IoT Buyers’ Guide: What to Look for in Enterprise Wireless WAN Solutions for Connected Things

IoT Buyers’ Guide: What to Look for in Enterprise Wireless WAN Solutions for Connected Things

For enterprises, the potential value of the Internet of Things (IoT) lies far beyond merely connecting edge sensors, devices, and machines to the LAN. Yes, those hallmarks of traditional enterprise IoT remain very important, but so do a slew of other applications that have greatly expanded the scope and even the definition of IoT.

“Organizations across all industries are realizing IoT can scale as far and wide as its connectivity and data security will allow — all from the tiniest IoT devices featuring built- in wireless connectivity to HD video surveillance systems, enabled by cellular routers or gateways”. The result? Enterprises are taking creative innovation higher and further. They’re discovering new ways to use connected technologies to reap tremendous business benefits — especially concerning efficiency and ultimately the bottom line.

IoT provides immense value and ROI in stores, warehouses, manufacturing plants, fleet vehicles, and every nook and cranny of municipalities far and wide. The potential is there for the taking, but choosing the right solutions requires careful consideration.

For enterprises, the potential value of the Internet of Things (IoT) lies far beyond merely connecting edge sensors, devices, and machines to the LAN. Yes, those hallmarks of traditional enterprise IoT remain very
important, but so do a slew of other applications that have greatly expanded the scope and even the definition of IoT.

Organizations across all industries are realizing IoT can scale as far and wide as its connectivity and data security will allow — all from the tiniest IoT devices featuring built- in wireless connectivity to HD video surveillance systems, enabled by cellular routers or gateways. The result? Enterprises are taking creative innovation higher and further. They’re discovering new ways to use connected technologies to reap tremendous business benefits — especially concerning efficiency and ultimately the
bottom line.

IoT provides immense value and ROI in stores, warehouses, manufacturing plants, fleet vehicles, and every nook and cranny of municipalities far and wide. The potential is there for the taking, but choosing the right solutions requires careful consideration.

Let’s explore some important questions, options, and best practices regarding cellular connectivity, security, and flexibility for a variety of enterprise IoT use cases.

IoT and Cellular Networking Expand Together

IoT and Cellular Networking Expand Together IoT means a lot of things to a lot of different businesses. One company might simply need narrow band IoT for a weather station that needs to collect wind speed data, while another might be live streaming video surveillance footage on a regular basis.
However, while use cases and corresponding solution needs can be so divergent, one common theme is dependence on secure, flexible WAN connectivity for enterprise IoT. LTE and 5G give organizations the freedom to put IoT devices and applications anywhere, and to move them as often as needed.

ORGANIZATIONS THAT UTILIZE 4G/5G FOR WIRELESS WAN ARE USING IT TO CONNECT IOT. State of Wireless WAN 2022 Report

What Type of Enterprise IoT Does Your Project Require?
Typically, IoT deployments fall into three categories: embedded nonconfigurable, embedded configurable, and agile IoT. Use cases from any of these categories can be set up using either wired or wireless WAN connectivity.

Key factors to consider include:

Embedded non configurable devices
These are IoT instances requiring no computing capabilities, no machine intelligence, no configuration of settings, and tight integration in very small spaces. Nonconfigurable devices are typically provisioned with simple low-power wireless connectivity such as RFID, LPWAN, or Bluetooth.

Examples: Asset tags, simple sensors, smart badges, and wearables in warehouses, hospitals, and other sprawling spaces.

Agile IoT with advanced features
For use cases where more space is available, multiple advantages may be realized through wireless edge gateways or routers, including upgradeable future-proofing with advanced security, enterprise-class routing, full hardware/software extensibility suites, and edge computing capabilities.

Examples: Kiosks, digital signs, and smart buildings. Also, IoT data flowing from LAN to WAN in stores and fleet vehicles.

