The age of the Internet of Things is upon us
It's Just a DB and an API
These databases provide surprisingly little. They are scalable databases wrapped in a UI and an API. Why not just spin your own?
I suspect that a number of companies will do just that, combining technologies such as Rails and the lessons of Twitter with a little bit of back-end, high-scale database magic from AWS or another Cloud DB provider. This combination is enough to get you to the same level and could be hacked together quite quickly, so what is the appeal of any of these IoT platforms?
I'm working on an IoT product at the moment, and the key is time to market. The technologies have all matured around the same time, and consumers are more open to what they can provide. Getting our product out there matters, and if that means saving a few weeks here and there by using a platform to bootstrap ourselves to market, that's what we're going to do.
However, although the underlying technologies are mature, the product market is not mature. We are still learning how to fit this into peoples' lives and into existing businesses. Expect rapid development of such platforms as features such as security are improved.
A major feature I cannot see is control of security of many thousands of devices. The single access key won't work, and provisioning access keys could be too labor intensive. This dilemma has a huge implication for firms as they work out how they're going to provision a dizzying number of devices over the coming years.
Both platforms I've reviewed here feel very much to be in the early stages, missing features you would think are obvious. However, that's the point with the market in its current state. If you tried early versions of RightScale and other management platforms, the situation will be familiar. I expect rapid changes, because the underlying technologies are so mature, allowing the truly useful use cases to be addressed quickly.
This IoT is coming your way, and if you thought cloud computing introduced an impressive volume of data and computing power, just wait for The Things.
Infos
- Carriots: https://www.carriots.com/
- Evrythng: https://dev.evrythng.com/
- Evrythng Product document model: https://dev.evrythng.com/documentation/api#products
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.