An IoT project consists of many building blocks, various different cloud services and a lot of devices. Middleware is the gateway to the cloud for all these devices. Its importance is enormous: without powerful middleware, there is no successful, smoothly running IoT project. To put it very simply, you could say that with many devices, the data to be transmitted is broken down to a minimum. The middleware reprocesses this information so that the devices in the network function. The result: valid collected data that can be utilized and analyzed.
How middleware works
An IoT project consists of many building blocks, various different cloud services and a lot of devices. Middleware is the gateway to the cloud for all these devices. Its importance is enormous: without powerful middleware, there is no successful, smoothly running IoT project. To put it very simply, you could say that with many devices, the data to be transmitted is broken down to a minimum. The middleware reprocesses this information so that the devices in the network function. The result: valid collected data that can be utilized and analyzed.
Incidentally, this is also where the high efficiency of this principle comes into play:
- On the one hand, a wide variety of cloud interfaces and cloud protocols are addressed, as they are used in already existing cloud environments. In this way, one can easily dock into environments with the IoT project without having to build additional infrastructure: “Hey, we are already using system and protocol X, can you use it to transfer the data to us?” “Of course!”
- In addition, the devices can transmit their data in a resource-optimized manner. This means that complex programming of a wide variety of interfaces is not necessary on the device side, since this is ultimately handled by the middleware. By using an enormously lean transmission protocol, the transmitted data is reduced only to the really essential core information – overhead is avoided. As a result, the device consumes particularly little data volume during mobile transmission. A real advantage in terms of costs and IT sustainability!
Safety First!
By the way, the whole process is completely safe: The middleware has a VPN-secured direct connection to the respective mobile network providers and thus to the devices used. Important at this point: These devices can only reach the middleware in the network, no other servers. Conceivable scenarios such as “man-in-the-middle” attacks or the hijacking of a device in order to forward the data to another server are virtually ruled out in this way.
Most important tasks of the middleware
- Device management: delivering configurations, etc.
- Delivery of new firmware: updating the software running on the devices integrated and networked in the project
- Bidirectional communication with the cloud: forwarding data to the cloud, receiving commands for the devices. Incidentally, the cloud can also trigger changes to the device configuration at the middleware.
- Protocol translation: Uniform processing of a wide range of technical protocols
- Integration of different technologies
- Handling of messages and commands from the cloud to the devices (example pager F.R.E.D.: forwarding alarms and changing configuration parameters)
- Connection of a wide variety of endpoints via appropriate plug-ins
- Intelligent data distribution
Another interesting aspect with regard to device configuration: the middleware “buffers” or withholds this for some products if the devices are currently offline or in energy-saving mode. The configuration is then delivered when the device comes back online. A real added value, without which many energy-saving devices could not be reconfigured at all.
Middleware – the advantages at a glance
- Significant savings in development and operating costs
- High clarity and low error-proneness of the entire system
- Fast integration of cloud systems via plug-ins: simple translation of the technical protocols of different applications and programs
- Secure, protected data transfer to external systems, customers, suppliers: No data loss
- Central control of all devices: reliable monitoring
- Reduction of load on individual systems: significantly higher overall performance
- Flexibility, overview, security
- Rapid integration of new systems: significantly improved scalability of the complete IT landscape
- Semantic and organizational interoperability