IoT has enabled users to access control over a multitude of “smart” devices while also unlocking unlimited possibilities for operators in new markets, such as farming, utilities and transportation. A Gartner study claimed that by 2020 there will be around 26 billion IoT connected devices. Imagine the data they collect and the necessary technology required to process it.
Until recently, cloud computing was the answer for storing and processing data collections from IoT applications. However, despite being a cost-effective model in appearance, the handling data in a centralized cloud site is facing new capacity, data management and security challenges. Analysts at Gartner have also raised the alarm on the inefficiency, from both a technical and economical standpoint, of sending all of the gathered data to a single site for processing.
Fog Computing is a new technical solution that allows data to be aggregated in larger number of smaller remote data centers for the initial analysis, and only afterwards sent for storage into the cloud. The term “Fog Computing” is recent and refers to a technology that is an extension of cloud computing. It’s main characteristics are: the geographical distribution of a large number of processing nodes (application servers), its extended mobility, a low latency and location recognition, wireless access and the predominance of real-time applications.
Fog Computing is a virtualized layer between the IoT devices and the conventional data centers in the cloud, that delivers processing, networking and storage services. It is also known as edge computing, because it is usually located at the edge of the network. It allows for a new set of applications and services solely dedicated to routing, managing and analyzing IoT data, relieving data centers from processing and storing the large volume of measurements collected from IoT devices and sensors.
This is where our SDMN YateBTS-powered solution responds to the current needs of IoT data management. To deploy a fully functional Fog Computing ecosystem, operators can install scalable application servers distributed in each cell site for data analysis and monitoring, without the traffic cluttering the core network. They are geographically distributed and connect to each other to perform a “close to the ground” intermediary layer between IoT devices and the cloud, providing security, low latency and high resilience.
SatSite base stations can redirect the traffic locally to the application server, based on the IMSI specific to the device.
Main features:
- geographical distribution – Fog Computing nodes in application servers are located in each cell site and cover a wide portion of the field.
- large number of nodes – closely connected to the geographical distribution
- real-time connectivity – all the Fog application servers communicate directly with the SatSites located in their proximity, ensuring that they interact with client devices without passing through the core network for each IP data session
Our simplified mobile network architecture allows an easy deployment of Fog platforms to deliver real-time analytics, localization services and resilient applications. It reduces the processing burden in cloud data centers without overcharging the core network, making it ideal solution for IoT networks.
