The billions of physical devices that are found all over the world which are connected to the internet are known as the Internet of Things, or IoT. These devices are constantly collecting and sharing data. When the various objects are connected together and sensors are added, devices are able to communicate real-time data without the involvement of humans. Because of the IoT, it is now possible to merge the physical and digital worlds. The combination of abundant wireless networks and super-cheap computer chips that are now available makes it possible to turn something very small into part of something very big. For instance, it is now possible to turn something the size of a pill or something as large as an airplane into a section of the IoT.

Examples of Internet of Things Devices

As long as an object can be connected to the internet and it can be controlled or it communicates data, it is possible to convert it into an IoT device. Take for instance a smart light bulb which you can switch on with the use of a smartphone app; that light bulb is an IoT device. Similarly, a smart thermostat in your home or office is also an IoT device. An IoT device can also be something as fun as a child’s toy or something more useful like a driverless vehicle. You can also find bigger objects like jet engines which have many smaller IoT components. Advanced jet engines are filled with thousands of sensors which collect and transmit information, ensuring that they are functioning at optimal levels.

Benefits of the Internet of Things for Business

IoT has two significant features: automation and connectivity. Automation has to do with direct communication between distinct devices and other types of hardware without any interference by humans. Connectivity, on the other hand, has to do with improved connections within a single network on a global scale. These connections allow simple access to different types of data. In as far as business is concerned, IoT has several benefits including:

Enhanced Staff Productivity and Minimized Human Labor

One of the main benefits of incorporating IoT solutions into your business is that routine tasks can be done automatically. This means that human resources can be focused on tasks that are more difficult or creative and that require human skills. As such, you can reduce the number of employees, resulting in less business operation costs.

Improved use of Business Assets and Resources

Interconnected sensors help to implement automated monitoring and scheduling, and the result is that resources are used more efficiently. Resources that can be used more efficiently include power and water. For instance, using simple motion detectors can help to significantly reduce your water and electricity bills. The end result is a business that is not only more productive, but also more eco-friendly.

Economical Operations

If your maintenance and other manufacturing requirements such as the supply of raw materials are scheduled and controlled automatically, your equipment can have a higher production rate. An improved production rate means increased profits.

The current capabilities of IoT solutions are quite remarkable. And, there is no denying that this is one of those digital technologies that are set to advance even more in the nearest future.

There are various SaaS services that make our lives easier. There are SaaS from complex Cloud SCADA services to digital forms for data collection. Most services provide instant functionality, reports and graphs of collected data. This is all great and very convenient.

There is one problem with this approach: customers do not own their data! All data collected belongs to the SaaS service. Once the SaaS service collects enough data, they will analyze and sell it back to companies at a big premium. The service providers will build Machine Learning algorithms and sell them as a service.

We have been approach by companies that have heard of machine learning and they are ready to deploy a solution. They encounter one problem: they do not have any data yet. Without millions of records of data, it is impossible to develop and train any ML algorithms.

It is very important to start collecting and storing data in a digital format as soon as possible. The format does not matter much. It could be simple text, CSV, XML, JSON, PDF, Doc, Xls, image, … As long as there are many many records, eventually you will be able to analyze it and build ML/AI algorithms against it and take your business to a new level.

Currently, when setting up data lakes, almost any format of data could be stored for processing. The tools for processing and understanding data are getting better and better, but unless a company has troves of data, they will not be able to take advantage of the digital transformation and will rely on 3rd party services to tell what is best for them.

How LoadSys Solutions can help?

LoadSys can help you get setup up with Cloud Storage and provide an ability to collect data for any type of equipment. We can collect data from your machinery, equipment, environment and even provide digital inspection and mobile form solutions fully integrated into your business.

Please contact LoadSys Solutions for a free consultation on how to start collecting your data and get ready for digital transformation.

Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs on a wide range of devices. Ubuntu is a primary choice when developing a custom data collection and analytics solution. Ubuntu’s emphasis on security made it a primary choice for enterprise data collection applications. As all Linux based operating systems, Ubuntu is secure right out of the box. Ubuntu is also chosen for its container operations.There is no system that is 100% secure, but what matters most is the speed at which security vulnerabilities are resolved and made available and how easy it is to deploy them without interrupting operations.

Why Ubuntu Core?

Ubuntu Core provides a fast and reliable transactional OS for IoT solutions. It is a perfect choice for Edge-to-Cloud gateways. Edge-to-Cloud solutions collect data from sensors and equipments and the “edge” and send to the cloud for processing. Ubuntu is supported by various major IoT gateway manufacturers like Dell, Intel, Moxa, and others. For a faster and cheaper deployment of a custom solution, existing hardware could be chosen to meet the deployment’s physical environment and data processing. To protect the information on the OS, penetration testing service by Nettitude is a must, even for this operating system.

LoadSys uses Ubuntu with Raspberry PI for IoT prototyping solutions. Ubuntu also supports AWS IoT Greengrass. AWS Greengass allows to deploy applications remotely with AI/ML logic and sending data to the cloud.

What is AWS Greengrass?

AWS Greengrass provides tools to manage IoT infrastructure and securely collect and process data from remote data sources such as machinery or equipment. AWS Greengrass could be configured to collect data when internet connection is not present and even deploy ML/AI services directly to the edge. With AWS Greengrass, remote APIs and containerized applications could be deployed and managed to edge locations.

Please contact LoadSys for a free consultation on your next digital transformation/data collection project. We work with any size or stage projects, including startups. We will help you to bring your next IoT idea to life.

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