Diving Into IoT with Infra Expert Bill Brown

Bill Brown is an expert in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and AI, video streaming, and digital media. He is the founder of Ingress Software, which offers software solutions in all of these areas.

Before establishing his own company, Bill served as the Technology Leader of IoT, Cloud, and Connected Products at Rheem Manufacturing and as Director of IoT Architecture and Digital Innovation at Stanley Black & Decker. Additionally, Bill served as the Lead Architect of the AT&T Digital Life Services and Innovation team, where he masterminded an IoT platform that was developed entirely in-house.

Bill’s holds an MBA from Georgia Tech and a BS in Computer Science from SUNY New Paltz. He is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect and has earned a Professional Certificate in ML, Artificial Intelligence, and generative AI from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Futuriom’s Mary Jander interviewed Bill by phone on June 12, 2024.

Futuriom: Hello Bill. Thank you for taking the time to talk. I’d first like to ask you to define IoT and tell us a bit about the state of the market.

BB: The task of IoT is to connect devices to intelligent processing and orchestration, effectively moving cloud services into the level of the network device. Currently, the market has consolidated and players have narrowed their scope to focus on specific types of IoT—for example, asset tracking, fleet management, etc., leaving only a few providers offering the more robust and capable platform services for specific industries.

Futuriom: Why has consolidation happened?

BB: The IoT landscape often encounters challenges with projects that need rescuing, primarily due to the inherent complexity of the task. Many companies attempt to develop their own IoT solutions within popular cloud environments like AWS or Azure, only to find that the complexity of the task exceeds their initial expectations. Additionally, there’s a common oversight where the focus is primarily on the operational costs of the finished product rather than the initial build costs. This oversight can lead to budget overruns that spiral projects out of control.

Moreover, many business managers mistakenly view IoT technology as a commodity, given its presence in the market for some years. However, deploying effective IoT solutions remains a sophisticated endeavor and the field continues to evolve, indicating that it is still in its early stages of development.

Futuriom: Why is IoT so tough to implement? What are the main challenges?

BB: Latency and performance are certainly critical concerns. Additionally, the complexities of distributed computing and networking also pose significant challenges. Scalability is another key factor that needs constant attention. Connectivity issues, such as fluctuating signal strengths at the cellular layer, significantly affect IoT operations in wireless environments. Furthermore, the sheer volume of data that needs to be processed—encompassing messages or events per minute, transactions per second, and so forth—presents a substantial challenge in how these data are efficiently managed and handled by the system.

Futuriom: IoT is related to the network edge, isn’t it?

BB: There’s a common misconception about what constitutes “the edge” in technology discussions. It’s important to clarify that the edge is not simply a sensor or a gateway. Rather, it represents the critical convergence of compute power, connectivity, and intelligence. The true purpose of the edge is to function as a localized cloud, positioned close to data sources. This proximity enables it to offer essential services such as connectivity, compute capabilities, and storage.

Furthermore, a crucial attribute of an effective edge setup is its resilience, which, in my opinion, involves bringing the cloud’s compute capability on-premise. It must maintain functionality even without broadband connectivity. This capability ensures that data processing and intelligence operations can continue uninterrupted, promoting reliability and efficiency in environments with inconsistent connectivity.

The last thing anyone wants is for their system to stop working due to a cut fiber line or power loss. We must remember that many IoT deployments are in remote locations with limited connectivity and power, operating under harsh conditions, and we want our solution to function at one hundred percent while ensuring the edge and cloud are secure, monitored, and manageable.

Q: Thank you Bill!