IOT Layers That You Should Know in 2021

With its seamless networking of devices, IOT has greatly impacted modern technology. On the Internet of Things (IoT), everything is connected. Data from these IoT networks is flowing to our smartwatches, mobile apps, computers, tablets, iPads, and electrical equipment such as refrigerators, air conditioners, digital locks, etc. Connected IoT systems are constructed on a wide variety of features, elements, and levels, all of which perform various functions. And so, in this post, we will be discussing the various IoT layers that are part of an IT architecture.

What is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a collection of physical devices, each of which has integrated software and sensors, which are connected to the internet to facilitate the exchange of information between devices throughout the network. Given these IoT networks’ data gathering, analysis, prediction, and analysis functionality, they will be particularly useful in the creation of future plans.

Internet of Things Layers

1. Perception Layer

These IoT layers function as a medium between the digital sphere and the real world, implementing the internet’s physical design. They come in a plethora of diverse range of shapes and sizes.

• Sensors: Devices or systems that monitor their environment and use the new information to streamline their system.
• Actuators: These are machine components that use electrical signals to control physical actions.
• Machines and devices: These are the primary devices that have sensors and actuators as their key features.

2. Network layer

Here in the second Connectivity layer, communication is the core theme, where it lies between the physical layers of connected devices and IoT architecture. Internet of Things (IoT) systems comprise a number of network technologies which include:

• A very popular and versatile technology that is commonly employed throughout the range of data-driven technologies.
• Ethernet refers to the hardware that supports devices that are permanent or stationary, such as security cameras, gaming consoles, and video recorders.
• Bluetooth is an older technology that’s commonly used for communicating with devices that are somewhat close to each other.
• Near-field communications, often known as NFC, allows for communication at a distance of less than or equal to four inches.
• LPWAN, which stands for Low Power Wide Area Network, was developed and constructed to meet the needs of the IoT in various long-range environments. These WAN devices with low power requirements can last for up to 10 years and using minimal power all the while.
• Low power consumption and the ability to exchange small amounts of data are some of the advantages that are found in ZigBee, a modern wireless networking technology.
• Cellular networks are prefect for communication or interactions on a global scale. They offer better reliability and trust.

3. Edge Layer

Thanks to IoT edge layers, numerous systems may process and analyze the data near to the source. The 5th Generation of mobile networks has come to rely on the Edge network (5G).

4. Processing Layer

This layer’s goal is to store, process, and analyze data in order to fulfill the needs of future requirements. There are two primary phases in the processing layer.

• Accumulation of data

The IoT (Internet of Things) is constantly streaming data to all devices. Data arrives in diverse forms, at varying rates, and in varying capacities. Professionals must put the most priority on separating the vital data from these enormous data streams.

• The Extraction of data

At the end of the data accumulation stage, specific data is pulled out from the huge data set for business operations optimization. This system follows the path of data abstraction as described below:

• Having all the data from all Internet of Things (IoT) and non-Internet of Things (non-IoT) devices (CRM, ERM, & ERP)
• Accessing data from a single location by utilizing data virtualization
• Managing numerous forms of raw data

The processing layer is reliant on device and architecture interoperability. Once data accumulation and data abstraction have been completed, data analysts can easily draw on their business sense to identify important intelligence variables.

5. The Application Layer

Data is additionally processed and evaluated on this layer, and it is used to accumulate business intelligence. In this section, IoT systems interact with middleware or software that is better equipped to understand data with more precision.

In the context of the Application layer, some areas of these IoT layers include:

• Device management and monitoring services
• Software utilized for business decision-making
• Analytics applications developed using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Mobile Apps to provide deeper interactions

6. Business Layer

Data obtained from IoT must be put to valuable use in company planning and strategy. The best way to gain intelligence from data is to have a clear purpose and target in mind. Data from the past and present is used to plan for the future, by business owners and stakeholders.

7. Security Layer

Today’s demanding business and security requirements put a premium on modern IT infrastructure. One of the key issues of the Security Layer in integrating IoT systems is data breaches, tracking antagonistic software, and hacking.

• Device security

A critical initial step in ensuring security throughout the IoT layers is to look to the devices themselves. Many manufacturers provide security measures to install in both hardware and firmware in the IoT integration.

• Cloud security

Today, clouds are replacing the traditional data storage servers and communication. It is critical that their data security is not compromised in any way, especially for IoT systems. Use of several permission factors and encryption procedures to guarantee data security is present. Device identity management regulations are a fundamental requirement for the process of validating any new device.

• Connection security

An IoT system’s data should be secured from end-to-end in order to move it across the network. A compromise is prevented thanks to messaging protocols such as DDS, MQTT, AMQP etc.

Elements of the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is heavily reliant on modern technology, as it has many levels, applications, and components. However, the vast majority of IoT layers use certain key core concepts.

• As for devices, we have smarter devices with various new forms.
• Also, we have networking and gateway infrastructure to make the devices in the IoT a reality.
• Middleware that consists of data storage spaces, which are followed by an upgrade in predictive capacities
• Applications at the end-user level

Final Thought

IoT is an emerging technology that organizations are moving towards as more of them are embracing these cutting-edge solutions. Even though the basic elements of IoT systems are  based on a comprehensive IT infrastructure, IoT Layers provide the way for the entire network to succeed. In each layer, there is a unique scope and task that helps IoT complexity throughout the network to be handled.