1 What is not recognized

Many companies will be familiar with this approach to implementing digital transformation in their own company: they develop their own IoT solution due to a perceived lack of suitable market solutions or a lack of financial resources. This also has advantages, as the requirements profile can be directly transferred to a software solution. Further perceived advantages include:

• integration might be more accessible due to the familiarity with devices, control and flexibility are guaranteed, avoiding locking-in to one or multiple tech partners,
• saving a lot of money,
• customization within your hardware is easy to implement,
• implementation timing does not depend on third parties.

Unfortunately, points like these are only apparent advantages that very quickly lose their weight, yet problems will almost certainly arise that will push in-house development to its limits.

Companies could be confronted with typical scenarios:

Scenario 1: An in-house IoT solution to monitor production has been developed and equipped with basic security measures. A cyber attack then reveals significant security risks that have arisen due to outdated firmware.

Scenario 2: A company has developed an IoT solution for small-scale production to save energy costs. During expansion, they discover that the in-house development is not designed for scaling of this kind, resulting in significant system failures.

To add something important to know here: According to studies, 60% of IoT projects have a scalability problem, regardless of whether they succeed or fail (Beecham Research 2020).

Scenario 3: A logistics company uses the IoT in-house development for fleet management. After initial success, they discover that keeping the software up to date is difficult. Regular updates lead to expensive system failures, which significantly affects delivery times.

Scenario 4: A manufacturer’s in-house IoT development is little accepted among the workforce due to the poor user interface and cumbersome functionality. This ultimately leads to parallel use of the IoT system and the previous processes. But there’s an opportunity here!

Scenario 5: A building automation company develops an IoT solution. Shortly after implementation, new, more efficient technologies become available that quickly render the old solution obsolete. This presents the company with an exciting challenge: to either continue investing in old technology or to additionally invest in upgrading bare technology.

What do all these scenarios have in common? They all know their business but lack knowledge of IoT infrastructure!

There are so many other well-known scenarios that are worth exploring! For instance, you might find that compatibility problems between new and old machines are holding you back. Or perhaps you’ve invested a lot of time and resources into in-house developments, but they haven’t delivered the success you were hoping for. In these cases, it might be time to consider a solution from a provider with a corresponding IoT solution.

The list just keeps going! It also shows why in-house IoT solutions are not a reasonable basis for a transformation. But here’s the good news: in-house IoT development projects are a key factor in gaining experience dealing with IoT in your own company.

Fortunately, specific steps for IoT solutions can be derived from these recurring scenarios. This means companies can avoid making decisions later on, which is a great advantage!

Entire IoT projects that relied on in-house resources failed 57% of the time (Beecham Research 2020).

2 Rely on proven software when entering the IoT infrastructure

Self-deployed IoT software has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work. However, it faces many challenges in daily use and requires many maintenance resources. Here a are just some of the challenges that IoT software must overcome:

• Updates,
• Security functions,
• Adjustments to data flows,
• Compatibility functions and,
• Integration.

Many of these tasks can be avoided by relying on IoT software that constantly keeps its software up to date and prioritizes security. This will ensure that the IoT infrastructure is up to date, even in the face of the speed of digital transformation. And the best part is that some of the functions are available as open source!

SECO has the solution for solving these obstacles: Clea and its Astarte and Edgehog components.

Astarte is available for free via the Google Cloud Store and is maintained as an open source project available on GitHub. The module within Clea handles IoT communication between the end device and the cloud and ensures smooth data transfer.

As a cloud-based component of the Clea tech stack, Astarte manages the entire data lifecycle: production and transmission to and from devices, reduction, processing, qualification, application in AI pipelines, and storage for future use. It also collects and orchestrates the data on the device and then transfers it to the cloud.

Edgehog takes over all fleet management tasks so that the devices remain current.

The need for IoT software maintenance eliminated, allowing companies to focus on the IoT network in terms of data flow. Clea takes on precisely those tasks that would otherwise consume more resources for companies. This creates space to focus on the company’s competencies. Finally, every company knows best which requirements the IoT network must fulfill.

In the early stages of implementing an IoT platform for a specific case, such as fleet management, it is understandable that little thought is given to the long-term future and further development. However, this can lead to expensive solutions when incompatibility, outdated technology and limitations come into play.

3 Uniting the advantages of both sides

Let’s assume a company is at the crucial point of really starting with IoT or is still at the end of fundamentally intervening in an existing IoT structure. Industry solutions are far too resource-intensive, and the internal programmers know best which requirements are necessary.

An open source solution is the ideal entry point for this scenario. Many people mistakenly associate open source with a small group of developers building a solution for developers. There is no need to mention which software solutions had their core in the open source area from the big players in the market (see: Linux Collabora OOS or Micorsoft FOSS). They wrongly assume that open source solutions are only for small companies because they are considered too unorganized and invalid for big business. This assumption must be refuted. Open source solutions can also be implemented in companies of any size. Often these solutions are essentially better implemented solutions developed directly for the market.

SECO has proven that it is possible to implement the philosophy of an open source solution for companies with Clea and its open source-based components. The device cloud data hub Astarte (available via Google Cloud) and device management Edgehog are the best proof of this. Both components are freely available, open source, and are constantly updated by SECO’s developers. The philosophy of the open source solution is maintained here.

If a company wants to start the same way as they would with an in-house development, the project teams save a lot of time. Development time is saved, and maintenance on the software side is also covered by SECO. This allows companies to concentrate directly on implementing the requirements for an IoT solution in the initial phase. SECO has integrated Astarte and Edgehog into its embedded solutions from the outset, which is another advantage of implementing these components. This means that customers can be directly IoT-ready.

4 Eliminate limitations before they arise

If companies don’t take this step with their solutions and don’t rely on Astarte and Edgehog, they’ll reach a point where scaling is no longer possible or further conflicts will arise. One of the most well-known obstacles is the opening and rollout for the entire company. There is often the hurdle of scaling up the IoT solution on the hardware and software side. According to surveys, companies with their own solution have problems implementing this. Clea’s Kubernetic approach can help here.

IoT solutions also face another hurdle that affects the company’s workforce which concerns the acceptance and use of the solution within the workforce. To counteract this, a user-friendly front end must now be found, which usually involves purchasing a third-party solution. The purchase is unavoidable, but the real problems only really begin then. Compatibility not only makes the rollout more difficult, but also clearly shows the disadvantages of in-house development.

For companies that have opted for Astarte and Edgehog, the rollout poses no problem. The front-end solution Portal from Clea is also an additional purchase, but the implementation can be carried out quickly and does not consume any resources. Portal’s front end is designed to be user-friendly so that even inexperienced users can navigate intuitively through the IoT data.

5 Time for making a great decision

Decision-makers are in a position to find themselves choosing the right path, including striking just the right balance between outsourcing expertise and focusing on important core competencies. It is certainly appealing to continue along the same path or to rely on an open-source solution from a real industry expert.

• In-house IoT solutions offer control, customization, and cost savings but face significant issues like cybersecurity risks, scalability problems, and maintenance challenges.
• Issues often include security vulnerabilities, failure to scale, costly maintenance, poor user acceptance, and rapid obsolescence.
• In-house IoT projects frequently fail, with a 57% failure rate, but they provide valuable learning experiences.
• SECO’s Clea, including Astarte and Edgehog, offers reliable, open-source IoT solutions with constant updates, robust security, seamless data transfer, and device management.
• Leverage proven solutions like Clea to focus on core competencies while benefiting from a robust, maintained IoT infrastructure.

So please feel free to ask any questions that allow you to recognize a good path is happening. Contact us