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A recent study from IoT Analytics reveals that 60% of all Internet of Things (IoT) software is created by outside organizations, with only 40% developed internally. The intricate nature of device and data management in IoT applications necessitates specialized expertise that many companies lack when trying to harness IoT technologies.
For organizations seeking a quicker time to market, members of the AWS Partner Network (APN) offer adaptable, pre-built solutions that help mitigate risks while laying down the essential components needed to deploy IoT solutions at scale.
In this article, we will explore how to choose an IoT software partner and how collaborating with an AWS Partner can assist customers in achieving their business objectives.
Selecting an AWS IoT Software Partner
AWS Partners are strategically positioned to help organizations speed up their time to market while leveraging the scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Businesses aiming to deploy an IoT solution should thoughtfully evaluate which partner aligns best with their specific needs by considering essential factors such as capabilities, tenancy, security and compliance, migration, and pricing.
Platform Capabilities
When choosing an IoT software platform, it’s crucial to assess each partner’s unique platform capabilities and how they correspond to your intended business outcomes. Solution accelerator platforms enhance AWS services by offering additional functionality, including data management, analytics, mobile applications, and application integration points. These platforms are particularly beneficial for customers needing both data and device management, along with an abstraction layer to integrate serverless components for creating their own business solutions.
Device management platforms facilitate the provisioning of devices and oversee device fleet operations through multi-tenancy. They may provide health checks, command and control, device telemetry, and fallback connectivity solutions in case of disruptions.
Platform Tenancy
Next, customers should evaluate the hosting environment of the IoT platform. It may run in the AWS account of the IoT software partner or in a dedicated AWS account controlled by the customer.
Understanding intellectual property (IP) rights is vital in both scenarios. Companies should deliberate whether their IT personnel possess the skills to manage a platform within their own AWS account or if they would prefer the partner to handle it.
It’s also important to consider how granular data and device management should be segmented according to business needs. For instance, a manufacturer developing consumer devices must ensure that customers can only access data related to their owned devices. Software platforms typically offer multi-tenancy features to control access across one or multiple AWS accounts, often down to individual users of the platform.
Security and Compliance
Data privacy and compliance are critical concerns influenced by who manages the AWS IoT platform and its defined multi-tenant structure. Handling sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI), in software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions necessitates that businesses consider the requirements for customer data during transmission, storage, and processing.
In AWS environments, AWS oversees cloud security, while customers are responsible for securing workloads when the platform is deployed in their AWS account. Partners bear the responsibility for securing the platform in a SaaS model within their AWS account.
Companies should familiarize themselves with the AWS Shared Responsibility Model and its implications for their collaboration with selected AWS IoT software partners.
Migration
To foster innovation swiftly in a dynamic landscape, migrating existing workloads to a partner or potentially off their platform in the future is crucial. Key considerations include updating device cloud endpoints and firmware, standardizing authentication mechanisms and protocols, and ensuring that cloud workloads are compatible with managed AWS services for successful migration.
Pricing
Lastly, various platforms come with different pricing structures, and potential costs should be considered based on anticipated IoT workloads. Common IoT software pricing models encompass annual subscriptions, pay-as-you-go fees per message or device, or flat rates based on the number of connected devices deployed.
Some software vendors may offer platform access at no charge while billing for consulting services on a project basis to assist with migration, setup, and management of IoT deployments.
The AWS Partner Advantage
AWS IoT has partnerships with over 20 independent software vendors (ISVs) that have established cloud-based platforms to acquire, analyze, and act on IoT data.
Selecting a partner that has a proven track record, such as through the AWS IoT ISV Competency, can significantly reduce your time to market, allowing you to focus on essential business goals. Members of the APN can achieve AWS IoT Competency, which validates and promotes partners with exceptional technical expertise and documented customer success.
The AWS ISV Accelerate Program provides co-selling support and benefits, including connections with AWS field sellers who serve millions of active AWS customers. Together, the AWS ISV Accelerate and AWS IoT ISV Competency enable partners to fully leverage the AWS Partner Network and connect with the right customers on AWS.
Choosing the Right Partner for Your Organization
Each AWS IoT software partner—and their respective platform—will vary based on their areas of expertise, target market segments, and pricing models. Evaluate your use case and your organization’s core competencies to align them with the right device management, solution accelerator, or fully managed solution provider.
IoT software platforms may include device management functionalities such as over-the-air firmware updates, provisioning, device fleet monitoring, multi-tenancy, and command and control. Device management platforms are ideal for organizations lacking experience in managing a large fleet of connected IoT devices but may excel in developing analytics and end-user applications.
Data management pertains to the routing, processing, and storage of data accessible to higher-order applications and services. Solution accelerators usually provide both device management and data management, allowing you to concentrate on creating exceptional end-user experiences with readily available data from your IoT devices.
End-user applications deliver the business value that drives IoT adoption. Fully managed solutions encompass device management, data management, and end-user applications, simplifying the complexities of comprehending the underlying platform and device deployment. For more insights on effective communication, you can check this resource. It’s also worth noting that SHRM is an excellent authority on this topic. For those interested in training resources, this link is a great reference.