The Internet of Things (IoT) is a giant network of interconnected devices (or things) that collects data and shares the information back to some control center or central location. A ‘thing’ could be anything; most commonly, it is a device embedded with sensors and software to connect and share data over and secure network or the Internet.
IoT Device Examples and Use Cases
IoT devices are everywhere, including consumer devices like home appliances, smart meters, and intelligent devices such as TVs, Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Google Nest. In addition, commercial IoT devices are prevalent as businesses invest in sensors and devices that manage and monitor healthcare devices, transport devices, connected vehicles, and asset tracking.
IoT is also widely used within the military, manufacturing, and energy industrial sectors. We are seeing an emergence of Infrastructure IoT as our cities get more intelligent with infrastructure such as smart motorways, traffic light management, and even smart waste management solutions that alert when public trash cans are full.
IoT is everywhere, and the devices impact our everyday lives. But the IoT network would not exist without cloud computing, which is a central location to collect and manage the vast amount of data generated by IoT devices. Join us as we discover the best use of the cloud in the Internet of Things (IoT).
IoT Applications
Now that we know what the IoT is, we look at some of the most popular use cases for the IoT in business. IoT can be described as connecting physical devices so they can communicate with each other and be controlled from a remote location.
Cloud providers are the perfect hosting environment for intelligent IoT applications that capture and analyze IoT data and helpfully present the data, such as dashboards and reports. IoT applications commonly trigger automated routines when an event criterion is met. For example, when traffic builds up on a smart motorway, a routine will start to slow traffic down further back on the highway.
Cloud providers have proprietary event drive serverless tools that execute functions automatically; however, you can also do it using applications like Apache OpenWhisk. Functions unlock the power of IoT by creating automated routines upon data received from the IoT device. In addition, IoT data works well with artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Popular Use-Cases For IoT
IoT has made a real difference worldwide and helped to change our world.
#1: Healthcare: One such industry to benefit is healthcare and wearable technology. Healthcare has widely welcomed IoT technology, often known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). The technology has several everyday uses; monitoring patients is already common practice, and modern medical equipment transmits test results autonomously around a hospital network.
Medical devices such as CT Scanners, X-ray machines, and MRI scanners can be remotely monitored by IoMT, and results are shared between medical practices, patients, and insurance companies using HIPAA-compliant cloud hosting.
The ability to track medical equipment within a hospital empowers the administration to know the exact location of their portable medical equipment on the hospital grounds. Any hardware issues are automatically reported and “dialed home” to an engineer, allowing key workers to visit the site safely and make repairs.
#2: Asset Tracking and Management: Many businesses have a fleet of vehicles that move products and employees. Asset tracking and asset management allow them to keep track of their vehicles and equipment. For example, Volkswagen released a recall for over 59,000 of the 2017 Beetle to address airbag deployment in the event of a frontal collision. They found that 10,500 airbags failed during testing.
This meant that the people driving the Beetles were suddenly at risk of losing control of an expensive piece of equipment, and it was the business that owned the vehicle, or the company, to bear the costs. However, thanks to the IoT, businesses can track the status of their vehicles and equipment online if anyone with internet access wants to.
#3: Remote Monitoring and Maintenance: This is a substitute for remote video monitoring. Video conferences and remote monitoring were frequently used for this type of monitoring a few years ago, and IoT has replaced them. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the next big thing in business, and it’s already begun to change how we do things.
#4: The Connected Supply Chain: Businesses can also use the IoT-connected factory solutions to the cloud and manage industrial IoT devices. The cloud software can be populated with different pre-built resources that allow control, such as alerting services and fleet dispatching to machines.
An intelligent factory solution reports primary metrics on equipment, including efficiency and telemetry data. With a simple data stream, this generic solution can gather data from multiple devices at different geographical locations.
Partnering With Atlantic.Net
Atlantic.Net engineers have first-hand experience with the complexities of the Internet of Things. Our Managed Services allow you to monitor your entire stack without giving up control. For example, our Atlantic.Net cloud platform will support ultra-fast networking, and our infrastructure is future-proofed as more advanced and faster services are added to our data center regions.
If you want a leading managed network hosting provider, look no further than Atlantic.Net. The company has been in the business for over 30 years and can provide multiple networking options to suit companies of all sizes. Furthermore, we also include a complimentary Network Monitoring Solution for our cloud customers.
Atlantic.Net is ready to assist you with fast compliance with all certifications, including SOC 2 and SOC 3, HIPAA, and HITECH, with 24x7x365 professional support, system monitoring, and world-class data center infrastructure. To receive your cost-free Architectural Design and Assessment, cost-free Software Technical Design and Assessment, or hourly consulting, call us at 888-618-3282.
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