Articles and discussion about the Internet of Things (IoT) and Digital Transformation (DT).
I typically focus on the advantages of MQTT, a widely used communication protocol in IoT systems.
In today's article, I discuss challenges with its implementation in real-life Internet of Things deployments.
https://www.thingrex.com/mqtt_challenges/
Any feedback/questions are very welcome!
MQTT challenges
How to choose the proper QoS level of MQTT? Explanation using Roblox metaverse.
A well-defined mitigation plan can be codified, which allows for automation and automatic responses.
Internet of Things deployments are highly complex environments.
Automating the monitoring and countermeasure activities enables scalability without compromising the security posture of an IoT system.
Automated actions must be logged for documentation and evaluation purposes. Start with codifying atomic activities, analyze outcomes, and extend the scope of automation.
Years of experience enclosed in 34 minutes of conversation!
Mastering the IoT Product Strategy is crucial for startups and established enterprises. Marcello Majonchi, the Chief Product Officer at Arduino, shared his insights with me during the podcast interview.
I include my meeting notes in today's newsletter to extract as much value as possible and help you leverage the wisdom shared by Marcello.
https://www.thingrex.com/iot_product_strategy/
Please share your favorite insight from this conversation in the comments.
Mastering the IoT Product Strategy - with Marcello Majonchi, Chief Product Officer at Arduino.
"Ignorance is bliss," according to Cypher from The Matrix movie.
There are some situations when that approach might be helpful to filter the noise from our daily lives. But we have to use it with care.
Unfortunately, I see this mindset commonly used regarding SECURITY and PRIVACY topics of IoT/IT initiatives.
Pretending that some security vulnerability does not exist does not stop hackers from exploiting it!
Ignorance is the biggest threat to your IoT deployment. Do not let your mind trick you!
Smart Cities are incredibly complex environments consisting of versatile data sources. Domain knowledge is crucial to identify relevant information for a specific business use case.
IoT Data Analysts must validate and enrich the raw data before extracting knowledge from it. Inadequate inputs could lead to generating false recommendations that directly impact citizens' lives.
To mitigate that risk, domain knowledge is mandatory for professionals working in this field.
A certain level of maturity is required to become the "background technology".
One of the most significant benefits of implementing IoT capabilities is the seamless improvement of our daily lives. Smart devices can automate repetitive and predictive tasks without bothering users. That way, technology enables people to focus on meaningful topics and utilize potential and creativity.
To achieve that, IoT should invisibly operate in the background. Why are we not there yet? Because most IoT solutions are not robust enough to function this way.
Have you ever thought about agriculture as a factory in slow motion?
How could you operate with a 100-day-long feedback cycle?
Why are farmers adopting IoT solutions?
What can you learn about IoT and computer science in general while working on a farm?
Those are only a few exciting topics we discussed with Shawn Deggans, owner of Green Nanny LLC.
Let me know what the most valuable takeaway for you from this episode was!
https://youtu.be/xCo5YaxqjIo
Have you ever thought about agriculture as a factory in slow motion?How could you operate with a 100-day-long feedback cycle?Why are farmers adopting IoT sol...
There is no way to sell 5G, as no one needs it!
Selling 5G is like selling a chainsaw to the restaurant owner. The business stakeholder can potentially utilize that tool in the process of obtaining tables, but it would require significant effort and knowledge from various domains:
- Felling a tree.
- Cutting the trunk into planks.
- Turning planks into desired tables.
The chainsaw is crucial in the process, yet that is just a tool the business person does not care about.
We should sell 5G the same way we sell tables to the restaurant owners - by delivering the business result, not the toolbox. Create a solution that utilizes 5G, but advertise the outcome.
Let me know if you need assistance communicating your solutions' value proposition. I am happy to help convey this message to your customers.
It takes courage to stop learning and start implementing commercial IoT solutions!
It is all about handling the responsibility and leaving your comfort zone.
Working in the Internet of Things domain requires constant learing. Keeping up-to-date with various communication solutions, hardware capabilities, and cloud offerings demands infinite effort.
The learning never ends for IoT professionals. Or is that only an insecure mindset speaking in our heads?
