How the Cloud Made IoT Universally Accepted?

IoT or the Internet of Things is being embraced by various businesses, transforming lives by taking convenience and efficiency up several notches. On the flip side, the technology also leads to the generation of a record amount of data, which can take a toll on the business processes and infrastructure. There are also issues of security, speed, and quality of the data transmissions between the various elements that make up the solution to factor in. Enter the Cloud to make this connection better.

Cloud computing is now an integral part of all IoT applications. Indeed, it plays a crucial role in ensuring a seamless process.

Let’s take a closer look at how the cloud made IoT universally accepted.

By Managing and Analyzing Huge Chunks of Data

IoT has gone beyond household gadgets and cars. A study by Gartner predicts 21 billion connected things will be in use by 2020. As more devices join the list, think of all the data that will be generated by these entities. Storing, securing, processing, and analyzing that data can become a mammoth data storage challenge for enterprises. This is where cloud computing enters the scene, with scalable models, on-demand plans, and implementation platforms. This helps enterprises address all issues associated with storing the data.   

By Helping IoT Devices Work Better with Existing Systems and Each Other

More often than not, enterprises want to seamlessly integrate the data collected from the devices along with the information that is already present in their existing systems. The good news is, that they can use the cloud to integrate both the sets of data optimally. Ready integrations, cloud-native versions of business applications, and easily defined networks help to create a seamless whole. There’s no need to struggle with pulling in data siloed on separate infrastructure elements for this purpose.

By Offering Uninterrupted Data Connectivity

Big data is not useful if it cannot drive insights when and where required. One of the key steps enterprises must take is to create the connectivity between the data, the IoT platforms, the processing solutions, and the point where the insights will have the most impact. The cloud helps ensure that this flow of data can be managed with scalability, reliability, and economy. It also makes it easy to transfer data and storage via the internet/direct link, paving the way for uninterrupted data transfer between the various IoT solution elements and the cloud.

The scale of the possibilities is visible in the applications already out there. This uninterrupted data connectivity helps governments leverage smart city applications, including connecting sensors, light, meters, etc. to collate data and analyze. This, in turn, helps them monitor and solve issues such as pollution, traffic, and energy consumption in the targeted cities. Vast amounts of data addressing big problems and all made possible by the Cloud.

By Eliminating the Need for Expensive Infrastructure

With the cloud, organizations don’t need to invest in extensive, expensive, and expansive hardware, new networks or other infrastructure. The cloud helps to scale up their infrastructure, based on their real-time requirements. Not only does this speed up the entire implementation process, but also helps curb costs. Another benefit is that it removes the guesswork when it comes to predicting future infrastructure capability needs. Ergo, firms need to pay only for the resources used but not on the infrastructure. They can deploy the applications from anywhere in the world within a short span.

By Accelerating Development and Deployment of IoT Solutions

Launching an IoT solution is no easy task. Enterprises need to figure out hardware and machinery functions, the feasibility of using the sensors, connecting all the hardware to the internet, drive communication between the devices, and perfect data collection. All these technical issues can be resolved easily with cloud computing. Think of virtual servers, data pipelines and database instances. These can all be streamlined by leveraging ready solutions in the cloud. This can help speed up both the development and deployment process. As a result, enterprises can focus on driving business impact faster.

By Offering Scalability and Flexibility

Cisco predicts that global machine-to-machine IP traffic will grow nearly six times from 1.6 exabytes (1 exabyte = 1 billion gigabytes!) per month in 2016 to 6.3 by 2020. Much of this will be driven by IoT devices.

Cloud helps remove the speed bumps that may arise due to massive amounts of data and infrastructure resources. It provides the most cost-efficient way to store data, access, and process it for various IoT solutions as well as scale the resources when it comes to handling peak demands, thereby offering scalability and flexibility.   

By Taking Security and Privacy to the Next Level

Security and privacy top the chart when it comes to the list of IoT challenges. The cloud can play a key role in enhancing security for the IoT implementation. Most public cloud providers have security as a key focus area. That apart, a cloud-based model also ensures that all applications get updated frequently. These patches and fixes help address vulnerabilities in near real-time.

Conclusion

The cloud helps store, process, and retrieve data. Leveraging the cloud helps provide scalability, flexibility, and security. This combination of benefits makes it an integral part of developing interconnected products and solutions. If you are considering IoT applications, it’s time to add the Cloud into the mix and scale up.