IoT Architecture – The Art of Building Smart Systems
“Alexa! Turn off the light”, we all know that this task happens in a millisecond, but only a few of us know what happens behind the scenes. In this article, we shall try to understand the architecture of IoT as we scale down each layer of the 4 stage architecture IoT system.
Hopefully, by the end of this article, the next time you ask any virtual assistant to operate a smart gadget, you will know exactly what is happening in the background and which stage is performing what role.
The 4-Stage IoT architecture
The most used architecture for the Internet of Things is the 4-stage architecture which has 4 phases in it. There is no rule stating that only the 4 stage architecture of IoT will be used all the time, but the twist is that these four stages will always be used no matter how many stage architectures you use.
By phases, I mean the path that the action traverses. So to achieve a specific action, be it smart watches, smart homes, driverless cars, or any other example, the data has to traverse or go through these phases.
IoT in itself means an interrelated internet-connected object system that collects and transfers data over a wireless network without any human intervention. This brings me to the next topic:
Importance of IoT architecture
In IoT, Data collection is enabled by having devices (or sensors) connected to the internet via their own IP address. The quintessence of this is to track data through their sensors, perform calculations and make them available for consumption to their users.
One of the vital importance of having good architecture is ‘security’. If penetration is anywhere in the architecture, the data could fall into the wrong hand and could cause significant damage. Hence these perpetually connected systems have a secure architecture.
In layman’s language, the IoT architecture is where the data flows from the “things” to the “internet”! Here, “thing” refers to a machine, sensor, etc., and “internet” refers to the cloud or server.
The 4 Stages of IoT architecture
Okay, enough talk. Let’s get down to the matter at hand. The four phases or stages of IoT architecture are:
1. Sensors and Actuators
2. Internet Gateway
3. Edge IT
4. Data Center and Cloud
Let us take a detailed look at each phase and see what happens to the data in each stage.
1. Sensors and actuators
We all know that IoT revolves around sensors. But do we know why? Well. it is because they convert information obtained in the outer world into data for analysis. They include data regarding the process or environmental surroundings like temperature, fluid flow in the pipe, air quality, and more.
But what are actuators? Well, by definition, actuators can intervene to alter the physical reality. It sounds mindboggling when you put it like that, but they are boring. They are just normal machines like fan regulators, switches, thermostats, valves, air conditioners, etc.
Every IoT device must and will have sensors because it is from this stage that data is generated and collected. This data will travel through the different stages of IoT architecture and, finally, the cloud.
2. Internet gateway
The IoT architecture’s second stage works close to the first stage (sensors and actuators). This stage is the gateway to the internet, or more technically: data acquisition systems (DAS).
The data obtained from the sensors is in analog form. For this data to enter the cloud and undergo in-depth processing, it needs to be aggregated and converted to digital signals.
This is precisely what this stage does. It prepares the data from the sensors to be cloud readable, acting like a gateway to the cloud, thus the name ‘internet gateway’. Finally, the internet receives this digitized data and routes it to systems in stage 3.
3. Edge IT
At this stage, the data from the sensors has already been transferred to the IT world. But there is one problem, the data still requires to be reduced in volume before it enters the data centers. In technical terms, Edge IT systems perform enhanced analytics and pre-processing, such as machine learning and visualization.
The edge IT stage reduces the burden on IT infrastructure. How? Here are two examples: edge IT systems use machine learning to scan for anomalies and use visualization techniques to present information into attractive dashboards, pie charts, and graphs. Here is a bonus fact: this stage sits a little closer to the sensors in a wiring closet.
4. Data Centre and Cloud
The last and final stage of IoT architecture is not the data centre and cloud but rather happens in the data centre and cloud. It is where the data is analysed, managed, and securely stored for in-depth processing and follow-up revision for feedback and future decisions.
This stage can also execute precise analysis by combining data from other sources, including the digital and physical worlds. These sources can identify and analyse significant patterns and trends.
With that said, this architecture is the basic fundamental for IoT. However, before we conclude, let us take a look at some advantages and disadvantages of IoT.
Advantages of IoT
1. Cost reduction
IoT devices catch problems and bugs very fast when compared to traditional debugging. It saves not only the cost of repairs but also time.
2. Efficiency
IoT devices are very productive and efficient. One such example is an automated PDF converter, which removes the hassle of PDF editing and archiving.
3. Mobility
Thanks to IoT, employees can work from any geographical location, anytime, without any restrictions.
4. Supports Various Technologies
IoT supports technologies like big data analytics, cloud computing, wireless sensor networks, embedded systems, and many more.
Disadvantages of IoT
1. Security
Since the data travels all over the internet, end-to-end encryption is a must in IoT. However, as of today, maintaining privacy is a big challenge. It is why we need better and more secure architectures.
2. Complexity
As much as IoT is good at Fixing bugs, most of the devices still contain some software bugs. Each IoT device must be able to seamlessly interact with other devices in the network to which they are connected.
3. Compatibility
One example of why IoT devices are not compatible is that there is no International Standard for monitoring the equipment.
4. Policies
Governments must impose policies and standards to stop the Black marketing of IoT devices.
Summary
Now you know exactly what happens every time you say, “Alexa! Turn up the temperature”. We have now seen the importance of IoT architecture and the four different phases of it and concluded with some advantages and disadvantages of IoT.