What is a Full Stack IoT Platform?
Written by Morne Maree
At Skills Revolution Digital, we often get the question, “Which IoT Platform should we use?” and the answer to that isn’t always so simple.
How do I choose the correct IoT platform for my organisation in the Southern African or SADC region context?
This article is the first to a series of episodes where I will explore the IoT buzzword “IoT Platform”, and will lay the foundation for organisations to make an informed decision regarding the IoT Platform they may need. With your feedback and participation, we will create a “Cheat Sheet” that will be available at the end for all to use.
Full Stack IoT Platform
What is an IoT Platform?
An IoT platform is a platform (or combination of platforms), including software and hardware, used to manage internet-connected devices and the networks (connectivity) controlling them. It provides the infrastructure for connecting smart devices in a simple and secure way, as easy as any SaaS (Software as a Service) website you frequently use in your day to day. This SaaS IoT platform will form the “heart” of an IoT solution any organisation chooses to deploy.
The combination of these platforms handle tasks like provisioning software, device management, secure data collection, secure data storage, and analytics. For a company that’s just adopting IoT, it enables rapid deployment and iteration. And in a more mature IoT operation, these platforms save hours of work by making platform expansion and maintenance a one-click job.
IoT platforms can aid the reduction on operational costs (like costs associated with utility consumption), improve efficiency, improve safety and security, protect reputational risks, protect asset risks, and enable real-time analytics. Data workflows spanning different departments can be built into one user-friendly interface, so that there’s no need for multiple platforms or in-house developer talent. What’s more is, once your services are in your organisation’s hands, an IoT platform can provide detailed insights into user behaviour, unlocking more targeted and real time decision making.
- The 4 Elements of a “Full stack IoT Platform”
Not all IoT platforms are alike. Depending on where you are as a business, you might need to use one, all or a combination of platforms to get the results you desire. Let’s go over the four types of IoT platforms and what they can do for you.
1.1. IoT Application Platforms
IoT Application Platforms create and deploy applications that leverage IoT data, whether they’re industrial, commercial or smart home devices with the ability to monitor and control
They also allow organizations to quickly develop scalable, secure, and feature-rich applications that are ready to be integrated with a wide range of IoT use cases such as real-time cost saving, asset tracking, and gathering safety and security data to improve operations. With this platform one can visualise all the Data parameters (Endpoints) that one wishes to monitor for that real time savings and decision making, alerts and notifications.
1.2. IoT Analytics Platforms
Reporting, including Machine (ML) Learning and Artificial intelligence (AI)
IoT Analytics Platforms help organisations gain insight into the historical data generated by their connected devices. So, since nobody wants to sit and look at a “single glass” of your organisation’s data to monitor the real-time values coming in but would rather want to manage by exception via notifications and or alerts, and insight reporting and analysis.
These platforms make it easy to perform an in-depth analysis of the data gathered from connected devices, helping organisations to unlock the full potential of the IoT data.
With vast amounts of data coming from different devices, the data may need a lot of complex formatting to fit on one unified database. The Analytics element will enable this activity very effectively.
1.3. IoT Connectivity Platforms
An IoT Connectivity Platform is used to manage and monitor the communication protocols that connect devices across wired and wireless channels to the internet. Streamlining the management of IoT devices, such as M2M (machine-to-machine) SIM cards.
Sometimes referred to as a “connected devices platform,” the software promotes the scalability of IoT device controls and reduces time-consuming onboarding processes.
These platforms provide a user-friendly interface for the provisioning and management of devices across whichever networks you need to use in the moment.
Running connected devices on a platform like this helps organisations reduce operating costs by making their networks more efficient and more stable. This reduces the cost of deploying these systems into new locations and maintaining them over time.
An effective IoT connectivity management platform provides companies with the following:
- Reduced operational costs and maintenance
- Actionable insights from collected data
- Fast and secure batch activations
- Real-time problem detection
- Enhanced connectivity, convenience, and functionality
We have previously discussed the various wireless connectivity types.
1.4. IoT Device Management Platforms
IoT Device Management Platforms provide tools for large organizations to monitor, troubleshoot, and update connected devices remotely. These platforms can handle the secure provisioning, configuration, and tracking of thousands of connected devices in real time.
Device management platforms also provide support for over-the-air software updates. These platforms allow organizations to keep their devices up-to-date, secure, and compliant with industry standards without the need for IT staff to spend hours upgrading every device / system on-site.
Conclusion
At Skills Revolution Digital, we recognise the pivotal role of a “Full Stack IoT Platform” in shaping the future of businesses in an increasingly interconnected world. Our comprehensive suite of IoT solutions caters to organisations at every stage of their IoT journey, offering the perfect blend of flexibility, scalability, and innovative technology.
If your organisation is starting or is in the process of deploying an IoT solution and you are interested in maximising your investment’s return (ROI), contact us today. Skills Revolution Digital will consider the IoT Application and IoT Analytics Platforms as a combination to start, introducing the other platform types as the organisation’s IoT maturity grows with time. Skills Revolution People can assist in developing the skills to adopt the solution and to grow the maturity of the organisation.
Get your IoT success story started today.
Olifantsfontein, Gauteng, South Africa. | +27 76 693 9010 | digital@skillsrevolution.co.za