BOSCH Master Complexity in IoT Deployments Software User Guide
- June 4, 2024
- Bosch
Table of Contents
Master Complexity in IoT Deployments Software
**User Guide
**
Master Complexity in IoT Deployments Software
Device management: how to master complexity in IoT deployments
A guide to successful IoT device lifecycle management
White paper | October 2021
Introduction
The Internet of Things (IoT) has the power to dramatically increase the
efficiency of businesses in numerous domains and to create completely new
business models. Through real-time bilateral communication with the connected
smart devices, you will not only receive valuable data collected by the
devices but will also be able to fulfill their maintenance and management
automatically and remotely. Thus to successfully deploy an IoT solution for an
enterprise, it is crucial to consider the foundation of any IoT solution:
device management.
Enterprises can expect a complex IoT device landscape with heterogeneous
devices that need to be managed throughout the whole device life cycle. IoT-
related scenarios are getting more complex and require the execution of more
sophisticated commands. Similar to the operating systems of our desktop
computers, smartphones, and tablets, IoT gateways and edge devices need
frequent care in the form of software updates or changes to configurations in
order to improve security, deploy new applications, or extend features of
existing applications. This white paper will show why robust device management
is key for a successful enterprise IoT strategy.
8 IoT device management use cases
Device management: the key to future-proof IoT deployments
Read the report
Bosch IoT Suite rated as the leading IoT platform for device management
An IoT solution scenario generally includes connecting devices. Web-enabled
devices can be connected directly, while those that are not web-enabled are
connected through a gateway. The heterogeneity and diversity of constantly
evolving devices is a defining factor of an enterprise IoT architecture.
The complexity of enterprise IoT deployment
2.1. Diversity of devices and software
During the initial prototyping stage, the key goal is to show how devices can
be connected and what values can be gained from analyzing the device data.
Companies that deploy at this early stage without considering a feature-rich
device management solution will soon find themselves unable to handle the
growing number of device and software configurations. As the company’s IoT
initiative expands, its IoT solution will be forced to include a varied mix of
devices and connection mechanisms. With diverse and distributed devices, the
operations team will also have to deal with multiple firmware versions.
Recently, there has also been a shift toward performing more processing and
computation at the edge as bigger edge devices are able to handle more complex
commands. The software for this needs to be constantly updated if it is to
extract the maximum value from the analytics, and the operations team will
need a central tool to enable efficient remote maintenance. Providing a
service that allows all the different parts of the solution to use a common
device management platform unlocks operational efficiency and shortens the
time to market significantly.
Did you know? More than 15 million devices worldwide are already connected via Bosch’s IoT platform.
2.2. Scale
Many IoT projects start with a proof of concept and are often followed by a
pilot with a limited number of users and devices. However, as more and more
devices have to be integrated, the company needs an application or API that
allows it to easily manage, monitor, and secure the rising number of diverse,
globally distributed connected devices. In short, it has to find a device
management solution that can scale from day one to the various deployment
scenarios. A good piece of advice here is to think big but start small.
2.3. Security
Security is one of the most obvious reasons why a device management platform
is required even for small-scale deployments. Governments are introducing
legislation that requires all IoT products to be patchable and to meet the
latest industry security standards. With this in mind, any IoT solution should
be designed with security as the fundamental requirement. IoT devices are
often constrained due to cost factors, which can limit their security
capabilities; however, even constrained IoT devices must have the ability to
update their firmware and software due to security changes and bug fixes. You
can’t afford to skimp on security.
IoT device lifecycle management
As enterprise IoT systems are expected to last many years, it is critical to
design and plan for the whole life cycle of devices and applications.
This life cycle includes security, pre-commissioning, commissioning,
operations, and decommissioning. Managing the IoT life cycle presents a high
level of complexity and requires a wide range of capabilities. We aim to
highlight some general components of the IoT device life cycle here; however,
details also depend on the type of device management protocol used.
