With the growing adoption of smart devices and the explosion of data being generated, connecting everything together into a cohesive system has become crucial. While the potential of an Internet of Things (IoT) full of interconnected devices is enormous, the infrastructure needed to power such a future still has a long way to go. In this article, we will explore some of the key components required to build out the networks, hardware, and platforms that can truly enable an IoT world.
Laying the Foundation: Cellular and Wireless Networks
The first step is ensuring widespread connectivity between all the “things.” This requires continuous development and expansion of both cellular and local wireless network infrastructures. 5G networks in particular are poised to play a major role by providing not just faster speeds but also the ability to connect a massive number of devices simultaneously with low latency. However, 5G deployment is still in early stages worldwide and widespread coverage will take several more years.
In the meantime, technologies like 4G LTE, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth Low Energy continue to serve an important purpose by connecting many types of devices currently. Over the next decade, service providers must focus on densifying their networks through small cell towers and in-building solutions to achieve ubiquitous coverage both indoors and outdoors. Mesh networks utilizing technologies like Sigfox or LoRaWAN can also help extend connectivity to hard to reach areas not served well by traditional cellular networks. Overall, ensuring all places have access to high-quality wireless signals will be a foundational element for the IoT ecosystem to scale.
Hardware Standardization and Interoperability
While differing wireless protocols allow devices to communicate over various mediums, the hardware and software architectures powering “things” still lack widespread standardization. This poses interoperability challenges between devices built by different manufacturers using proprietary protocols and chipsets. Going forward, organizations like the IoT Consortium are working to define common hardware specifications, communication protocols, and data models that can encourage more universal connectivity.
Partnerships between silicon vendors and device makers will also be important to develop integrated circuit chipsets that make it easier and more affordable for companies to build IoT-ready products. Larger players like Intel, Qualcomm and NXP Semiconductors are working on specialized IoT-focused System-on-Chips (SoCs) designed for low-powered functions like sensing and remote asset management. As these types of standardized components become ubiquitous in the coming years, they can significantly reduce barriers for developers while improving overall compatibility between devices.
Cloud and Edge Infrastructure
While connectivity allows for communication between endpoints, it is the cloud infrastructure that serves as the centralized backend orchestrating data flows and enabling a range of useful analytics and applications. All the information collected from distributed IoT devices needs places to be stored, processed and interpreted in a meaningful way. Major public cloud platforms from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud have been investing heavily to build out specialized services optimized for IoT workloads.
However, as more real-time, latency-sensitive IoT applications emerge, a growing need exists for computing to also happen closer to the source of data at the network “edge.” This has given rise to Edge and Fog computing architectures which push processing capabilities and storage out to local networks. Several startups have also entered this space offering edge platforms complementing the cloud. Going forward, hybrid edge-cloud models providing flexibility around where data is computed versus simply stored will be essential to handle the most demanding IoT scenarios.
Managing Connected Devices at Scale
Once the underlying infrastructure is addressed, platforms are needed to handle the management, security and analytics of the rapidly growing number of connected endpoints. Device Management solutions allow for firmware updates, monitoring device health and controlling large fleets remotely. MDM providers like Microsoft Endpoint Manager (formerly Intune) have incorporated IoT features, but the market remains wide open.
Additionally, as hacks and privacy issues continue involving connected devices, security too will be paramount – with solutions like device authentication, encryption, and continuous monitoring required at scale. A few startups in the Industrial IoT space like Venafi and ForgeRock specialize in embedded security solutions. Overall, the rapid growth will demand new categories of management platforms focused on the unique needs of diverse device types, data sources and deployment environments.
Building the Data Economy
Finally, one of the key promises of Iot Infrastructure is around businesses being able to generate new revenue sources by monetizing the data or insights gathered from connected products and customer environments. However, many companies lack experience and means to derive meaningful value from IoT data at present. This has created opportunities for specialist "data as a service" providers like Uptake, C3.ai and Anthropic to analyze sensor information on behalf of clients across domains like predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization and smart cities. Standardization of data sharing frameworks between organizations will also stimulate a broader IoT data marketplace.
Overall, while the connectivity and infrastructure still has a long way to evolve, the foundations are being actively developed across the industry. Over the next 5-10 years, continued investments into networks, embedded hardware, cloud/edge platforms and data analytics are poised to allow the IoT ecosystem to truly scale and unleash its enormous potential for innovation across our economy and society. A combination of both private sector and public projects will be essential to build out all the underlying capabilities required for our increasingly connected world.
Explore more information on this topic, Please visit-