I totally agree with Socrates, "The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing." That could lead to feeling paralyzed and afraid to implement any commercial IoT solution. "If I do not know everything inside-out, how could I offer my service/advice?".
The spoiler alert - you will NEVER know everything working in the IoT domain. That is simply impossible.
That brings me to the initial point. Once you know enough to understand what areas demand further learning, you are ready to start putting your knowledge into commercial practice.
Comment below if you feel paralyzed because of the number of subjects you "think you should know". I will help you face your fears and start the IoT career.
Data Proxy - the often-overlooked potential of a Digital Twin.
In my previous article, I covered the Data Structure aspect of the Digital Twin. Unfortunately, the Data Structure alone does not provide tangible business value.
What is really interesting is how the state of a monitored entity changes over time. I described a simplified explanation of this concept in today's article.
How could you leverage the Data Proxy capability of the Digital Twin in your solutions?
https://www.thingrex.com/digital_twin_data_proxy/
Digital Twin - Data Proxy
My take on the IoT 2023 review by IoT Analytics:
1) The IoT market has matured, and the hype cycle is over. That is actually a good thing.
2) Cloud providers' layoffs in the IoT domain prove that there is no one-size-fits-all IoT solution. That is also a good thing. Fired IoT professionals will design and build specialized offerings solving particular needs. Public cloud providers offer generic IoT capabilities, far from working out-of-the-box solutions.
3) IoT + IA = huge potential that still requires much work to provide tangible outcomes. From my perspective, IoT + IA is still in the hype phase. It will eventually mature, but we are not there yet.
Do you agree? Please share your thoughts!
https://iot-analytics.com/iot-2023-in-review/
As we kick off 2024, the IoT Analytics team has again evaluated last year’s main IoT developments in the global “Internet of Things” arena. This article highlights some general observations
Is it possible to build a commercial IoT solution using open-source components? What options should we consider? Can we self-host an IoT Platform, or should we use cloud infrastructure? Open-source as the vendor-locking solution.
Those are only a few exciting topics we discussed with Frédéric Desbiens, the Embedded, IoT, and Edge Computing Program Manager at the Eclipse Foundation.
Let me know what the most valuable takeaway for you from this episode was!
Is it possible to build a commercial IoT solution using open-source components? What options should we consider? Can we self-host an IoT Platform, or should ...
Legacy systems functioned in isolated environments (for example, a factory or research facility) without the need for cyber security and remote access.
Edge Gateways add modern features on top of earlier solutions, including:
- Contemporary protocols enabling secure communication over the internet.
- Remote access and management capabilities.
- Integration with cloud infrastructure.
Edge Gateway is a computer connected to the local systems using native protocols capable of translating them into modern standards and securely forwarding data to remote locations. This design is commonly used in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) domain.
How could you utilize the Edge Gateway for your business?
There are cases when it is hard (or too expensive) to avoid leveraging the public cloud in IoT solutions. One such scenario is when you provide global services - building and managing worldwide distributed infrastructure introduces a significant effort and might disturb your operations.
What else would make you use a public cloud in your IoT deployments?
Leveraging IoT in biotech - with Lukasz Paciorkowski, CTO of Modica, CSO of A4BEE.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Lukasz Paciorkowski, CTO of Modica and CSO of A4BEE.
We covered various important topics, including:
- Demystifying the technical complexities in the biotech domain,
- Challenges of using AI/ML for biotech use cases.
- Designing and building a modular plug-and-play system for bio-manufacturers.
Those are all crucial matters from a technical perspective. For me personally, this conversation's most important message was something different.
Lukasz underlined the value of finding a higher purpose in life and building a company to achieve it. There are easier ways to make money, but biotech allows him to make an actual impact on people's lives.
Internet of Things technology provides great capabilities, so why not utilize them for higher purpose?
Let me know what the most valuable takeaway for you from this episode was!
https://youtu.be/1vgC2lU8cOg
I had the pleasure of chatting with Lukasz Paciorkowski, CTO of Modica and CSO of A4BEE.We covered various important topics, including:- Demystifying the tec...
Proof of Concept (PoC) is a very misleading approach, and I strongly recommend avoiding it. Let me explain.
