In this era of smart living, smart homes, smart industry, smart transportation, and smart cities, almost everyone owns an IoT device. These connected devices collect massive amounts of data every day. According to Gartner, by 2020, there will be over 20.4 billion connected devices. This means that even more and more data will continue to be generated.
The convergence of cloud computing and the Internet of Things
The massive amounts of data generated by IoT devices, coupled with the numerous transactions they perform, place enormous pressure on internet resources, leading to integration with cloud computing. In fact, cloud computing and IoT are tightly coupled. The growth and development of IoT and related technologies largely depend on the availability of cloud services.
There are now many cloud computing platforms, such as Amazon AWS, ThingSpeak, Adafruit IO, Google Firebase, IBM Watson, etc.
Cloud computing provides a wide range of services for the Internet of Things (IoT), such as data storage, processing, and analysis. It also allows IoT device users to perform common computing tasks using services provided entirely over the internet. Integrating IoT and cloud computing, especially in enterprise environments, is highly cost-effective. Businesses don't need to own all the equipment, platforms, and services; instead, they can rent them from cloud service providers.
Mobile IoT devices such as smartwatches collect data in different locations and may need to access this data at any time. The cloud enables devices to store and access this data from anywhere.
The role of cloud computing in the Internet of Things
1. Provide remote services
Cloud computing provides IoT devices with processing power, applications, data storage, and other services. As long as there is internet access, IoT devices can remotely access these services from anywhere on Earth. This eliminates the need for IoT devices to rely on on-premises infrastructure. The cloud provides services through three delivery models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).
The IaaS model involves providing the software and hardware resources used by IoT devices. Processing power, storage, and analytics are the most commonly used services for IoT devices. The PaaS model provides the environment needed to develop and deliver cloud applications. Developers use this service to develop and run IoT applications. It supports different languages. This model connects data storage, computing resources, and communication channels, providing stability for applications running in the cloud.
Several cloud providers have launched dedicated services for the Internet of Things (IoT). Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers AWS IoT Core, AWS Greengrass, and AWS Kinesis, among others, providing different services for IoT deployments. Microsoft Azure offers Azure IoT Edge and Azure IoT Hub, providing customized services for IoT applications.
2. Allowable scalability
Hosting applications in the cloud offers virtually unlimited scalability, something on-premises infrastructure simply cannot provide. Scaling on local infrastructure can be very expensive, requiring the purchase of more hardware, increased configuration, and longer deployment time. Scaling in the cloud is less costly, as it only requires renting more storage space. The cloud also provides flexibility, allowing you to scale up or down the number of IoT devices and applications you can use.
3. Provide security guarantees
IoT devices collect all types of data, including sensitive data such as health, financial, and personally identifiable information (PII). This data needs to be protected to prevent malicious actors from compromising privacy and integrity. Cloud computing provides a secure storage environment for this data, which is constantly monitored. The cloud also ensures that its platforms, firmware, and applications are regularly updated to eliminate known vulnerabilities.
4. Cooperation is permitted.
Cloud computing offers broad network access, thus connecting numerous IoT developers. It enables developers of IoT products to collaborate easily. Developers use cloud IoT platforms to build IoT applications and can collaborate with others in remote locations within a single project. This collaboration ensures timely project delivery and high-quality products. Furthermore, applications can share data on the cloud platform.
The issue of using the cloud for the Internet of Things
Several issues have arisen regarding the use of cloud computing to provide services for IoT devices and applications.
Delay
When IoT devices collect data, they transmit the data over the internet to the cloud for processing, analysis, and storage, and in some cases, download the analyzed data for use. Due to latency, data transmission and reception between the cloud and the device takes time, potentially milliseconds. This latency delays events if the device needs to use the data for its next activity. In areas requiring rapid action, such as health and safety departments, these delays can be fatal. For example, when a smart, self-driving car is about to collide, you don't have to wait for it to communicate with the cloud to make a steering decision. The collision will occur before the vehicle receives data from the cloud.
Data ownership
Ownership between device users and the cloud becomes an issue when IoT devices store data in the cloud. Cloud service providers can access the data, thereby infringing on users' privacy. This is a major concern, especially when sensitive data, such as health data, is compromised. Cloud service providers may claim ownership of the data stored in their cloud.
Potential accidents
Any disruption to the connection between IoT applications and the cloud means the application will become unusable and crash until the link is restored. This might not have a significant impact on IoT applications like smart agriculture, but it could be a major disaster for applications in the smart healthcare sector. Therefore, it is essential to avoid crashes at all times.
in conclusion
Cloud computing offers numerous benefits to the Internet of Things (IoT) because it provides critical services. The growth of the IoT largely depends on the availability of cloud services, such as storage and computing power.
