If you are thinking of getting benefitted through the Internet of Things, you must assume digital medium like a laptop, smart devices, or desktops are the best medium for it. Interestingly, the trend in communication is changing dramatically. This is a machine to machine communication, and these machines are commonly known as ‘Things.’ For any IoT solution, the first thing that we need is an IoT cloud platform. Today, there are lots of options for IoT PaaS services offered by various cloud vendors.
Choosing Internet Of Things Cloud Platform
An IoT platform that targets to serve mainly mobility needs reliability and scalability. An IoT device’s main task is to connect with other IoT devices and cloud-based applications to establish information channels through the internet using different internet transfer protocol. However, achieving that is really a challenging task. Thus, among plenty of platform options in the market, choosing the suitable one a quite a complex task. Now, the question arises here what an IoT platform is? So, it basically helps in filling the gap between device sensors and data networks. And what type of network is it? Well, such networks help in connecting sensors and data networks. Besides, it provides insights using the data generated by sensors by using backend applications.
IoT can provide many complex features. So, choosing an appropriate IoT cloud platform is a daunting task. However, this is a need to choose the right platform. So, what are the features that should be considered while choosing an IoT cloud platform?
- Scalability: As the number of devices grows in an IoT platform, this is probably the most important feature to look for. Ideally, the IoT cloud platform should support millions of endpoints. However, achieving that is really tough.
- Protocol: The common protocol that an IoT cloud platform supports are HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and MQTT ( MQ Telemetry Transport). But we can't say these are the only protocols that are required for IoT. We may need an alternate protocol. So, the IoT Cloud platform must support new protocols.
- Bandwidth: As the IoT platforms run over cloud platforms, it creates infrastructure limitations related to bandwidth.
- Security: As IoT devices are associated with massive data, data security using unique identity-based authentication is essential to support required from the IoT cloud platform.
- Performance: The IoT cloud platform must handle and analyze the data and devices with the increase of device connections on the platform.
- Hybrid cloud: To match with the existing IT system Hybrid cloud is the best option. So, the platform must provide this service.
- Edge processing: As the IoT devices work as distributed components so the platform must support edge processing.
- Interoperability: The IoT cloud platform should allow integration with third-party service providers.
Related post - What is the role of Cloud computing in IoT
Top 10 IoT Cloud platforms
1. AWS IoT
AWS IoT is a managed IoT service. AWS IoT provides a broad range of functionalities that spans the edge of the cloud. Thus, anyone can build IoT solutions for virtually any use case for a wide range of devices. AWS IoT solution makes devices smarter as it integrates with AI services. This is possible even without Internet connectivity. Besides, AWS IoT supports machine learning frameworks.
Additionally, if we consider the security features, AWS IoT offers the most comprehensive security features. This helps create preventative security policies like encryption and access control to data to respond immediately to potential security issues. This is a multi-layered security feature. Built on the AWS robust cloud infrastructure, AWS IoT is a scalable solution that is compatible with different devices and can handle many messages.
2. Azure IoT Solution
Azure IoT serves all ranges of business sizes, whether it is a large organization or working on a partnership basis. Azure IoT shows compatibility with all sizes of devices, tools, security features, data analytics. This is a managed app platform that allows you to build apps quickly, whereas it reduces the number of decisions you need to make to achieve results. Since the Azure IoT solution elements are already coded and managed, it allows users to focus on adding industry knowledge. Besides, it helps to scale and connecting devices rapidly.
Azure Sphere is meant for hardened devices that provides powerful protection to the new or existing MCU-powered devices. Simultaneously, the IoT solution ensures authenticated and tamperproof data transmission from the device to the hub. Microsoft's robust security solution ensures data security in the cloud as well as at the edge.
3. Google Cloud platform
Google Cloud IoT is a complete set of tools that help store, connect, process, and analyze data both in the cloud and at the edge. This is a fully managed cloud service that is scalable. Furthermore, it is an integrated software stack for on-premises and edge computing with machine learning capabilities for all IoT needs. Google IoT Cloud solution provides real-time business insights from globally dispersed devices. This is a comprehensive service from Google. The solution provides out of the box support for all ranges of devices. Utilizing the power of Google maps, Google cloud IoT solution provides location awareness of the devices. So, you can easily track your IoT devices.
