According to Google, the new tool uses machine learning and advanced analytics techniques to deliver insights which can help businesses improve efficiency, predict problem areas and design models for optimisation.
Transportation or logistics companies could, for example, use the IoT Core to collect data from connected vehicles and process this data with information gathered from weather or traffic sensors – and consequently, be able to better plan their routes.
While the move places Google on a level with its competitors AWS and Microsoft Azure, which both already offer similar services, according to the tech giant the launch of the new service is about being able to offer a solution which was in increasing demand from its cloud customers.
By providing IoT management as a service, Google is offering the infrastructure and services required to process data – using tools like Google Cloud Dataflow, Google BigQuery, and Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine, but there are also integrations available with partner products from Looker, Qlik, Tableau and Zoomdata.
Users will also have the opportunity to work with partners such as ARM, Intel and Sierra Wireless for their IoT hardware, and Helium, Losant or Tellmeplus for building their applications.
The new IoT Core aligns with Google’s open strategy of allowing its customers to use both its core cloud services, as well as any other tools they choose – whether from Google or a third-party provider.
The IoT service comprises of two key features; a device manager for registering and authenticating each ‘thing’ as it connects to the cloud, and a ‘protocol bridge’ for providing a communication channel between the ‘things’ and the Google Cloud.
Google noted that its IAM roles can also be applied to customers’ IoT devices to provide even tighter access control to devices and data.
Source: https://thestack.com/iot/2017/05/17/google-cloud-releases-iot-core-for-device-and-data-management/