PoC makes the project team focus on the technology and verification of the technical feasibility of some solution. That mindset is one of the main reasons for failure in the IoT domain because:
- We lose the objective (technology is not the end goal of any IoT deployment).
- We lose time (contemplating various technical solutions can take infinite time without producing any outcomes).
- We lose support (stakeholders will terminate the “successful” PoC initiative due to the lack of business deliverables).
That is why I recommend a different approach to my customers - the Proof of Value (PoV).
What differentiates PoV from PoC if:
- PoV and PoC apply to the early stage of the IoT initiative.
- PoV and PoC are not tasked with delivering the production-ready solution.
- PoV and PoC prove or deny the merit of some ideas.
Ok, so what differs between PoV and PoC?
The MINDSET!
PoC focuses on technology, while PoV verifies the “Value” - the value created by applying some technical IoT capability. That is a significant difference.
To increase your chances of successful IoT deployment, focus on the business outcome.
Have you ever fallen into the PoC trap?
Food production is the most impactful application of IoT - would you agree?
The Internet of Things provides the capability to design and build fully autonomous greenhouses.
Precise watering and fertilizing increase the efficiency of crop production while conserving resources.
Automated greenhouses operate with minimal human labor, which addresses the current need for more people interested in working in the agriculture domain.
Internet of Things technology has the potential to achieve the goal of plan growing 24/7/365, addressing the increasing demand for food supply.
Without IoT, none of that would be possible.
Can IoT technology enable the hospital-at-home experience? How does tele-monitoring differ from self-monitoring? What compliance regulations apply to the Medical Internet of Things?
IoT solutions have a vast potential to improve our lives. During this live stream, I will uncover some of it with Gilles Lunzenfichter, the CEO of Medisanté Group AG.
Join us live as we will take questions from the audience!
Purchase exclusive materials and support training development!
I am working on training explaining the core concepts of the Internet of Things domain using AWS Cloud.
After finishing this course, you will:
- Understand the core concepts of IoT.
- Recognise the main IoT services offered by AWS.
- Develop a sample Internet of Things system.
- Connect a virtual device to AWS IoT.
Together, we will develop a sample IoT system and connect a virtual device to the AWS Cloud.
Prerequisites:
- No AWS and/or IoT experience is required.
- No coding skills are needed.
- You do not have to buy any hardware devices.
- Access to an AWS Account is optional but recommended.
I encourage you to purchase exclusive materials for this training and support its development. Every supporter will receive slides with presenter notes.
To buy exclusive materials and support my work, go to
https://www.thingrex.com/training/
Honest communication establishes trust.
It is essential to openly state what information is gathered about the users and how the enterprise utilizes it.
For example, monitoring the performance of a hardware product does not require collecting sensitive data about the owner.
Use that messaging in your promotional materials. Inform customers that you are constantly improving your products by analyzing telemetry data but are not using that information for advertising purposes.
This way, you will build trust and increase the awareness of your product's users.
Violating the customer's privacy for financial gains is always a losing strategy in the long run. Would you agree?
How to build an IoT business? What to consider when starting? How to scale after the initial launch?
We will cover many important questions with my guest, Ulf Seijmer, the CIO Induo AB, and the CTO of AKKR8.
Join us live and ask your questions about building an IoT business!
What is the ultimate advice I can offer as the Internet of Things Advisor and Trainer?
Do not deploy an IoT system…
… because everyone is doing so,
… because that is the way to stay relevant,
… because people say that you will fall behind.
A poorly designed and implemented IoT solution…
… won’t modernize your enterprise,
… will cost you time and money,
… will harm your operations.
It is true that the business landscape is rapidly evolving, and we need to keep adjusting to changes. But that does not mean we should mindlessly buy the latest IT/AI/IoT solutions.
Think about the:
+ new ways to satisfy your customers,
+ desired business outcomes,
+ improved efficiencies.
Once you know your BUSINESS GOALS, look for a technical advisor to support you with the implementation. Not the other way around!
IT/AI/IoT is just a technology that won’t transform your enterprise on its own.
I'm open for a discussion :)
How to monitor the connection status of LoRaWAN Gateways using AWS IoT?
