffocating.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is of course one of our major tech trends. But like so many developments, it is only when combined with other technologies that it becomes powerful. In fact, in isolation, IoT devices don’t actually offer us much.
Making the connection
An IoT device, in the case of a smart connected sensor, only becomes useful when you can collect, store and analyze the data it provides.
This link between the Internet of Things and data analytics is critical. Big data gives a company the opportunity to assess, predict and as a result, improve efficiency by learning more about how their assets and products are consumed.
With IoT devices providing new sources of data, the picture of what is actually happening is more complete. Often this will reveal an insight which had previously been overlooked.
As a working example: a mining company we worked with deployed sensors on its industrial tipper vehicles, which transport huge quantities of mined ore. They wanted to help monitor the stress of mechanical components to help predict failure in critical parts, such as tyres and brakes. They were able to use insight generated from the suspension sensors to measure the bumps and integrity of the roads, which enabled them to make sure they were properly maintained.
IoT storage & compute
The other component of connected IoT system is cloud storage and compute. By connecting the device to the Internet, you are able to store its valuable data, prior to analysis and manipulation. However, ensuring you have the right environment is important.
With the increase in connected devices (according to Gartner, 5.5 million new things were connected to the Internet every day in 2016) having a platform which performs at scale can be complex.
Architecting for scale – and doing it in a cost-effective way – is challenging. It requires a specialist set of skills and expertise. A platform that allows you to collect and analyze the data is the foundation for delivering the business insights you are looking to deliver.
Cloud platforms are well-placed to provide the capacity for growth needed and the explosion in features from providers such as Amazon and Microsoft mean they are now available at an unprecedentedly low cost of entry.
IoT, data analytics & cloud
In isolation, IoT, data analytics and cloud are limited, but when combined to build a business platform, they can transform how a business operates.
Each has a part to play in the continued development of technology adoption. Measure, store and analyze are the three vectors which are powering today’s most successful businesses.
The 7 laws of IoT cloud data
- Until an IoT device transmits its data back to a cloud server, then the installed base of network software cannot act to provide analytics (and contextual relevance) and send findings forward for further action.
- Until an IoT device transmits its data back to a cloud server, that data is just ‘raw’ data.
- Until an IoT device transmits its data back to a cloud server, that data has not been stored in any relevant column store or database so is at risk of loss if the device is compromised.
- Until an IoT device transmits its data back to a cloud server, the data may may be comparatively unstructured and reside in uncharted areas of the so-called data lake.
- Until an IoT device transmits its data back to a cloud server, little or no predictive action can be taken. In effect, the device is ‘flying blind’.
- Until an IoT device transmits its data back to a cloud server, it can not connect, via APIs, to the wider software universe in which it needs to reside.
- Until an IoT device transmits its data back to a cloud server, that data cannot be secured and stored.