The Top 7 Industrial IoT Platforms

AWS IoT Core facilitates the connection of IoT devices to AWS services, managing the routing of a large number of messages without the need for infrastructure maintenance. The platform comprises various components—including the AWS IoT Device SDK, Device Advisor, Device Gateway, and Message Broker—that collectively aid in the seamless and secure connection, authentication, and message exchange between IoT devices and the AWS IoT Core.

AWS IoT Core’s Device Advisor offers a cloud-based testing service for IoT devices during their development phase, helping identify and resolve software issues before production. The Device Gateway manages the connections between devices and AWS IoT Core, ensuring secure and efficient communication. The Message Broker allows for the secure transmission of messages between IoT devices and applications with low latency, adapting to different messaging patterns and ensuring data security through fine-grained access controls. AWS IoT Core also facilitates the building of IoT applications with its Rules Engine; this processes and analyzes data from connected devices on a global scale without infrastructure management.

The platform supports different programming languages including C, JavaScript, and Arduino, assisting in the swift integration of both hardware devices and mobile apps. It also supports Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), which is ideal for constrained devices such as battery-powered IoT sensors. Finally, AWS IoT Core offers mutual authentication and encryption at every connection point, and the registry feature maintains a consistent identity and tracks metadata of each connected device.

Akenza is a user-friendly, low-code IoT solution that facilitates streamlined development and management of IoT projects. It provides a self-service environment that simplifies the complexity usually associated with the integration and deployment of IoT devices. The platform allows users to effectively manage their device fleet and establish data paths without the need for coding.

Akenza offers lifecycle reports to monitor the status of IoT deployments continuously. Users can organize their device fleet using tags and custom fields, and manage devices at scale efficiently through functionalities such as CSV import and bulk edit. It offers connectivity integrations with existing LPWAN accounts, along with SIM-card account linkage for consolidated device management. The platform also comes equipped with a device simulator for instances where a physical device is unavailable. Akenza helps improve data flows with an in-built rule engine that enables the implementation of business logic and the triggering of custom actions based on real-time data.

The platform also offers role-based access controls and supports integration with several private cloud services. It emphasizes data ownership (ensuring that the user retains control over their data) and operates on an elastic infrastructure capable of handling millions of messages and scaling according to user needs. It is developer-friendly, offering APIs for easy integration into various projects, and supports secure collaboration through comprehensive access controls and OAuth2-based authentication.

IBM Watson IoT Platform is a web-based dashboard designed to facilitate streamlined and secure management of IoT services. It provides a clean and intuitive user interface where individuals can effortlessly add and manage devices, monitor service usage, and control access to their IoT network. The platform’s dashboard offers a centralized area where users can view vital metrics and manage various aspects of their IoT ecosystem with ease, promoting efficient operations and data management.

The IBM Watson IoT Platform’s key features include robust device management capabilities that allow users to execute actions such as device rebooting or firmware updating, along with the reception of device diagnostics and metadata. It also supports bulk device addition and removal, making it easier to manage large-scale deployments. The product utilizes the industry-standard MQTT protocol, ratified by OASIS, to foster responsive and scalable connectivity, facilitating efficient data exchanges with devices in real-time. It also employs MQTT with TLS to safeguard all communications between devices and the service. Finally, the platform provides data lifecycle management, granting users the flexibility to access both real-time and historical data, based on their preference for data storage duration. This feature ensures a comprehensive approach to data management, catering to both immediate and future analytical needs.

Microsoft’s Azure IoT is a comprehensive suite that helps organizations to craft and deploy cloud IoT solutions, with specialized features for specific industries. The platform integrates intelligent edge-to-cloud technologies, safeguarded by robust security, privacy, and compliance features, all backed by Microsoft Cloud. Azure IoT is engineered to help organizations streamline their processes by creating intelligent environments where they can seamlessly connect, monitor, and automate devices and applications, helping them to meet specific business goals.

Key features of Azure IoT include several sub-products that, together, create a cohesive IoT ecosystem. The IoT Hub is designed to connect, manage, and scale a vast number of IoT devices from the edge to the cloud. IoT Central aims to expedite the creation of IoT solutions while minimizing the hassle and expenditure associated with IoT management, operations, and development. The Digital Twins feature allows for the development of advanced IoT spatial intelligence solutions, capable of replicating physical spaces and fostering connected environments. IoT Edge extends cloud intelligence and analytics, delegating workloads and business logic from the cloud to edge devices, thereby optimizing operational efficiency. Other notable components are Azure Sphere, which provides secure connections for MCU-powered devices, and Azure RTOS, which simplifies embedded IoT development and connectivity.

The Oracle Internet of Things Cloud Service operates as a managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that is hosted on the cloud. It is designed to facilitate critical business decision-making by enabling the connection of devices to the cloud. This platform can analyze data from connected devices in real time and integrate this data with a variety of platforms including enterprise applications, web services, and other offerings from Oracle Cloud Services such as the Oracle Business Intelligence Cloud Service.

Oracle Internet of Things Cloud Service offers simplified IoT integration, aiming to speed up the assimilation of IoT into digital strategies while minimizing risk. To manage and analyze the extensive volume of real-time data generated by IoT-connected devices, the platform offers real-time analysis tools that can correlate, aggregate, and filter incoming data streams. Additionally, it facilitates automatic synchronization of data streams with the Oracle Business Intelligence Cloud Service. Oracle Internet of Things Cloud Service also ensures secure and reliable bidirectional communication between IoT devices and the cloud, accommodating direct or indirect connections through a gateway. Every device is assigned a unique digital identity to foster trust and facilitate authentication and authorization processes. The cross-protocol functionality promises reliable communication even in the context of unstable networks or intermittently connecting devices.

With ThingsBoard, users can craft custom dashboards using over 30 configurable widgets, enabling them to visualize telemetry data dynamically and share insights with their customer base. The platform facilitates the development of complex rule chains to process device data, tailored to specific application use cases. These chains have the ability to trigger alarms or forward data to external systems based on custom logic and configurations. ThingsBoard automatically detects node failures and can allow for seamless replacement without downtime, thanks to the utilization of a reliable NoSQL database. A significant emphasis is also placed on security, with the platform offering transport encryption and device authentication. Users can take advantage of its multi-tenancy support, horizontal scalability, and customization options, with the platform accommodating an expanding number of server-side requests and devices as additional servers are integrated.

ThingWorx facilitates the streamlined implementation of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions. Its primary goal is to remove technical barriers commonly associated with IIoT integrations, offering users practical tools and resources to gain value from their operations. By centralizing various processes, it assists in enhancing connectivity across a range of devices and applications, paving the way for a more cohesive data analysis and management system.

ThingWorx hosts a series of key features aimed at optimizing industrial processes. Firstly, it offers extended connectivity options that standardize the communication between different devices and applications, making the integration of multiple data sources smoother. Secondly, it provides a toolkit of pre-built applications, assisting users in the rapid development and scaling of IIoT solutions and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. Additionally, the platform is equipped with analytical tools capable of extracting real-time insights from intricate IIoT data, aiding in the proactive optimization of operations and the prevention of potential issues. Management functionalities grant users greater control over connected devices and systems, enhancing overall performance and operational visibility. Lastly, the platform fosters an enriched user experience by offering safer and more efficient methods for employees to interact with physical objects and systems through digital and AR interfaces, which contextualize data and provide guided assistance.