Cedric Mauvielle, Vice President, Global IoT Sales and Partnership, Console Connect weighs up the challenges and benefits of connecting IoT to the Cloud
The IoT is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating that the number of IoT devices globally will almost triple from 9.7 billion in 2020 to more than 29 billion IoT devices in 2030. These IoT devices can collect data, communicate with each other, and deliver real-time feedback, making them highly valuable for both businesses and consumers.
IoT mainly consists of two key elements: hardware (i.e., the devices used) and software (i.e., real-time analytics). These platforms are applicable across various business sectors, and with technological advancements moving swiftly, IoT has fundamentally enhanced the daily operations of organisations.
Combining IoT with Cloud technology offers the potential for a cohesive IT infrastructure within a company. By integrating these two technologies, organisations can enjoy the advantages of both while maintaining a streamlined approach that doesn’t add complexity or compromise performance and security.
Ensuring compatibility across IoT devices
The popularity of Cloud computing has made connectivity more accessible, with major providers like Amazon now offering their own software tools. Increasingly connecting IoT devices to the Cloud benefits from greater flexibility, more robust disaster recovery, and automatic software and security updates if some pitfalls are avoided.
With multiple devices to connect to the Cloud, scalability, flexibility, and network connectivity become challenging. A setup that works for one Cloud and network cannot be easily replicated for another setup.
Scalability: The rapid IoT device growth requires Cloud platforms to handle large amounts of data from a variety of sources while maintaining performance or reliability. These platforms must be able to scale up or down and expand geographically based on demand, without causing any downtime or interruptions.
Simplicity: IoT devices are often developed by different manufacturers and with different protocols. Simplifying IoT device compatibility to access a Cloud platform or consolidating solutions after a merger or acquisition of 2 different organisations may be tricky.
To overcome this challenge, IoT providers must develop universal standards for IoT devices and Cloud platforms to ensure compatibility. Industry-wide standards would allow for interoperability between devices and Cloud platforms, making it easier for organisations to connect and manage their devices.
Network connectivity: IoT devices often rely on wireless networks to connect to the Cloud. Common connectivity issues in areas with poor signal strength or network congestion are well-known and hard to address. Other less known issues are the traffic path between the wireless networks and the Cloud proper.
For example, if an organisation deploys Cloud services in the US and wants to deploy the same service using the same cloud in Asia, the Cloud is the same, the hardware is the same, but the access network will be different. Failure to acknowledge this implies service repercussions such as data loss, delayed data transmission, or complete device failure.
To overcome network connectivity challenges, IoT solutions must have built-in end-to-end connectivity diversity with redundancy and backup systems in mind. Additionally, Cloud access must have a robust network infrastructure capable of handling large volumes of data and providing reliable connectivity to IoT devices anywhere these devices may be.
Securing data transmission between IoT devices and the Cloud
Organisations often encounter significant challenges when it comes to securely connecting their IoT devices to the Cloud. Due to weak standards or outdated network setups, they are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Considering the sensitive data involved, that data is in its transit. Private connectivity solution undoubtedly mitigates these risks. Organisations are advised against traversing the public internet between devices and Clouds. This reduces the risks of traffic hijacking while increasing the organisation’s visibility, security, and control over its IoT assets.
Likewise, encryption is another way an organisation can protect their data. In the situation that a breach did occur, the hacker would not be able to read the data to which they have gained access. Although seemingly good, too much encryption can act as a double-edged sword. It can over-drain the battery. Furthermore, encryption alone does not prevent the IoT infrastructure from being exposed and exploited by malicious entities as nobody is supervising the access between the wireless networks and the Cloud.
In short, once organisations are on the Internet, even if the data is encrypted, some information is visible to hackers, fraudulent activities, and any government-owned entities.
Understanding IoT latency
In an ideal world, organisations want low-latency IoT which means information is accessed and processed in real-time. Latency is a key indicator of data confidence. Wild variation in latency in device-to-Cloud transmission will impact the effectiveness of the benefits of IoT.
To prevent this from happening, organisations need to consider using providers that offer wireless network access, a private network and dedicated access to the Cloud. By doing so, organisations gain control of the traffic path improving low-latency performance.
Additionally, it is important to seek partners or technology that deliver global scalability with consistency across different deployments. Having one expert network that can manage the wireless data the cloud access with stable latency creates greater transparency and control compared to multiple providers for each offering.
Emerging trends and technologies shaping the future of IoT
The emergence of 5G has increased the ability and accessibility to connect to the Cloud. 5G is the first cylinder technology that is cloud-friendly, helping the Cloud make its way to a mobile cellular environment delivering more data at a faster and more secure rate. Not only does this make the process easier for organisations to connect, but it also has created the potential to support new models.
Nevertheless, there are still challenges with connectivity. The scalability of Cloud performance on a cellular site is not as robust as Amazon or Azure, which hinders mobile networks and telecom environments from achieving the same level of performance as offered by hyperscalers.
As organisations look ahead, it’s essential for them to carefully manage how their data is handled, as a failure to do so could limit the effectiveness of their IoT devices.
Connecting IoT devices to the Cloud presents a range of challenges, from ensuring security and interoperability to managing network connectivity, data flow and scalability. With the right approach, IoT devices can unlock valuable insights, deliver real-time feedback, and enhance automation for both businesses and consumers. To maximise these benefits, collaboration among IoT solution providers is crucial to establish secure, reliable Cloud connections and fully harness the potential of IoT technology.
Cedric Mauvielle is Vice President of Global IoT and Partnerships at Console Connect. With over two decades of experience in telecommunications, Cedric has become an industry expert in the mobile ecosystem. He has worked for various tech firms, including Comverse, Telia Carrier and Syniverse, before joining Console Connect in 2015. Cedric’s role at Console Connect consists of building successful value propositions for a diverse range of market segments and promoting software-defined connectivity (Cloud, mobility and IoT) to channel partners and clients globally.
Author: Cedric Mauvielle, Vice President, Global IoT Sales and Partnership, Console Connect
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