The Internet of Things (IoT) includes all kinds of physical objects or devices that can be connected to the Internet, from factory machinery and equipment, home appliances, cars, and mobile devices such as smartphones and smartwatches. Today’s Internet of Things more specifically refers to interconnected devices that combine sensors, processing ability, software, and exchange data with other devices. IoT is transforming various industries and applications, and the data generated from these devices can create significant improvement for business outcomes after the data analytics process.
Traditionally, the connection capability mainly relied on Wi-Fi wireless networks, but now 5G and other types of network platforms have gradually been able to handle larger data sets with speed and reliability. This will significantly boost IoT applications, resulting in a large amount of data generated from end devices. IDC estimates the data generated from IoT devices to be 73.1 ZB by 2025, growing from 18.3 ZB in 2019. Managing this data is the key to delivering business intelligence and a better user experience. So let’s dive into the data flow in the IoT world.
The data flow in an IoT world
Taking a simplistic view, there are 3-layer data processing tiers in IoT system architecture:
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- Data sources: IoT collects data from smart devices, environmental sensors, smartphones, intelligent vehicles, and all kinds of sensors. The data can then be sent over the network with common standard protocols such as MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP to the edge gateway then to the cloud.
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- Data storage: This layer stores data collected from sensors and devices at the edge or cloud for long-term or short-term applications. The edge gateway provides functionalities, such as sensor data aggregation, pre-processing of the data, and securing connectivity to the cloud. In the cloud, there are various database management systems built for IoT applications. The systems can store and manage those enormous amounts of data for further applications.
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- Data analytics & applications: Most organizations can use the cloud to run the applications needed to process device-generated data. This layer analyzes the data with AI, machine learning, and basic computing techniques to generate useful information. This data is used to create actionable insights to unlock data-driven business intelligence, optimize operations, engage more customers, control processes automatically, and help enterprises make the best decision based on the results extracted from the data analytics layer.
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From the data collection, transmission, storage, computing, analyzing to the applications, data storage is just a part of the ecosystem of IoT; however, it is still a very challenging technology. The storage solution for IoT must ensure data integrity, reliability, and safety. What’s more, the storage solution has to fit all kinds of environments of end devices, edge gateway, and the datacenter.
Critical storage technologies for IoT
In most use cases, moving data from endpoint devices to the edge gateway and the cloud is the obvious choice. However, devices generally have some capacity to store and pre-process data. For IoT devices in production sites or transportation facilities, not only does the output data vary, but the source is complex. Fast access speed is required, the accuracy of the stored data is hugely demanding, and the environment where IoT devices are installed is relatively harsh. NAND flash storage, which is gaining a foothold in the consumer electronics market, has gradually become the first choice for storage solutions for IoT devices. However, there are still many challenges at these endpoints.
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- The environment is the first challenge when it comes to the storage of IoT endpoint devices. In the automotive world, vehicle to everything (V2X) is a perfect example of the concept of IoT. A future car needs to exchange information collected by all its sensors and exchange information with other vehicles, pedestrians, and the roadside unit (RSU). The storage device in the car needs to perform normally under situations of extreme temperature. Consequently, the certification of AECQ-100 is required. Other applications, like factory automation, require shock resistance certification (MIL-STD 810G) to ensure storage performance in extreme environments.
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- Reliability is a crucial factor to consider when applying storage solutions in various IoT applications. Generally, IoT devices are embedded systems designed for specific tasks rather than a server or a PC designed for scalability and easy to upgrade. That is to say, the life cycle of your storage in the IoT devices should be longer than the products in the consumer market. There are several know-hows to achieve high reliability, such as using NAND Flash qualified as industrial-grade, enabling pseudo SLC mode, choosing high-quality components and fixed BOM, and conformal coating. Testing and validation are also essential steps to deliver a high-reliability product, and the detail and quality of these steps are different from supplier to supplier. International standards such as JESD 218/219a and IEC 60068/61000/60529 should also be considered based on additional customer requirements and applications.
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- Data integrity is important, especially for time-series data that must be accurate for IoT applications. Take telemetry data from vehicles; if the order of data is not entirely aligned and accurate, it can potentially have different results when analyzed. Technologies such as power loss protection, end-to-end data protection, and ECC are used to ensure the data integrity of the storage device. Experience in designing these features is critical to the result.
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- Security is the biggest concern in adopting IoT technology. Many IoT devices have limited computational power available to them. These constraints make them unable to use basic security features such as implementing firewalls or strong cryptosystems to encrypt their data and communications with other devices. A storage solution provider can implement features such as write protect, security erase, AES encryption, and TCG Opal2.0 to ensure the private data generated by IoT devices remain secure.
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The future is IoT
IoT devices generate an unprecedented volume of valuable data stored in the cloud, edge gateway, and endpoint devices. To develop the solutions that can fit numerous applications, environments, and requirements that IoT devices may need, storage solution providers must be very experienced in designing customized products to meet their partner’s expectations for endurance, reliability, security, and performance. With 20+ years of experience, the industry’s broadest product and IP portfolio, and the most invested in research and development of any provider, Phison is powering applications and devices in some of the world’s most demanding IoT environments with the most innovative NAND flash storage solutions.
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