IoT cloud applications play a crucial role in enabling advanced connectivity and innovation in today’s increasingly digital world. Particularly, it is transforming the business operations in terms of accessibility. And, remodelling homes for the better by offering higher security, energy efficiency, personalization, and convenience. The technology is impacting traditional homes by automating manual tasks, enabling intelligent living, and providing higher efficiency and enhanced comfort.
IoT Cloud applications use cloud computing technology to fetch data from Internet of Things (IoT) devices. In an IoT Cloud network, while the cloud provides a virtual platform for storing and processing data, IoT devices are physical equipment that include sensors, vehicles, and machines responsible for collecting and sending data to the cloud. Thus, the network works together, enabling users to fetch real-time and sophisticated data.
What is the purpose of IoT Cloud Applications?
Utilizing cloud technology, along with the Internet of Things (IoT), enables easy connection and operation of billions of devices located across various locations. Such solutions add value to companies operating in the industrial, consumer, and automotive sectors, as they help them to manage their workloads more effectively. These cloud services enable the process of collecting, storing, and analyzing data from IoT equipment to be more manageable.
It also plays a vital task in building smart homes and smart cities, as it ensures the automation of specific tasks while enabling remote access to devices, facilitating intelligent decision-making.
Examples of IoT Cloud Applications:
In the automotive and logistics sector, for example, the Volkswagen Group has integrated all its production plants into the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud, utilizing AWS (one of the leading players of cloud computing services). In turn, AWS employs AWS Internet of Things (IoT) services. The purpose of using these services is to connect data from every machine and system of the company’s plant. Although the company initially integrated data from the machinery of three major plants, it eventually began incorporating data from machines located across all its factory sites worldwide. The company’s goal for this initiative is to increase productivity by 30% and reduce overall factory costs by 30%. With the introduction of Volkswagen Industrial Cloud, the company aims to reduce its overall costs, particularly across the supply chain, by around €1 billion.
The company is not restricting IoT cloud applications to the manufacturing sector alone, but is expanding AWS cloud services to the mobility sector as well. Such as virtual car-shopping and ridesharing experiences.
What are the Benefits Associated with Cloud Integration with IoT Devices?
Offer Secure Service:
Cloud computing providers, with their sophisticated infrastructure, offer more secure services. These technologies are capable of resolving issues at every layer of the application. Moreover, it resolves scalability issues, transferring data in a fraction of a second due to its robust infrastructure, enabling companies to minimize their overall costs. With all the facilities, companies are finding it easy to build their complete solutions effectively.
Foster Innovative Solutions:
With the extended capability to build efficient solutions, companies find sufficient space and time to foster innovative solutions within their organization.
Build Intelligent Solutions:
With cloud technologies, businesses can build sophisticated solutions that are higher in performance, importantly, while utilizing fewer computer hardware and software resources, such as memory, device drivers, and network bandwidth. Additionally, cloud services enable users to integrate emerging technologies, such as AI and ML, into IoT devices, allowing them to develop more intelligent devices.
With various advantages, Cloud IoT applications offer more scalable solutions, enabling companies to build innovative and secure devices.
Other Overall Benefits of Cloud IoT Solutions Include the Following:
Remote Monitoring:
These cloud IoT solutions enable industries to monitor their processes even remotely while ensuring reliability and scalability. As a result, it helps them to enhance the overall quality of business operations while reducing the risks of unplanned downtime.
Introduce More Convenient Consumer Products:
This technology is enabling companies to introduce unique products that are helpful in performing a host of necessary day-to-day activities, such as home monitoring, home security, and home automation.
Develop Smart Societies:
Cloud IoT applications are paving the way to build commercial solutions, helping to resolve common challenges in the fields of health and infrastructure.
Effective Mobility Solutions:
Cloud IoT applications are proving to change the connectivity issues, allowing users to fetch and manage data from connected vehicles.
What are the Common Solutions of IoT Cloud Applications?
Reality of Connected Homes:
Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly common and a necessity for households to integrate smart devices such as security cameras, lighting systems, thermostats, and smart speakers. Because of the many promises they offer, such as security, convenience, and efficiency. Additionally, they ensure a more comfortable living experience while allowing for personalized settings. Automating tasks, controlling appliances remotely, and monitoring for any security breaches in and around the premises are other advantages of IoT cloud applications.
Here, the role of IoT devices in integration with cloud technologies is the primary reason for manufacturers to introduce connected home products. Cloud technologies, in particular, are helping to introduce such products without compromising on security, which is a crucial aspect for the customers. With cloud services, users can also seamlessly integrate machine learning technologies into IoT devices due to the scalable solutions for storing data that they provide. Connected home devices are another reality with IoT Cloud applications.
Industrial Applications:
Using IoT cloud applications, it is possible to unravel complex data into simpler solutions, broadening its uses to various industrial applications. This technology is acting as a main lever in digitalizing the business process, ultimately transforming the business working methodology. Functionalities such as monitoring the assets, optimizing the process, and predicting quality are becoming easier with these connected devices. Industries that rely heavily on maintaining the assets, including transportation, agriculture, energy, and manufacturing sectors, are standing as the most beneficiaries of this technological integration.
Several industries are benefiting from this technological integration, particularly to enhance performance and overall productivity by effectively reducing wastage in quality and quantity.
For example, running a single factory requires working with multiple sensors, with large factories running them in thousands, which generates a massive amount of data. By effectively collecting and processing the data, it helps in the systematic organization of material flow and to identify and eliminate existing bottlenecks in the raw material supplies. Leading to the proactive measures in equipment and machinery operations across all facilities of the factory.