Behind the curtains of IoT magic: IoT architecture explained

Automate processes and make entire industries safer and more efficient with IoT. PNN Soft offers to get to know IoT in more detail.

In today’s world, you gain a prompt response when saying the word to your smartphone and receive comprehensive analytical reports based on distant sensors. However, behind these processes we are accustomed to, there is an almost invisible architecture comprising numerous elements and possible interactions. In this post, we will shed some light on different layers of the Internet of Things architecture to familiarise you with the technology and potential areas of its application.

What is the Internet of Things?

But before peeking behind the curtain to analyse the casual IoT magic, let us clarify the concept itself. When describing the Internet of Things technology, users think of smart home devices or wireless sensors. However, IoT presupposes more opportunities for processing large data sets and data communication across various networks. So, by the Internet of Things, we first mean different devices’ interaction (from an innovative kitchen fridge to equipment in manufacturing facilities). 

IoT architecture: the building block of the Internet of Things

No one-size-fits-all approach can be applied to IoT projects. Yet, we can highlight several essential building blocks for the architecture, regardless of your IoT system complexity. We advise you to construct solutions with scalability and flexibility in mind. At PNN Soft, we offer our clients flexible data schemas necessary for storing constantly growing data.

In most IoT applications, you can find a three-layer architecture comprising Perception (devices), Network and Application. 

• Perception. At this layer, there are sensors from which you gather significant data. Any number of sensors can be found within connected devices. Actuators also belong to the perception layer, acting on their environment. 
• Network. The next building block of IoT connects different devices and sends data from them to the corresponding back-end service. In other words, it helps describe how extensive amounts of data move within your solution. 
• Application. As the name implies, this component is visible to the user. It could be, for instance, an app to manage a smart-home ecosystem or a dashboard displaying the status of a particular device. 

In addition to the layers mentioned above of IoT architecture, you will usually come across additional ones: 

• Processing (or Middleware layer). This one works on storing, analysing and pre-processing data from the Transport layer. At PNN Soft, we place a processing block on the cloud’s edge to obtain lower latency. 
• Transport. This building block aims at describing data interaction between sensors in the Processing layer and the Perception layer. 
• Business (BI). The block is indispensable for decision-making, deriving insights from all the data found and consumed at the Application component. 

IoT primary stages, or how to explain IoT architecture alternatively 

When speaking of the four-stage IoT approach, we, first of all, accentuate edge computing:

• Devices (in other words, actual devices within IoT systems). Simply put, they generate data (sensors) or act on their environment (actuators). Then, the data is transferred to the digital form. If there is no need for immediate decision-making, the row data is transmitted to the internet gateway and the following stages.
• Internet gateways. IoT structure also contains internet gateways for receiving raw data and pre-processing it before sending it to the cloud. The gateway can be physically attached to the gadget or act as a stand-alone device, communicating with numerous sensors via lower-power networks. 
• Edge computing. The main advantage of this technology is prompt data pre-processing, so the layer is usually focused on recent data relevant to time-critical operations. 
• Cloud centre. Finally and vitally, data is stored for more detailed processing. The latter implies resource-intensive or deeper operations (for instance, Machine Learning training). 

The most relevant question on practical IoT architecture usage

One example is the utilisation of IoT capabilities by commercial airlines. The perception layer would comprise all plane sensors to monitor current flight data and aircraft state. One group of sensors are designed to control airspeed, vertical speed, and altitude, whereas the second group ensures the plane’s integrity and monitors various vibrations occurring in the engines. 

As a next step of the IoT system, the data is sent to the central plane’s unit and pre-processed. In case of an engine failure, actuators would trigger promptly. When the Internet coverage zone is reached, the system sends data to the cloud, transferring it to the Application layer. At this step, dashboards are essential to verify anomalies, derive business insights, and define issues for further maintenance. Consequently, IoT structure allows for task automation and more coherent decision-making. 

As IoT often implies cloud computing, the question of security is a top priority of the PNN Soft team. It is too broad to explain fully in a couple of paragraphs; however, we will briefly review the main features of safe architecture here. 

• Device security. The hardware and firmware may be equipped with Trusted Platform Module chips containing cryptographic keys for endpoint device protection and authentication. We also accentuate updating security patches regularly and utilising physical protection (metal shields). Another component of device security is the boot process, preventing running unauthorised code from a powered-up gadget.
• Connection security. Data essentially has to be encrypted to avoid accessing it by a third party in transit. PNN Soft developers adopt AMQP, DDS, and MQTT messaging protocols based on Transport Layer Security cryptographic protocol to protect end-to-end data. 
• Cloud security. Lastly, the third component presupposes authorisation, authentication mechanisms, and device identity management. The latter enables developers to analyse the device’s credibility before pairing. 

What makes PNN Soft company a reliable IoT vendor

Our experienced developers provide clients with IoT solutions development from scratch and project scaling. In line with increasing data quantity, we implement database sharding and archiving to enhance the localisation and performance of your data and servers. 

PNN Soft company also offers cluster configuring, so your company can place nodes in different locations to obtain maximum uptime. We aim to create systems that are growing in parallel to your business. If you need to start transformative digitalisation for your business or improve the current building blocks of IoT, discuss your goals with us via the form below.