Machine-to-machine communications management can be much more effective with off-premise infrastructure
With the rapid adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) ecosystems taking place across the globe, enterprises need cloud-based solutions. With the potential scale of solutions required by M2M device management platforms in order to control, configure, and manage the various devices in a given M2M ecosystem effectively, enterprises need to embrace the cloud. Such platforms must be scalable to effectively manage the sheer volume of IoT devices connected to the Internet, and the benefits of infinite horizontal scalability and on-demand provisioning of services are right in line with the requirements of the M2M space. With a reported 94 per cent of all businesses seeing a return on their IoT and M2M investments, enterprise M2M adoption rates will likely continue to rise.
Management software must be available at all times to orchestrate mission-critical M2M interactions. Traditional, on-premise solutions may buckle under intense workloads and demands, but cloud-based device management can always scale to expectations and/or requirements, supporting hundreds of millions of endpoints on one server.
In terms of reach, cloud computing software-as-a-service (SaaS) is accessible anywhere, while on-premise solutions may require extensive configuration and security adjustments to allow for ubiquitous access. SaaS means the remote management, monitoring and configuration of M2M devices is easier than ever and accessible through a Web-based user interface. Most contemporary cloud-based solutions also feature RESTful APIs for easy integration with other tools, creating a best-in-breed M2M device-management framework.
Traditional database technologies simply cannot manage and process the amount of data created by and shared between M2M and IoT devices with traditional database technologies, such as relational database management systems (RDBMS). With 90 per cent of IoT data set to be hosted on cloud service provider platforms before the end of this decade, big data solutions – powered by underlying cloud infrastructures – are critical for storing, analysing and serving M2M data.
Cloud based M2M management platform enables service providers to test and scale solutions and also prepare for future growth of IoT devices and the data collected from them.
Developed by Mformation, which forms part of Alcatel-Lucent’s IP Platforms business line, an M2M device management solution called IMPACT (Intelligent Management Platform for All Connected Things) enables enterprises to capitalise on increasingly connected economic growth and support the billions of new devices emerging in the global marketplace. It enables cloud M2M management of any device, across any application.
Increasingly, seamless mobile connectivity is becoming a way of life, an accepted ‘norm’. Today’s expectations in business necessitate real-time, convenience-driven automation. This is why Mformation has made an IMPACT, and why Alcatel-Lucent is taking Mformation forward.
