Why Complete Device Management Is Essential for Mid-to-Large IoT Deployments

Scaling a mid-to-large IoT deployment often presents unexpected challenges. Even if IoT devices have been tested before deployment, things can go wrong once they’re in the field. Over time, firmware will become outdated, and devices will become compromised or damaged.

Though these issues are manageable for a few units, as deployments grow, so do these issues in the field to the point that, without device management, the deployment’s business benefits run afoul of the implementation plan.

A complete device management solution — a full picture of every device in the field, from its collected data to its connection data and health — will help organizations deal with frustrating problems.

Advantages of Complete Device Management

A complete device management platform allows enterprises to:

• Monitor and enforce quality of service (QoS) uptime and security policies for IoT devices throughout their life cycle.
• Ensure that deployments continue delivering a net positive business benefit throughout the scale-up process.
• Monitor entire IoT deployments in real time from afar to detect and troubleshoot problems.
• Manage software and firmware updates, individually and in bulk, according to device or batch priorities, data cost and coverage factors.
• Increase operational awareness: know what is happening across the deployment and receive alerts if anomalous events are detected.

Reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) during an IoT Deployment

When overseeing an IoT deployment of hundreds or thousands of devices, organizations can’t afford to send technicians to troubleshoot connection problems or update the firmware. The ability to manage devices remotely reduces the operational effort required to maintain the device, reducing the total cost of ownership over time.

That’s a powerful distinction because it reduces the overall cost of the deployment and enables IoT projects at scale in a way that would otherwise be impossible.

Illustrating the Power of Complete Device Management

A utility solution in North America started an IoT project with a pilot initiative of just five devices using 4G Cat M connectivity. Even with that small number of devices, the company saved time, effort and cost using OneEdge™ device management.

When the devices began to disconnect from the network spontaneously, OneEdge tools analyzed the situation from afar quickly — without any effort from the organization’s IT team.

The company’s goal was to scale up to 25,000 connected devices. They realized that if technical problems could occur with just five devices in the field, they could quickly be out of their depth once the project launched at scale. As a result, they recognized the essential need for a comprehensive device management platform.

OneEdge Device Management

OneEdge is an innovative module-embedded software system with pre-packaged, secure, easy-to-use deployment and management tools. Device management is a primary component of OneEdge’s capabilities, enabled through the IoT Portal. From a single pane, IoT project managers can get an overview of their global deployment, troubleshoot problems with individual devices, and view insights and analytics.

Connectivity information includes cellular signal strength and quality. OneEdge also allows you to use edge logic at the modem level to trigger email alerts in case of a malfunction.

OneEdge is a full-suite enterprise IoT deployment management solution that offers IT and OT administrators access to centralized device and connectivity management software, advanced edge processing capabilities and best-in-class, end-to-end security.

Contact us today to learn how OneEdge can help you manage your IoT deployment.