What is IoT Device Monitoring and How Does It Help Your Network?
IoT Device Monitoring: Benefits, Use Cases, Limitations, and Tools
The Internet of Things (IoT) has become an essential component of modern life as an increasing number of devices connect to the Internet every day. And with this rapid growth, a new and especially important responsibility has emerged: IoT device monitoring.
Commonly, device monitoring is often referred to as remote IoT device monitoring given the ability and practice of engineers being able to access devices from any location around the world.
For businesses and industries, the ability to access and investigate devices from afar is invaluable. It provides real-time data insights, improved safety and security, cost savings, and increased efficiency and productivity.
This article explores the value of IoT device monitoring by identifying its benefits and use cases. You’ll also learn about some of its limitations, what types of software you’ll need to perform remote monitoring, and what the future of this landscape looks like.
Let’s dig in.
What is IoT Monitoring?
IoT remote monitoring involves the use of sensors and devices that collect data and transmit it over a network to a centralized platform where it is analyzed and interpreted. Insights derived from data can be used to identify trends and patterns, monitor performance, and diagnose issues. And as you’d imagine, businesses and industries are able to leverage these insights to make data-driven decisions and take timely action to prevent issues from escalating.
Benefits of IoT remote monitoring
While touched on briefly above, there’s tremendous value in leveraging device monitoring. Here’s a closer look at five key benefits your organization can capitalize on:
Increased efficiency and productivity
Businesses can monitor their assets and operations in real-time, allowing them to identify and address issues quickly. This helps to minimize downtime, reduce maintenance costs, and optimize the use of resources, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity.
Predictive maintenance
Organizations are able to predict when equipment or assets may fail, allowing them to schedule maintenance proactively. This can help reduce downtime, increase equipment lifespan, and avoid costly repairs or replacements.
Cost savings
Businesses can save costs in several ways. For instance, by monitoring equipment and assets in real-time, you can identify and predict potential failures before they occur, avoiding costly repairs or replacements. This helps to extend the lifespan of assets and equipment, reducing capital expenditures. Additionally, remote monitoring can help optimize energy usage, leading to lower utility bills.
Improved safety and security
Enhanced safety and security becomes the new norm through the provision of real-time data insights. By monitoring assets and operations, organizations can identify potential safety hazards and take proactive measures to mitigate them. This includes monitoring employee activities to ensure compliance with safety protocols and identifying security breaches or unauthorized access attempts.
Real-time data insights
Real-time data insights allow businesses and industries to make data-driven decisions quickly. This helps to improve operational efficiency, optimize resource usage, and identify trends and patterns that can inform future planning.
Use cases for IoT remote monitoring
IoT devices have become integral to the function of many organizations across all industries, here’s a look at basic use cases:
Healthcare
Healthcare professionals are able to monitor patients remotely, providing real-time data on their vital signs and health status, enabling timely interventions and preventing hospital readmissions.
Supply chain management
Supply chain management companies can track goods in real time, optimizing delivery schedules, reducing waste, and ensuring compliance with regulations.
Agriculture
Farmers are able to monitor soil moisture, temperature, and other environmental factors, helping farmers optimize crop yields, reduce water usage, and identify potential disease or pest infestations.
Building automation
Building managers can use building automation to monitor energy usage, optimize HVAC systems, and identify potential maintenance issues.
Industrial applications
Site and operations managers can monitor equipment performance, identify potential failures, and schedule maintenance proactively to reduce downtime, increase equipment lifespan, and avoid costly repairs or replacements.
Energy sector
Site and operations managers are able to monitor power grids and identify potential issues, such as outages or overload to prevent blackouts and ensure a stable energy supply.
Infrastructure management
Municipalities are able to monitor bridges, tunnels, and other critical infrastructure to identify potential maintenance issues and ensure public safety.
Challenges and limitations
However, as with most things, monitoring IoT devices is not without its challenges and limitations. Here are five common concerns you should be aware of:
Security and privacy concerns
IoT remote device monitoring involves the collection and transmission of sensitive data, which can be vulnerable to security breaches. This includes personal data, financial data, and other confidential information. It’s especially critical for businesses and industries to implement robust security protocols to protect against cyber threats.
Lack of standardization and interoperability
The IoT landscape is fragmented, with a wide range of devices and protocols available, making it difficult for organizations to select compatible devices and platforms to be monitored. Additionally, a lack of standardization and interoperability can hinder data sharing and integration across different platforms.
Data overload and processing
Monitoring generates vast amounts of data, which can be overwhelming for businesses and industries to process and analyze. Making sense of large volumes of data requires significant investments in data storage and processing capabilities, as well as expertise in data analytics and visualization.
Infrastructure and limitations
Monitoring also relies on a reliable and robust network infrastructure to transmit data. However, many areas lack the necessary connectivity and infrastructure to support IoT remote monitoring, particularly in rural or remote areas. The reliability and stability of network connections can be an obstacle. Poor or no connectivity is often due to weather conditions and other environmental factors.