AWS IoT can send automated notifications triggered by the connection status changes of the LoRaWAN Gateways. In this video, I show how easy it is to enable them in the configuration settings.
I plan to make more content on AWS LPWAN, so stay tuned!
Let me know in the comments if you are interested.
My today’s guest travels around the globe to help make cities smarter and enable a data economy. Ulrich Ahle, the CEO of Gaia-x and the CEO of FIWARE.
We covered several topics during our conversation, including how FIWARE became the official standard for Smart City Data Management in India.
The most significant risk of IoT initiatives is focusing on technology and developing functionalities disconnected from business goals.
That leads to spending time and money without getting any closer to the desired outcome.
Clear business-related goals help to mitigate that scope creep and keep the IoT initiative on track.
Design and build the minimal set of functionalities required to realize the business goals.
Layered security and privacy architecture must be context-aware.
Users, devices, and applications should have access to data only when justified. Static access permissions are easy to implement but do not answer the needs of dynamic ecosystems like the Internet of Things. Context-aware systems utilize real-time data to grant temporary, on-demand permissions.
This approach ensures security and privacy by reducing the time data is available to privileged users.
In my opinion, the Home Automation Solution should work in the background without bothering the user.
My recent guest, Peter Lemke the CEO of Adaptive Home Automation, used the same approach when designing his offering.
You can find our conversation on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skil3457/episodes/Adaptive-Home-Automation---chat-with-Peter-Lemke-e2cglas
Let me know if that topic is interesting for you!
What is Adaptive Home Automation, and how can it be implemented while respecting people's privacy? These are sample topics I discussed today with my guest, Peter Lemke, the CEO and Project Manager at Adaptive Home Automation. You can find more information at https://www.thingrex.com/ ...
What is the current state of AI? What made it explode during the last few years? Is it ready for prime time, or are we still in the early stages of exploration?
My guest, Victor Jaramillo, will share his opinion during my next live stream.
We will take questions from the audience, so make sure to join us live!
Kids won't use today's programming languages and embedded systems, but that is not the point.
We should teach our kids logical and creative thinking.
One way of doing that is by explaining technology and letting them play with it.
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What should be included in the MQTT Topic Structure? Start with the main purpose of the MQTT Topic. In this example, I use "dt", which stands for "data". That is a common convention used in MQTT to indicate that the topic is restricted to telemetry messages, not to device commands. The next part of the topic is the business entity. This is a critical element that is often overlooked by architects. The business entity defines the top-level namespace for your MQTT solution. In the future, your system might co-exist with other applications, or another enterprise can acquire the company. Using the business entity as a part of the MQTT Topic protects your solution from future conflicts. Let me know if this topic interests you! Feel free to ask questions in the comments. #mqtt #iot #internetofthings
How to choose the proper QoS level of MQTT? Explanation using Roblox metaverse. #mqtt #roblox #iot #metaverse
Metaverse Internet of Things training environment. Would you like to know how it feels to work with a real IoT system and interact with devices on a production line? A metaverse Internet of Things training environment has the potential to combine educational materials with live interactions. Currently, that is just a concept, but I am considering building this kind of study environment. Would you be interested in starting your IoT journey this way? Please share your thoughts in the comments. #iot #internetofthings #metaverse #roblox #mqtt
IoT privacy does not pay your bills. It is easy to sell your customers' personal data to advertisers. The real challenge is to operate an IoT business, earn money, and respect users' privacy! #iot #internetofthings #privacy #business
Cloud security does not propagate to your IoT system built on top of the public cloud offering. The cloud providers are responsible for keeping the base infrastructure secured. That is the infrastructure they are using to provide cloud services. However, they do not secure your system, your application, and your data by default. You are responsible for controlling all those assets and managing "who and how" can access your information and your applications. Please remember that cloud security does not guarantee the security of systems built on top of that cloud. Feel free to ask me any questions on this topic! #iot #security #cloud
What is the Digital Twin - the foundational concept in the Internet of Things domain. #iot #internetofthings #digitaltwin
