IoT platforms: discover your business benefits with Plain Concepts

Connecting sensors and devices to store, manage and analyze the information collected by them. This is the purpose of IoT platforms, tools that centralize and take advantage of opportunities to collect data from the environment and digitize it to benefit the whole business.

This post explains IoT platforms, with examples of use and advantages of applying them in your business.

IoT platforms: what they are

IoT platforms link devices, sensors, and applications… to another endpoint, such as a database. Along the way, the platform can include different tools, such as data analysis or visualization, and features to strengthen cybersecurity, such as authentication or encryption factors. They are hardware and software solutions that simplify and unify transferring, storing, and retaining data.

These platforms can also be called IoT middleware since they act as mediators between hardware and software for storage management, analysis, and visualization…

The work of IoT platforms is divided into several stages. In the first stage, data is collected by sensors, and in the second, it is stored and measured. In the last step, analytics is performed locally (on the devices themselves) or in the cloud (cloud computing).

Industrial IoT Platforms

An Industrial IoT Platform or IIoT Platform aggregates data, hardware, and software… in a space that many users can access. With them, better corporate decisions are made, considering factors such as quality, performance, and waste…

An industrial IoT platform is used to access factory data and offices or employees’ homes. This speeds up decision-making or problem detection.

IoT cloud platforms

IoT cloud platforms converge IoT-connected devices and cloud computing. The sensors are connected to the cloud (from where they receive commands and deposit data), and the forum is built on cloud services from companies such as Microsoft, Google, or Amazon Web Services. The cloud runs applications that analyze the data in real-time.

Benefits of IoT platforms for enterprises

• Business and citizen transformation. The data collected by the platforms can be used to transform buildings and smart cities. They can also contribute to creating new products and services in the retail sector or improving supply chain processes.
• Scalability and cost-effectiveness. The platforms adapt to the number of connected devices required, scaled up or down as needed. Thus, costs are controlled, or the platform’s scale is expanded. Also, it saves costs to centralize all data measurement and analysis on one platform instead of doing it physically.
• Increased workers’ productivity, who focus on other, less mechanical tasks.
• Transparency and open source. Platforms can be open source so developers can share their solutions and knowledge with others, making the platforms collaborative.

Plain Concepts and IoT platforms

In Plain Concepts, we have developed several projects related to IoT platforms, improving the day-to-day business management in various companies.

With ACCIONA Energía, we developed a SCADA management system for a photovoltaic park. Based on Microsoft .NET and visible from tablet and desktop, this system monitors and controls 48,000 alarms and 42,000 variables in real-time. The result is a scalable infrastructure for the management and analytics of big data, with which the company minimizes costs in designing and maintaining its facilities.

For ULMA Handing Systems, we created U-Mind Sentinel, a real-time warehouse monitoring system. IoT sensors were installed in them, collecting data that could be converted into useful information in the U-Mind Sentinel.

At one of Europe’s largest construction companies, we created a cloud architecture to ingest traffic data, locations, and devices. With this information, the team created digital twins to help improve the livability of cities and the environmental impact of vehicles.

Another cloud platform was the protagonist of a tool for the International Workplace Group, which manages offices in 120 countries and 3340 locations. It would house the data from thousands of IoT devices hosted in these offices, with a Data Lake as a central repository. This would save costs while improving resource management.

As you can see, the functions of IoT platforms are varied and can be adapted to any industry and business. If you want to implement them in your company, we work with you to get the most out of them.