A Guide to IoT Device Management and How It Works
By Thierry Uguen
November 9, 2023
What Is IoT Device Management?
IoT device management is not a monolithic application. On the contrary, it is a collection of tools, processes and options tailored to manage your specific device. With IoT device management, you can provision, configure and monitor connected devices within your unique IoT environment and context.
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How Does an IoT Device Management Platform Work?
IoT device management platforms simplify the administration of IoT devices and software. Focusing on the device is fundamental and critical. The platform must provide different capabilities depending on the specific device’s characteristics and purpose.
Constructing a platform can be challenging due to the diversity of devices. These range from industrial IoT gateways to temperature sensors in a smart vending machine.
There can be multiple elements involved with IoT device management. Consider that cellular modules in the field will require connectivity plans and services to send and receive data, meaning they will need SIMs. Ideally, your device management platform helps you manage the cellular device as much as it helps manage the device’s connectivity. The device’s specification and purpose will drive the capabilities of the device management platform.
The Benefits of IoT Device Management Platforms
While IoT device management platforms are complex, they provide invaluable benefits to businesses — especially those with mid- to large-scale deployments. The main purpose of a device management platform is to simplify and reduce costs related to device management in the field for the full device life cycle.
Remote Management and Monitoring
IoT device management features bring businesses incredible convenience and simplification. They allow one to seamlessly identify any device in the field connected to the cloud. Then, engineers can use the platform to configure, provision or update the device’s software remotely. These remote capabilities eliminate the need to go onsite and manually manage the device.
Another management feature is IoT device monitoring. Technicians can do the following if their deployment uses a cellular device:
- Monitor the connection to the network
- Check what network the device is connecting to and the associated performance, anticipate problems, and even do remote debugging
- Track the amount of data being used
Reduce Cost of Ownership
The vital benefit of an IoT device management platform is that it reduces the cost of ownership for organizations. The reality is that businesses with many thousands of devices can’t feasibly send technicians to troubleshoot connection issues or update the firmware physically. Remote device management saves time, money and resources.
The Main Challenges of Device Management
One of the primary challenges with any mid- to large-scale IoT deployment is scaling and onboarding those millions of devices. Startups with only a few hundred or thousand devices might not feel overwhelmed initially. However, as deployments grow, an IoT device management platform becomes critical.
In addition, you must have a strategy for over-the-air (OTA) software updates. Keeping the deployed device fleet current ensures access to new features and functionalities. It also allows your devices to operate efficiently and securely with the latest vulnerability patches installed.
Tracking consumption, controlling costs and detecting anomalous behaviors is crucial. These can indicate abusive usage of the service or flag security issues and even ongoing attacks.
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OneEdge, powered by Telit Cinterion, is a secure software stack integrated with our IoT modules and cloud services. It empowers enterprises to overcome scaling and security challenges and provides the resources you need to:
- Connect and manage edge device deployment at scale
- Achieve security and control
- Hasten your time to market
- Reduce the total cost of ownership
Speak with our experts and request a project review for your IoT deployment today.