4. IBM Watson IoT
IBM Watson IoT gives you to realize a purely “as-a-Service” world as you want to find an IoT solution that transitions from physical assets to digital ones. The platform leverages to connect, collect securely, and processing of IoT data both easily and quickly. Besides, implemented using the IBM cloud ensures scalability, privacy, and security by reducing risk levels. The cloud platform also leverages visualization and AI-driven analytics services that enrich business by gaining insights from data. To explain more, it enables secured and shared information across a business network with Blockchain service.
5. Salesforce
Salesforce IoT Cloud Customer Success Platform is an IoT cloud solution with a customer-oriented solution and increases the ROI for a company. This happens by making strong Customer relationship management. Salesforce IoT Cloud Customer Success Platform has various features like Apache Storm, Apache Kafka to handle messaging system, Apache Spark, and Apache Cassandra. Salesforce IoT cloud solution is more oriented to big data cloud, which will associate with devices. Salesforce has a reliable CRM system that helps in customizing their applications. Salesforce IoT is powered by an event processing engine known as Thunder that process IoT data. This is an open-source tool.
6. Oracle
Oracle’s IoT cloud solution is a ready-to-use solution that empowers line-of-business users. The solution address the interoperability gaps between information technology and operations technology. This is a SaaS solution that is robust and highly scalable and runs on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The IoT cloud solution by Oracle offers reliable integration for applications to build, analyze, and deploy and deliver real-time IoT data insights through the analytical solution.
7. Bosch
The IoT cloud solution of Bosch is known as Bosch IoT Suite. This is an open-source software platform that can connect more than 10 million devices, sensors, and machines to the users and enterprises. The solution serves almost all the sectors like agriculture, home, retail, energy, manufacturing, and mobility. The solution is -
- Trusted and secure
- Strong middleware capabilities
- Cross-industry expertise
- Leading device management
- Easy to start
- Open and flexible
8. Cisco IoT cloud connect
Cisco Internet of Things (IoT) Cloud Connect is a new mobility-cloud-based software suite. This is a complete solution for mobile operators and provides exceptional IoT experiences. Cisco IoT Cloud Connect at a time optimizes and utilizes networks, and at the same time, helps to find new ways to make money. Cisco IoT cloud solution provides real-time, granular visibility, and updates across every level of the network. This covers user and transport, core, access, and cloud.
9. General Electrics Predix
This IoT cloud solution has Leading IIoT capabilities like asset connectivity, analytics, edge technologies, machine learning, asset-centric digital twins, and big data processing. This is a build once and deploy anywhere solution and a distributed application platform. Predix is optimized for low latency, high volume, analytics-driven outcomes, and intensive data management integration.
10. SAP
SAP Leonardo IoT is the IoT cloud solution offered by SAP and a key enabler of Industry 4.0. It efficiently ingests, stores, processes, and analyzes large volumes of devices and business data. It connects assets and people and then processes based on real-time intelligence. This is a digital IoT platform service and IoT-enriched analytics for sensor data. Anyone can gain real-time insights from analytics solutions by defining an analytical model and aggregations while accessing IoT data.
The solution converts sensor data into intelligent, real-time insights. It analyzes IoT data streams and recognizes patterns to automate events. It defines sophisticated business logic and actions. You can store IoT data locally. Besides, it enables us to run intelligent processes close to IoT devices by setting data rules to minimize congestion. It bridges the gap between IoT protocols and legacy systems by integrating with service delivery platforms and a semantic data model. The solution enables end-to-end data security with sophisticated encryption, governance, and policy-based access.
Final words:
No doubt, with so many IoT cloud platforms, it is tough to decide which one we should go with. However, it solely depends on the need of the business and the features, and the platform must be selected based on that.