Working with IoT Platforms

How platforms make the IoT better

Let's Connect

The infrastructure that makes IoT work

Connected devices need more than just a connection. Endpoints in the IoT hide the complex framework that supports them. With two decades of experience behind it, the industry is united behind the need for IoT platforms, and there are good reasons why.

Every IoT device needs something to talk to. You have a concept for a smart sensor or actuator but it goes much further. You must now figure out how it can be listened to and controlled, securely, by trusted actors while fending off the attentions of the untrusted. These are just some of the features an IoT cloud platform offer OEMs like you.

Security is a key element of IoT. OEMs and consumers have learned the hard way through many well documented breaches of security that continue even today. Industrial IoT applications generate huge amounts of actionable data that is sensitive and proprietary, so securing every step of the data journey is a necessity. This is one way that platforms help, by providing secure device management. As soon as an embedded device goes into service it is probably out of date. Today, over the air (OTA) updates provide a mechanism of keeping devices updated and secure from new threats as they are discovered.

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A big part of IoT value comes from services. The concept of offering something as a service, which may now include hardware such as smart sensors, is gaining momentum. This brings with it new considerations and, often, the need for new functionality in the platform. OEMs working with the industry's leading cloud platforms should enjoy easy upgrades to new features. The leaders in the field are now using system architectures built using microservices. What this means to you, the OEM, is that new features can be introduced, updated and improved on a more regular cadence. A microservice architecture breaks down the large, monolithic software approach into smaller, more maintainable pieces. This in turn allows the cloud platform provider to be more agile and responsive to customers' needs.

There is complexity in this approach, however. Working with microservices requires more configuration along with a deeper understanding of what services are available and how to interface to them. Fortunately, IoTConnect® has been designed to simplify the process and remove the complexity for the OEM. Avnet Silica's team of software engineers have created IoTConnect to be the middleware needed to interface smart devices with cloud platforms.

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The IoTConnect difference

The IoT Connection Challenge

Modern cloud platforms run on microservices. This provides a scalable and flexible way of developing IoT applications. However, OEMs now have to develop the interfaces (APIs) that connect their smart devices to the microservices inside the cloud platform. They also need to integrate additional features, like artificial intelligence, security and analytics.

The IoTConnect Solution

Using IoTConnect, OEMs can avoid the expense and risk of developing APIs to microservices inside cloud platforms. This shortens the development time and greatly lowers the cost and risk of developing an IoT application. IoTConnect also integrates with features such as artificial intelligence, security and analytics, meaning the OEM can now focus on their added value.

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