Can IoT technology enable the hospital-at-home experience? How does tele-monitoring differ from self-monitoring? What compliance regulations apply to the Medical Internet of Things? IoT solutions have a vast potential to improve our lives. During this live stream, I will uncover some of it with Gilles Lunzenfichter, the CEO of Medisanté Group AG. Join us live as we will take questions from the audience! #iot #internetofthings #healthcare
How to ensure compatibility between a modern IoT Application and legacy protocols? To solve that challenge, I recommend using the Edge Gateway server that translates local protocols to the IoT native (like the MQTT). #iot #internetofthings #edge #mqtt
How to monitor the connection status of LoRaWAN Gateways using AWS IoT? AWS IoT can send automated notifications triggered by the connection status changes of the LoRaWAN Gateways. In this video, I show how easy it is to enable them in the configuration settings. I plan to make more content on AWS LPWAN, so stay tuned! Let me know in the comments if you are interested. #lorawan #iot #internetofthings #aws
How to build an IoT business? What to consider when starting? How to scale after the initial launch? We will cover many important questions with my guest, Ulf Seijmer, the CIO Induo AB, and the CTO of AKKR8. Join us live and ask your questions about building an IoT business! #iot #internetofthings #business
My today’s guest travels around the globe to help make cities smarter and enable a data economy. Ulrich Ahle, the CEO of Gaia-x and the CEO of FIWARE. We covered several topics during our conversation, including how FIWARE became the official standard for Smart City Data Management in India. #smartcities #iot #internetofthings
Designing the Digital Twim model is a challenging task. I recommend starting with a simple structure that stores data relevant to the business case. Predicting every potential future use is impossible, and adding too many attributes might clutter the model. Keep it simple and relevant to make the initial deployment successful. After the initial launch, review the outcomes obtained, define new objectives, and extend the Digital Twin to implement them. #digitaltwin #iot #internetofthings
What is the current state of AI? What made it explode during the last few years? Is it ready for prime time, or are we still in the early stages of exploration? My guest, Victor Jaramillo, will share his opinion during my next live stream. We will take questions from the audience, so make sure to join us live! #ai #ml #technology
How to define the backend storage for an IoT system? When designing the Internet of Things solution, I recommend starting by defining the nature of input data and the way we want to consume (analyze) it. Once we understand those aspects, we can decide on the appropriate way to transfer and store information obtained from devices. #iot #internetofthings #data
What is Digital Transformation and how it differs from the Digitization of an enterprise? #digitaltransformation #business #digitization
Digital Transformation is a significant undertaking. What makes it incredibly challenging is the cultural change it introduces to the enterprise. During this stream, I will have the privilege to talk about this undertaking with Wilhelm Bielert - an experienced executive and lecturer at Hamburg University. We will cover various topics, including putting theory into practice and planning the digital transformation of an established enterprise. We will take questions from the audience, so make sure to join us live! #digitaltransformation #business #technology
Navigating the AI Minefield - can we use ChatGPT to generate the AWS IoT infrastructure for us? In this video, I tried to make ChatGPT generate the AWS Cloud infrastructure required to send telemetry messages from devices to the cloud backend. I asked it to use the AWS CDK to describe infrastructure as code so we could deploy that setup and test if it actually works. If you are curious about the outcome, please watch this video. I shared my conversation with ChatGPT in the comment so you can review it and try deployment in your AWS account. Let me know if that topic is interesting for you! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments. #iot #ai #chatgpt #internetofthings
The Industrial Internet of Things does not need CI/CD pipelines; it demands stable solutions! #iot #iiot #cicd #devops
How to use ChatGPT to generate an Internet of Things environment using the AWS Cloud? Can we trust AI to build working solutions? #chatgpt #ai #aws #cloud #iot
Hardware is an essential ingredient of any IoT deployment. That is why I am excited to meet with Petr Dvořák and chat about various aspects of the hardware design profession. Petr has an extensive experience in designing hardware components. We will cover several interesting topics, including: * How to become a hardware designer? What are the most important skills? * What are the most common hardware design mistakes? * What are the most important considerations when designing hardware for IoT devices? * What are the current trends in hardware design? * What are the biggest challenges faced by hardware designers today? * Can AI replace designers? * What are the most common hardware design tools used in the industry? We will take questions from the audience, so make sure to join us live! #iot #hardware #design #internetofthings
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