Understanding the lifecycle of IoT devices

The concept of IoT is beginning to be accepted by many companies as a way to optimize operations. IoT can be applied to a variety of environments, from industrial to retail. However, there are the possibility of the device functioning not as intended if not managed properly. Graham Morphew, Senior Director of Product Management for Wind River, recently addressed the importance of device management and understanding the lifecycle of IoT devices. "Device Management is the key ingredient for success in IoT," said Morphew.

The entire lifecycle of the device needs to be managed in order for it to function as planned. There are six steps for IoT device lifecycle management and is under the idea of connect – operate – protect.

Deployment
As the device is being placed in the field, it needs to have provision to generate a certificate to avoid connecting rogue device on the network. This will lead to authenticating it to check if it is the actual device. Finally, configuring the device once it is connected to the network and being able to send information that will impact its operational features.

Monitor
When it comes to monitoring, health of the device is a common concern for end users. In order to know the condition, a device could send telemetry data to describe its status and if any actions need to be performed such as sending alerts for maintenance. These alerts can also provide preventative action, informing the user about a problem before the device becomes a failure in the field which can be costly to fix.

Service
A diagnostic tool from a device management console is needed to receive detailed information about the device. The information received will be able to help determine if an expert needs to be sent into the field to examine the device. The user will be able to have remote access to perform tasks including troubleshooting or root cause analysis. Files can be sent remotely to fix the device or set up configuration to change the operation status.

Manage
"Big part of IoT is being able to control the device remotely," said Mophew. Remote management can decrease the cost for sending an expert to the device and reduce the risk of entering dangerous areas. Inspecting the device remotely can allow user to understand the properties such as static information of the device. This will help determine the necessary steps that should be taken such as running diagnostics to track any changes and how it is impacting the performance of the device.

Update
Software in the devices will need to be updated from time to time, these updates could be firmware updates or security patches. A mechanism is needed to safely deploy these updates and install them. The ability to perform updates remotely is beneficial, however, the risk of update failures have to be kept in mind. A failure could pose a possibility of bricking the system. Therefore, capability for error recovery is useful when implementing IoT devices.

Decommission
Outdated version or device failure could eventually lead to the device being taken offline. To ensure protection of the user's data and system, a mechanism should be in place to safely remove the device and avoid losses of data in the system.

Being a fairly new concept, IoT is still evolving as technology advances.  Having a key grasp of managing IoT device integration will minimize the risk of facing difficult obstacles in the future.