“If the Internet connection isn’t reliable, the data can’t reach the cloud and our customers won’t know the health and well-being of their animals. With the time and management challenges of wired ISPs, it
became clear that LTE was the only WAN source that would allow us to scale our business.” — Quantified Ag

Explore Quantified Ag’s cellular-enabled agile IoT story

— Reliability, based on network uptime percentage
— Performance indicators, such as throughput, loss, latency, and jitter
— Cost of data plans and management
— Flexibility, based on network availability and mobility

Determining which category your organization’s project will fall into and which type of connectivity is most prudent is essential prior to choosing the best possible solution to meet your needs.

Embedded configurable connectivity for specialized use cases
In some proprietary edge products with physical space constraints or where tight integration is otherwise desired, connectivity is often embedded into the circuitry of the solution. While these products often include advanced configuration and management features, they lack routing capabilities and are not modular or upgradeable. Thus, this works best when the expected lifespan of the product is relatively short, or when future new technologies such as edge compute or improved throughput are deemed unessential.

Examples: Manufacturing equipment, point-of-sale (POS) equipment, energy meters, motor vehicles, and specialty equipment built for vertically integrated solutions such as cold chain.

Six ‘Must Haves’ for Deploying Agile IoT Routers in Enterprise Environments
Despite all of its immense business value, enterprise IoT also involves significant challenges that must be accounted for. Data security is one of the most well-publicized barriers, and it is a key factor among the following six essential characteristics for enterprise IoT.

No. 1
Highly scalable management

Many businesses deploy hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of IoT edge devices every year, which
puts pressure on the IT and OT teams to use robust cloud management and security solutions that make rollout as simple and easy as possible. Manual processes and disparate technologies that don’t easily integrate with each other make it challenging to manage scale.

SOLUTION:
A cloud management platform with zero-touch deployment capabilities expedites and simplifies the rollout of cellular IoT routers.

No. 2
Enterprise-class security layers

Each organization’s network attack surface is in a state of constant growth as IoT deployments, remote work,
and other forms of digital transformation take place. New connections to wide area networks become enticing on-ramps for threat actors who are continually seeking new ways to breach organizations to steal valuable data.

SOLUTION:
A combination of air-gapped networks through physically separate routers and layers of software-based security applications, including Zero-Trust Network Access features, is a comprehensive foundation for IoT security.

No. 3
Small, upgradeable form factor

In many use cases, inability to upgrade to new connectivity technologies, update firmware, or change network operators greatly hinders the lifespan of the overall IoT solution. However, usually there isn’t enough space for bulky edge networking equipment — whether in a kiosk, a system integrator’s specialized enclosure, or even a police car. That said, many small cellular broadband gateways aren’t designed to withstand extreme temperatures and other environmental factors.

SOLUTION:
Cellular-enabled IoT routers that are small yet ruggedized are ideal for many different climates and
conditions. The ability to replace either the modem or the router, depending on the model, is essential for long-term use.

No. 4
Edge compute capabilities

On-premises edge computing reduces latency, which is essential for IoT use cases such as video surveillance and patient monitoring. However, edge computing requires a lot of processing power and memory; many IoT devices aren’t powerful enough to run advanced scripts.

SOLUTION:
Organizations can use purpose-built routers that support lightweight containers and SDKs for edge computing — effectively enabling management of WAN connectivity and container workloads through one platform across the entire edge.

No. 5
Substantial flexibility

The broad scope of IoT today — ranging from collecting SCADA data in a remote oilfield to automated passenger counters aboard city buses — makes it impossible to rely on one specific IoT router for every situation. There simply are too many situational variables to consider.

SOLUTION:
Finding a wireless edge vendor that makes purpose- built routers for stores, vehicles, kiosks, and many
other use cases is a good way to accommodate all Bluetooth, third-party applications, and more.

No. 6
Robust management with lean IT teams

Many, if not most, IoT scenarios involve constant remote monitoring of data that is critical to day-to-day business operations. Adding the need to monitor cellular IoT connectivity and security threats is an added layer of management that is difficult for organizations to keep up with, especially given the constant drumbeat of new IoT devices and the reality that many businesses operate with relatively small IT and OT teams. These factors make in-person adjustments highly unmanageable. Contact Us we can help!

SOLUTION:
A cloud management platform enables centralized monitoring, configuring, and troubleshooting of network connectivity and security through cellular IoT router.