3.1. End-to-end security
Device authentication is especially important when establishing secured
communication links. IoT devices should be authenticated using device-specific
security credentials. This then enables the operations team to identify and
block or disconnect devices deemed to be a threat. One way to authenticate the
devices is to supply device-specific private keys and the device’s
corresponding digital certificates during production (e.g. X.509) and provide
regular field updates of those certificates. The certificates enable backend
access control based on well-established and standardized validation
mechanisms such as mutually authenticated TLS, which ensures encryption for
all types of connectivity. A device management solution should also be able to
revoke certificates if needed.
3.2. Pre-commissioning
Device management requires an agent to be deployed on the connected devices.
This agent is software that works autonomously to monitor the devices. It also
enables the remote device management software to communicate with the device,
for example, to send commands and receive responses when required. The agent
needs to be configured to automatically connect to the remote device
management system with valid credentials for authentication.
3.3. Commissioning
3.3.1. Device registration
An IoT device must be registered in the system before being connected and
authenticated for the first time. Devices are usually identified based on
serial numbers, preshared keys, or unique device certificates issued by
trusted authorities.
3.3.2. Initial provisioning
IoT devices are shipped to customers with factory settings, meaning they don’t
have any customer-specific software configurations, settings, etc. However, a
device management system can match the user to the IoT device and perform an
initial provisioning process in order to automatically deploy the required
software components, configurations, etc. without any user involvement.
3.3.3. Dynamic configuration
IoT applications can start off very simple and become more mature and complex
over time. This may require not only dynamic software updates but also
configuration changes to be carried out without involving the user or
disrupting the service. Deploying new logic or performing service application
updates should be completed without any downtime. Dynamic configuration may
apply to only one specific IoT device, a group of IoT devices, or all
registered IoT devices.
3.4. Operations
3.4.1. Monitoring
With the complex IoT device landscape, it is necessary to have a central
dashboard that displays an overview of the devices and has the ability to
configure notification rules based on device status or sensor data. Because of
the scale and diversity of the assets, being able to flexibly and dynamically
create groups of devices using specific criteria is important for efficient
operations and the monitoring of your fleet.
As for the devices themselves, it is also important to have a watchdog to
ensure that, in the event of a malfunction, they can at least automatically
reboot themselves or, preferably, troubleshoot the problem autonomously.
3.4.2. Manageable device types IoT deployment scenarios can vary depending on
the domain and application. Modern edge devices differ in terms of
capabilities and connectivity methods and an IoT solution must support a
variety of target platform types.
Enterprise IoT solutions often have to deal with smaller types of edge
devices, which have limited capabilities and cannot be connected directly over
the internet, but rather through a gateway. In the following section, we list
the most common types of IoT devices:
1. Small microcontrollers
Small microcontrollers are cost-efficient and energy-constrained devices,
usually battery-powered, and are very suitable for basic edge capabilities
e.g. telemetry use cases. They are customer specific, usually embedded and the
software for them is developed as part of the product-design process. This
allows you to reduce the customization needed to make a device IoT-ready.
Small microcontrollers support device management capabilities such as remote
configuration and firmware update.
- Operating system: Real-time operating systems, such as FreeRTOS, TI-RTOS, Zypher
- Reference devices: ESP boards, STMicro STM32 Nucleo, NXP FRDM-K64F, SiliconLabs EFM32GG-DK3750, XDK Cross Domain Development Kit
2. Powerful microcontrollers
Powerful microcontrollers are similar to gateways in terms of hardware but
they differ in terms of software, being rather single-purpose devices. They
provide advanced edge computing capabilities, such as resource and device
abstraction, history, software and firmware updates, software package
management, remote configuration, etc.
