The domain of cloud computing is constantly expanding and opening totally new avenues for innovation. The same can be said about Internet of Things (IoT), as there appears to be a strong enablement when the power of cloud is harnessed into IoT.
What is IoT?
Although it is still an emerging domain, the potential of IoT has just started to show itself. IoT can be considered as a vast network of intricately connected devices that are constantly collecting, transmitting and even receiving data.
IoT can be considered as the very technology that ultimately drives us towards a fully or almost fully automated world. This means that when IoT attains its full potential, most trivial and maybe even bigger day to day tasks we now do may become automated.
How Does IoT Work?
We can consider data as the soul of IoT. Generating and transmitting data is just a small component of the overall IoT landscape. It is actually the conversion of this data into meaningful and actionable insights that will actually make a difference.
Once this IoT revolution attains its conceived status, we will have completed moved towards a highly connected, smart world. This process begins with our very own homes becoming smart, by being able to automate the ambient temperature and lighting etc.
This ultimate manifestation of an IoT ecosystem will come in the form of smart cities, where most of the management affairs would be automated. However, a suitable environment where IoT can truly exhibit its potential was lacking prior to the cloud.
How do the Cloud and IoT Add Up?
“Statista”, a globally recognized platform for stats, has projected that by the year 2025, the estimated number of connected (IoT) devices will reach 75 billion. This is a phenomenal number with a very steep growth rate.
Now, imagine an interconnected web of 75 billion smart devices that are constantly generating, transmitting and receiving data. The vast amounts of data generated by this network of devices can easily overwhelm even the biggest stand alone data repository.
This is exactly where the power and potential of cloud computing comes into play. The powerful and nearly limitless cloud infrastructure of Cloud Service Providers (CSP) like dinCloud will act as the enabler and facilitator for the IoT revolution.
How Will Cloud Proliferate IoT?
Now that we have drawn a brief sketch of IoT, let’s discuss how cloud computing can prove to be the perfect technological ecosystem for the growth of Internet of Things (IoT).
Access to Limitless Computing Power
Cloud providers like dinCloud have vast data centers, strategically located across the globe. These data centers pack nearly limitless storage and computing power. The great thing about the cloud is that all these resources can be accessed remotely.
You don’t need to set up any complex and expensive hardware on premise. The previous hurdle of limited data transmission capability has been removed with the induction of super fast communication technologies like 5G.
Data Privacy and Security
This was yet another factor that was limiting the growth of IoT. The first concern was around privacy, as bulk of the collected data pertained to individuals or businesses. Cloud providers like dinCloud have some of the best international standards for privacy.
Data security was perhaps an even bigger concern than privacy at times. CSPs like dinCloud adopt some of the best international standards for physical and cyber security of data. Most data centers of public cloud providers are also independently certified.
Management and Integration of Data
Generation of data by billions of IoT devices is just the starting point. The management and integration of such vast amounts of data being generated constantly is a challenge in itself. Managing and integrating vast amounts of data is a core strength of cloud providers.
Zero to Low Entry Barrier
With the data management, integration and processing outsourced to CSPs like dinCloud, the barriers to entering the IoT space are almost non existent. The key differentiator in this domain will be the ability to come up with innovative solutions, rather than resources.
Reduced Costs
When we think of an infrastructure that manages limitless volumes of data, we tend to associate that with proportionately high costs. Well, the cloud also removes this barrier as firstly, there are no fixed costs or IT hardware to worry about.
Secondly, Cloud Service Providers (CSP) like dinCloud offer their state of the art cloud infrastructure on a “pay as you use” model. This means you only pay for the resources that you actually use, making it both an effective and cost efficient platform for IoT.
Disaster Recover (DR) and Business Continuity (BC)
Any IoT infrastructure, no matter big or small, is vulnerable to natural and man made disruptions. This can have devastating consequences for fully automated or smart cities, neighborhoods and homes.
Leading cloud providers like dinCloud offer a robust and reliable DR and BC mechanism built into their cloud services. This implies that even if one or more of the data centers holding critical IoT data are unavailable, there are still multiple backups and data centers to rely on.
Conclusion
We could list just some major benefits that can act as a natural fit for the IoT revolution knocking at our doors. Perhaps, it won’t be wrong to say that cloud providers like dinCloud and the domain of Internet of Things (IoT) are indispensable for each other.
If you also have some innovative IoT framework that you or your enterprise are working on, feel free to Contact Us for any storage or processing needs in the cloud. Our dedicated cloud experts will surely come up with the right solution for you.
