[From last episode: The cloudA generic phrase referring to large numbers of computers located somewhere far away and accessed over the internet. For the IoT, computing may be local, done in the same system or building, or in the cloud, with data shipped up to the cloud and then the result shipped back down. consists of many serversA computer with a dedicated purpose. Older familiar examples are print servers (a computer that controls local printing) and file servers (a computer used for storing files centrally). More modern examples are web servers (the computers that handle your web requests when you use your browser) or application servers (computers dedicated to handling the computing needs of a specific application). Servers are often powerful, expensive machines since they have to handle a heavy load. and lots of storageThis usually refers to memory that doesn't lose its contents when powered off - like a thumb drive or a hard disk. It's a place to store data..]
If you’re an IoTThe Internet of Things. A broad term covering many different applications where "things" are interconnected through the internet. company making smart gadgetry, you’ll need to partner with a cloud provider. What kind of servers you need will depend on what you’re using the cloud for. The cloud can play a number of roles.
Smart Remotes
If you want your users to be able to use their smartphones as remote controls, then you need the cloud for that. The phone will connect to the cloud and give instructions or ask for data; the cloud will relay that to the IoT device through the device connectionThis refers to some kind of electrical connection. It might be through a network cable, a cable connection, a wireless connection, or a phone - just to name some options. The connection might be to the internet or to some other local device..
Heavy Lifting
If you have some intense computing needs, then you probably don’t want to put all that computing power in your IoT device – it would be too expensive. So instead, the device gets some data from something (through some sensorsA device that can measure something about its environment. Examples are movement, light, color, moisture, pressure, and many more.) and sends that data up to the cloud. The cloud can do that computation instead of the device.
Business Decisions
Many IoT devices have decisions to make. If we take the sprinkler example from earlier, then one decision is that, if the ground is too dry, the sprinkler should be turned on (or be scheduled to turn on when the sun isn’t at full strength). You may have lots of decisions like that.
In the industry, these are referred to as business rulesRules that say, "if this happens, then do that." Like, "if the ground is too dry, then turn on the sprinkler.". The softwareIn this context, "software" refers to functions in an IoT device that are implemented by running instructions through some kind of processor. It's distinct from "hardware," where functions are built into a silicon chip or some other component. that runs those rules – that is, that makes the actual decisions – can be too complex for a small device. In addition, many of the rules outcomes may involve sending texts or emails or other notifications. Those have to come from the cloud (for the same reason that you need the cloud for smartphone interaction).
Measuring Everything
Finally, analyticsRefers to rummaging though lots of data to learn things. This would be done by an IoT device or service provider. For instance, looking at what time of day a gadget gets used most, or seeing if any devices have failed. is a huge reason for using the cloud. Analytics refers to the gathering of tons of data and then poring through it to learn things.
For instance, in the sprinkler example, let’s assume that you’re the company making the sprinkler system. You will have all the measurements that were sent in (whether or not they resulted in the sprinkler being turned on or off). By looking at that data from all your customers, you might find that, during particularly hot times of day, some of the sensors fail – working again when they cool down. Or you might find that you’re sending data too frequently, which costs money and battery energy.
So you can learn things that help you improve how you run the business. This is what we alluded to last week in our privacy discussion.
The philosophy for this use is, “Measure Everything.” You never know what piece of data might unexpectedly turn out to provide some key insight that might make things more efficient or provide an advantage over a competitor.
This is less important for consumers, but the folks making the devices consumers buy need to think this stuff through.
Lock it Down
SecurityRefers to whether or not IoT devices or data are protected from unauthorized viewers., of course, is a huge consideration. Frankly, it’s one reason some individuals and companies don’t want to use the cloud. There are plenty of applications in industry where companies would love to have the extra computing power of the cloud. But that would mean sending really sensitive information up there, and they’re just not willing to do that out of fear that someone will somehow get access to the data.
There are choices they can make to improve security. For instance, when you ask for a “new server,” you may not be getting an entire server: you may get part of a server that other people are already using. Hosting more than one user in a single machineIn our context, a machine is anything that isn't human (or living). That includes electronic equipment like computers and phones. is referred to as multi-tenantingIn the Cloud, this refers to a situation where multiple different users or systems are sharing the same server. Ideally, those different "tenants" will never affect each other.; the expectation is that all of those “tenants” are separate and that nothing can escape from one tenant and end up with another, even though they’re on the same computer. The fear, of course, is that such expectations are overly optimistic.
If this is a concern, then companies can rent servers for their exclusive use, but, naturally, that would cost more.
Much effort is going into new technologies that help maintain the separation between different activities within a single server. I can’t specifically speak to how risky or not these are, but with the new technologies, it should certainly improve.
If you own a smart gadget, then your personal data will end up on the cloud. That’s where security is of the utmost importance; you don’t want your data hackedThis can mean a couple things. A quick-and-dirty (but not elegant) trick to get something done is a hack. A computer security break-in is also a hack (because inelegant tricks are used to break in). It can be a noun or a verb ("he hacked my computer").. Since there’s only so much you can control (like using a good password), you need faith that the companies you’re working with have done their security homework.
It Depends
So the roles and considerations for cloud use will vary by application. Some will use it a little; some a lot. As a customer of some IoT device and serviceWe are used to purchasing products outright. "Services" is a new concept where you may or may not buy the product, but optional or mandatory services come with the product. Those services may have an ongoing cost separate from the purchase price., you’re not going to be involved with any of this. It should just happen. But it is where much of the security concern lies, and so it’s good for you to understand what it’s all about.
There is an alternative that some industrial companies use to avoid sending everything up to the cloud; we’ll look at that next.
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