Cloud computing and IoT are both very different technologies, but very much a huge part of our lives. IoT or “Internet of Things” is a technology where everyday hardware and items we use to connect to a network (such as the Internet) and exchange data. IoT can cover anything from food, wearable technology through to whole home security systems.
Cloud computing from zero trust cloud is comprised of huge networks of computers and servers which can store, manage and process data via the Internet, the capabilities of storing and manipulating data are endless. You may be familiar with the cloud if you use services such as Dropbox, Gmail and OneDrive.
So why integrate two different technologies?
The IT giant and technologies whizzes are calling this new joint technology CloudIoT “…two complementary technologies merged together, we call this new technology CloudIoT” (2016, A. Botta., P684)
As there is only a certain amount of data that IoT can store, it is quite limited in capability. We are restricted by space and processing power, this is especially true on wearable technology, we are limited by the size of the microchips and power that are integrated in IoT.
If these two technologies were integrated, IoT would be able to use the processing speed and data storage of the Cloud. The cloud is limitless in terms of processing speed and power so the constraints would be lifted from IoT, meaning we would be able to produce much better and faster technologies.
3 examples of CloudIoT
1. IoT is not new to healthcare as they currently use sensors to gather vital patient data. However, if paired with Cloud technology, healthcare providers are able to send that data over a network, to share with other healthcare professionals once the data is processed. This would mean there would be no need for IT expertise within the medical center, though particular attention must be taken when dealing with privacy and security of the data.
2. We are currently in the era of self-driving cars, many of the cars today already have many built-in IoT technology. We have parking sensors and computers that tell us what is wrong with the car. Again, paired with Cloud technology, we can gather and process more data than ever. Imagine a world where traffic lights and cars talk to one another and the car stops automatically on red. Furthermore, using CloudIoT, able to redirect the car to a different traffic route when then the one you have chosen has bottle-necked.
3. Video surveillance is a huge industry, we already use this on a daily and widespread use throughout the world. CCTV is already hooked up to IoT and is used by not only business and governments but also the private sector. Cloud technology could help identify wrongdoers in real time and at extreme speeds.
References
Botta, A., de Donato, W., Persico, V., Pescapé, A. (2016) ‘Integration of Cloud computing and Internet of Things: A survey’, Future Generation Computer Systems vol. 56, pp684–700.
