IoT device management: back to basics
IoT device control is essential to a robust IoT solution. In fact, most cloud providers use this system for their platforms. In fact, many giant companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, use them. In this article, we are going to talk about this system and why it is so important.
1.Authentication and provisioning
Before you install an IoT device, make sure it’s reliable and secure. In other words, the device must be genuine and run reliable software. Basically, provisioning is the process of enrolling a device and authentication is the verification process.
2.Control and Configuration
All types of devices must be configured and controlled when they are first installed. For example, if you install a tracker in your vehicle, you will need to set it up first.
Therefore, the ability to control and configure a device after deployment is very important to ensure proper performance, functionality, and protection. Apart from this, you should be able to reset the devices to their default settings.
3.Monitoring and Diagnosis
In addition to setup, you should also be able to troubleshoot operational issues and other software errors. However, you should be able to identify the errors first. And for this purpose, it is important that you monitor the system regularly. This is essential for a proper diagnosis. Almost all device management programs have program logs for diagnostics.
4. Software updates and maintenance
If you can identify bugs or security flaws in a device, be sure to update the device’s software or firmware. Since there may be thousands of devices, manual updates may not be feasible. Therefore, your device management software should be able to update automatically.
The beginning of IoT device management
Many IoT solution providers did not prefer IoT device management first. However, as these capabilities became more important, nearly all of the large cloud providers, such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, began using primary IoT device management. However, it is important to note that basic IoT device management cannot meet all business needs.
Why we need more than the basics
In IT departments, device management began as the management of computing resources in organizations. However, it progressed with the advent of smartphones which emphasized the importance of mobile device management. Today, you can find tons of devices in a single IoT solution.
In the past, device management approaches have revolved around the assumption that device connectivity must be stable and persistent. For example, the diagnostics and monitoring section on a system might point to logs of downloaded programs and CPU usage. However, in the case of IoT, these solutions involve many devices for high bandwidth and persistent connectivity.
Depending on the application, IoT solutions vary considerably. Some of the solutions require persistent connectivity and high bandwidth, while others do not have this requirement. For example, agricultural IoT applications use tons of sensors like equipment assets, sunlight, soil moisture, and temperature trackers. For these sensors, long battery life is of paramount importance.
So, this was an introduction to IoT device control and management. I hope you find this article useful and informative.