Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network of physical objects, including smartphones, laptops, cars, and any other device connected to the internet. As these objects constantly produce data about their state and interactions, IoT enables a new form of digital intelligence on Earth. IoT enables a new form of digital intelligence on Earth.
The convergence of technology and intelligence is transforming the world. Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), we can now see and do things that were once impossible. The Internet of Things creates a new world, challenging our conceptions of privacy, transparency, and security while changing how we live and work. From smart cities to smart homes and a smarter planet, the Internet of Things is a powerful tool for change.
What is an IoT platform?
IoT platform is an operating system that runs across different devices, collects sensor data and makes these decisions. The software enables machines to communicate with each other and takes care of the processing and prediction of this data to help manage the world around us. IoT systems provide dynamic composability, integrality, interoperability, and connection to enable data flow, communication, device management, system modification, and service customization.
IoT platforms are the systems that support these machines and the services they provide. This service enables a new form of digital intelligence on Earth. The sensors connected to them can only function when they have a platform that understands their state and processes their data but also knows how to make decisions when it sees problems or anomalies in its sensor data. In order to simplify infrastructure administration and enable security at various points throughout the IoT stack, IoT platforms integrate with all other IoT layers. There are many IoT platform vendors based on your system needs.
Types of IoT platforms
Depending on their use cases, IoT platforms can be grouped into different categories, including;
Internet of Things Cloud Platform
Cloud storage platforms provide data backup, security, and management. They are centralized and easy to use. These platforms can be used to store data between multiple devices. They also provide connectivity to cloud-based data analytics, machine learning platforms and other services. They are well-suited for IoT applications that require high reliability and secure communication across multiple devices.
Device Management Platforms
Device management platforms allow developers to manage the API and devices associated with a certain cloud account. They provide connectivity between different devices, a single point of access to device data, and support for authentication and authorization.
Application Enablement Platforms
Application Enablement Platforms enable the alignment of data and business processes. They provide the glue between systems, devices and applications. They are integrated with an AI engine, which provides data analytics, machine learning capabilities and knowledge-based solutions.
Analytics Platforms
Analytics platforms collect and process large volumes of data to derive insights and make predictions. They are responsible for processing and storing IoT data, analyzing the information, and presenting it in the form of reports or events.
IoT Architecture
IoT platform architecture consists of different layers which work together to enable the IoT system. IoT Architecture consists of IoT upper layers, the data processing layer, and the device layer. The multilayer network implementation is essentially made up of hardware, software, communication, and security. IoT devices have embedded sensors, actuators, processors, and transceivers that allow them to transform physical parameters into electrical signals and send electrical, optical, or radio signals over the network. The software layer, for instance, is the set of instructions that tell the hardware how to interpret physical parameters and convert them into data. IoT is a collection of devices communicating with each other and centralized servers.
IoT Platform Capabilities
The IoT platform enables a variety of capabilities on a machine. The IoT capabilities include;
Connectivity
This is the ability of a system to connect to the internet or another device. The device must have a wireless or wired connection.
Device Management
Device management is the process through which different devices can be registered or deregistered from the system. It includes authentication, authorization, and data encryption of these devices. Device management facilitates handling network device discovery, device registration and deregistration, and success feedback.
Data Management
Data management is the process by which sets of data belonging to a certain user are handled. It entails analytics, storage and security. Data management allows the processing, storing and securing of data.
Security
Security protects against malicious attacks and involves authentication, access control, data encryption and verification. It is getting more and harder to develop and maintain a comprehensive security model that can offer end-to-end protection and handle the dynamic changes by IoT devices. An IoT platform must protect data integrity and confidentiality through various network privacy and security features, including authentication, identity, and encryption at different levels.
IoT is the next-generation innovation that is never in short supply and is here to stay. IoT platform is a class of software that acts as a middleware between the internet and embedded devices and applications. The IoT platform is considered the hub for all IoT implementation. It is predicted that IoT platforms will be at the forefront of this massive revolution in our daily lives. As more and more people start to talk about these platforms, their demand can be expected to increase, which will lead to a surge in market capitalization. Overall, IoT platforms are an attractive segment in the market, but it is not without its imperfections.