- Operating system: Embedded Linux
- Reference devices: B/S/H system master
3. Gateways
Gateways or routers are very common in smart homes, intelligent buildings, and
industrial environments. These devices can be very powerful as they need to
connect with a multitude of edge devices using different communication
protocols. Gateways provide advanced edge computing capabilities, such as
resource and device abstraction, history, analytics, software and firmware
updates, software package management, remote configuration, etc. You can also
perform firmware management on the connected devices through a gateway. They
can even be added to the setup at a later stage and may serve different
purposes that change over time.
- Operating system: Embedded Linux
- Reference devices: Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, iTraMS Gen-2A, Rexroth ctrl
4. Mobile device as a gateway
Modern smartphones can be used as gateways and are very convenient for smart
home scenarios. They provide connectivity as a proxy for WiFi and Bluetooth LE
devices, which require regular updates. When used as a gateway, mobile devices
allow updating and remote configuration of the device agent.
- Operating system: iOS or Android
- Reference devices: Mainstream smartphone devices
5. 5G edge node Suitable for industrial purposes and specific environment needs, 5G edge nodes are often used in data centers on-site and can be deployed on existing devices as a 5G extension. They provide popular capabilities such as resource and device abstractions, history, analytics, software and firmware updates, remote configuration, software package management, etc.
- Operating system: Linux
- Reference devices: x86-powered hardware
A device management system must be able to manage a mix of all these types of
IoT devices, which can be connected through diverse network protocols such as
HTTP, MQTT, AMQP, LoRaWAN, LwM2M, etc. In certain cases, it may also be
necessary to implement proprietary management protocols.
Here is a brief description of some popular connectivity protocols:
MQTT A lightweight publish/subscribe IoT connectivity protocol, useful for
connections with remote locations where a small code footprint is required.
MQTT can perform certain device management operations like firmware updates
and is available for different programming languages such as Lua, Python, or
C/C++.
LwM2M
A device management protocol designed for remote management of constrained
devices and related service enablement. It supports device management
operations such as firmware updates and remote configuration. It features a
modern architectural design based on REST, defines an extensible resource and
data model, and builds on the CoAP secure data transfer standard.
LPWAN protocols (LoRaWAN, Sigfox)
IoT protocols are suitable for constrained devices in wide-area networks
such as smart cities. Due to their power-saving implementation, they fit in
well for use cases where battery capacity is a limited resource.
3.4.3. Mass device management
Mass device management, also known as bulk device management, is often
overlooked in smaller IoT deployments that have not yet scaled up. Simple
device management measures may suffice at first but will be limiting as IoT
projects with various devices grow in size and diversity. Being able to easily
create dynamic hierarchies and arbitrary logical groupings of assets, so that
device management measures can be applied on a large scale, will help increase
deployment and maintenance efficiency. Such measures can range from firmware
and software updates to the execution of complex scripts that take into
account the input from the individual devices. In addition, mass device
management measures may be fine-tuned through a number of execution scenarios
set up as one-time tasks or recurrent and automated rules, launched
instantly and unconditionally or triggered by predefined events, schedules,
constraints, and conditions. Such a key functionality will also be of
advantage when the development team carries out A/B testing and campaign
management.
3.4.4. Software and firmware management and updates
Device management requires the ability to centrally update software and
firmware on globally distributed devices. This includes pushing firmware to
the device fleet, and with the advent of complex edge processing pushing
software packages independent of firmware packages. Such software rollouts
need to be staged across a group of devices to ensure reliability even when
connectivity breaks down. Future-proof IoT solutions need to be able to update
over the air, as most assets are deployed in remote environments distributed
around the globe. For effective ongoing software and firmware maintenance, it
is critically important to be able to create custom logical groupings and
automate these tasks.
Bosch IoT Remote Manager
Did you know? Bosch IoT Suite is the core enabler of Daimler’s firmware over-
the-air updates. Some four million car owners already receive new versions of
vehicle software for example, infotainment system updates conveniently and
securely via the cellular network. This means they no longer have to visit
their dealer solely to get a software update. Bosch IoT Suite is the
communication hub for vehicles on the receiving end of wireless updates.