A promising future
Despite these challenges, the future of IoT remote monitoring is promising. Some of the trends shaping the future include:
Integration with AI and machine learning
The integration of AI and machine learning can enhance the capabilities of remote device monitoring. From automated data analysis to predictive modeling, organizations are beginning to make more accurate predictions and decisions.
Advancements in sensors and devices
Advancements in sensors and devices are leading to the development of more accurate and reliable monitoring solutions. Today, sensors can collect more granular data, devices can operate in harsh environments, and wearables can monitor vital signs.
Increased adoption and standardization
As more businesses and industries adopt remote device monitoring, there is a growing need for standardization and interoperability in the form of common protocols, interfaces, and data formats to enable seamless data sharing and integration.
Use of blockchain for secure data sharing
The use of blockchain technology can enhance security and privacy by enabling secure and decentralized data sharing. This increase in security will need to be supported by blockchain-based platforms for data sharing and secure data storage.
How IoT Device Monitoring Software Helps
Software and tools play a critical role by providing a centralized platform for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data from IoT devices. They enable businesses and industries to monitor their IoT devices in real-time, allowing them to identify and address issues quickly, optimize performance, and make data-driven decisions.
Key software features include:
Real-time monitoring: These tools provide real-time monitoring of IoT devices, enabling businesses and industries to detect issues as they occur and take immediate action to resolve them.
Data analytics: Monitoring tools can analyze data from IoT devices to identify trends, patterns, and potential issues for informed decisions based on data insights.
Alerts and notifications: Software can send alerts and notifications when an issue is detected, allowing businesses and industries to take immediate action to prevent downtime or data loss.
Remote access: Tools enable remote access to IoT devices, allowing businesses and industries to troubleshoot issues from a remote location.
Device management: Software provides device management capabilities, enabling businesses and industries to manage and monitor multiple devices from a single platform.
Threat detection and prevention: With the rapid growth of the internet, malicious actors have become more active. A look at IoT device threats in Sonic Wall’s latest Cyber Threat Report shows:
- 132% increase in Encrypted Attacks
- 77% increase in Malware Attacks on IoT / Connected Devices
- 30% increase in Cryptojacking Attacks
- 19% increase in Intrusion Attempts
- 11% increase in Malware Attacks
- 23% decrease in Ransomware Attacks
These statistics point to much-needed intervention that only strong virus and threat detection and prevention software can provide.
IoT device monitoring software and tools include
Sapply is a partner to a range of trusted vendors. Here’s a look at the solutions we offer:
Digi Remote Manager
Digi Remote Manager is a cloud-based device management platform that enables businesses to monitor and manage their IoT devices from a single platform. It provides real-time monitoring, data analytics, alerts and notifications, remote device access, and device management capabilities. It’s instrumental in identifying potential issues and taking immediate action to prevent downtime or data loss.
HP Anyware
HP Anyware is a mobile application platform developed by HP for enterprise use. It helps businesses develop and deploy mobile applications for their employees and customers. Its range of features includes secure messaging, data sharing, and remote access to enterprise data and applications.
HP Anyware enables businesses to improve communication and collaboration among employees, increase productivity, and provide a better user experience for customers. It also comes with a high degree of customization, making it possible to be tailored to meet the specific needs of businesses across various industries.
HP Teradici Desktop Access
HP Teradici Desktop Access is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution developed by HP in collaboration with Teradici. It helps engineers securely access their desktops and applications from anywhere, on any device.
It also provides a high-quality user experience with low latency and high frame rates. As a remote desktop access tool, it helps reduce hardware and maintenance costs by centralizing desktops and applications in the cloud. It also improves security by keeping data and applications in a central location, reducing the risk of data loss or theft.
K7 antivirus software
K7 Antivirus provides real-time protection for computers and other devices from malware and other online threats including viruses, spyware, adware, worms, Trojans, and other malicious programs.
It also includes features such as web protection, email protection, and USB drive scanning to prevent the spread of infections. K7 Antivirus’s advanced scanning algorithms detect and remove threats from the system and are also regularly updated to ensure that it stays ahead of new and emerging threats.
Lantronix ConsoleFlow
Lantronix ConsoleFlow is a cloud-based device management platform that enables businesses to monitor and manage their IT infrastructure remotely. Features include real-time monitoring, data analytics, remote device access, and device management capabilities. It can generate alerts and notifications when an issue is detected, allowing businesses to take immediate action to prevent downtime or data loss. In addition, ConsoleFlow provides remote access to devices, enabling businesses to troubleshoot issues from any remote location.
A brighter and more efficient future
IoT remote monitoring is becoming an essential tool for businesses and industries to optimize their operations, reduce costs, and enhance safety and security. While there are challenges and limitations, its benefits far outweigh the risks. Advancements in sensors and devices, integration with AI and machine learning, increased adoption and standardization, and the use of blockchain for secure data sharing will help pioneer a more secure, robust, and highly efficient means of managing devices from afar.
Establish Your Remote Monitoring Centre of Excellence
Sapply is partnered with industry-leading remote monitoring software providers. Speak to our team about how you can improve your business’s efficiency and security with our range of battle-tested threat detection and remote management solutions. Contact us today.