3.4.5. Remote configuration
Being able to modify configurations remotely is crucial for the operations
team. Once rolled out, devices in the field need to be updated often so that
they keep pace with the ecosystem’s evolution. This may include anything from
changing cloud-side URLs to reconfiguring client authorization, increasing or
decreasing reconnect intervals, etc. Mass management features complement all
configuration-related jobs, as the ability to trigger mass measures based on
complex rules and to run them at scheduled times in a repeatable manner is of
paramount importance for operations.
3.4.6. Diagnostics
IoT deployment is an ongoing process that involves constant monitoring and
diagnostics with the aim of minimizing downtime and streamlining operations.
When devices are in remote locations, access to administrative audit logs,
device diagnostic logs, connectivity logs, etc. is one of the most vital
features for troubleshooting. If further analysis is required, the device
management system should be able to remotely trigger verbose logging and
download the log files for analysis, saving valuable time and improving
operations efficiency.
3.4.7. Integration
Unless adopting a ready-to-use service, enterprise IoT solutions will usually
require access to devise management capabilities through a rich set of APIs,
which make it possible to integrate external services or customize user
interfaces and workflows. In times of open-source development, providing REST
and language-specific APIs such as Java API is a standard to fulfill remote
connection and management use cases.
3.5. Decommissioning
Decommissioning might affect the whole IoT solution or only dedicated
components; for example, replacing or decommissioning a single device.
Certificates should then be revoked and other confidential or sensitive data
should be deleted in a secure manner.
Conclusion
Making the Internet of Things a reality is a transformational journey that
inspires multiple business innovations.
Given the rising number of IoT innovations, it is critical for enterprises to
select the optimum device management platform right at the beginning of this
journey. This platform needs to be able to cope with the heterogeneity and
diversity of a constantly evolving enterprise IoT landscape and has to be
capable of managing the growing number of connected devices throughout their
entire life cycle.
Bosch IoT Suite is a complete, flexible, and open-source-based software
platform for IoT solutions. It provides scalable and feature-rich services to
address device management scenarios throughout the whole device life cycle,
including asset and software management. Bosch IoT Suite addresses device
management with dedicated solutions for on-premise and for cloud deployments.
Your products for IoT device management
| Bosch loT Device Management | Bosch loT RolLouts | Bosch loT Remote Manager |
|---|
Manage all your IoT devices easily and flexibly in the cloud throughout their
entire life cycle| Manage and control software and firmware updates for IoT
devices
in the cloud| On-premise device management, monitoring and software
provisioning
Customer case study
Want to start an IoT initiative? You need device management. Customer case
study: Smight’s IoT initiative
Directly bookable and equipped with user-friendly UIs, our device management
solutions can be used right away, but also allow full integration through
modern APIs. In addition, our professional services teams have been enabling
customers to manage IoT devices for many years. We have the experience and
expertise to assist you in your IoT journey and operationalize your IoT ideas,
while you concentrate on what is important for your business. You can focus on
IoT application development that adds value, rather than on IoT platform
development, hosting, and maintenance. Grow quickly from prototyping to
operating as a full-scale IoT-enabled enterprise with Bosch IoT Suite.
****Try the device management capabilities of Bosch IoT Suite with our free
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Bosch in the Internet of Things
We believe that connectivity is more than just technology it’s part of our
lives. It improves mobility, shapes the cities of the future, and makes homes
smarter, industry connections, and health care more efficient. In every
sphere, Bosch is working towards a connected world.
As a major device manufacturer, we have experience with millions of connected
and managed devices in diverse industries. Thus we know the challenges
involved in IoT deployments by heart and the wide range of device management
use cases that are addressed.
We have developed a device management solution that enables you to stay on top
of the heterogeneity and diversity of constantly evolving devices and assets,
thus ensuring that your IoT solution stays up and running as technology
evolves.
Free plans: Test Bosch IoT Suite for free
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