IoT Projects Need Fast Hosting. How to Choose Right One

There are more than 20 billion linked devices on the planet right now. This number includes every device that gathers data, aka “smart” devices. The Internet of Things (IoT) connects every one of those devices to the web, and their number seems to be growing.

The IoT ecosystem depends on data transferred to and from devices in real time. Considering how much data is generated within the IoT ecosystem and by IoT applications specifically, latency can become a real obstacle. Conventional hosting used for website traffic often fails to provide stability for IoT apps, which they critically require. That is why fast hosting is recommended for IoT applications to ensure minimal latency and maximum reliability.

In this article, we will go in-depth into how to choose the right hosting for your project.

Why Low to No Latency Is Required for IoT

For IoT, speed isn’t some advanced or non-mandatory feature; it’s a factor that many things rely upon. By speed, we understand the amount of time required for data to leave the sensor, approach the server, get processed by it, and be returned in the form of further instructions; and this is obviously cyclic. For applications, a second or two of delay may not be a big deal, but for critical technology such as medical sensors or remote surgical tools, delays can cost patients their lives. Same with factory equipment: a millisecond response is required to avoid damage to the machine and ensure operation precision.

IoT devices and projects generate large amounts of traffic at a swift rate. The role of hosting here is to store that data, filter it, and analyze it with minimal to no latency to keep that data traffic going at the pace it needs to. Therefore, for IoT, we need to narrow the search to robust hosting solutions with a high uptime guarantee (no less than 99%) and reliability.

Let’s look more fully at what IoT projects require from hosting.

Key Hosting Requirements for IoT Hosting

IoT projects have specific requirements regarding speed and availability; thus, not every hosting solution can match those criteria. Here are the key requirements for hosting the IoT projects:

• Low latency. Commonly, the key to low latency in hosting lies in the location and its physical proximity to your projects.
• High uptime guarantee. IoT projects require high availability of servers; therefore, uptime of no less than 99% is needed from a hosting solution.
• Security. IoT networks often become victims of hackers. To avoid it, look for a hosting provider offering SSL certificates, encryption methods, firewalls, DDoS protection, etc.
• Scalability. IoT projects tend to increase in their traffic pretty quickly, so the hosting solution has to be flexible and susceptible to growth.

Below, we gathered hosting solutions that meet the mentioned requirements.

Hosting Options for IT

There are potentially two suitable hosting options for IoT projects.

Cloud Hosting

Offers: Excellent, almost endless scalability, flexible (pay-as-you-go) payment model, and easy integration with other IoT services such as IoT Hub in Azure.

Shortcomings: Possible higher latency due to relying on major data centers with fixed locations (that may be far away from your project), and relying on a strong network connection, which isn’t always possible.

Best suited for: AI model training, long-term storage of data, and full-scope analytics.

Dedicated (or Bare Metal) Server Hosting

Offers: Robust performance, complete isolation, complete control over the hardware and software of the server, and handling different levels of load.

Shortcomings: High initial cost, requires technical expertise to set up and configure, not easily scalable.

Best suited for: Environments that require strong security, complete isolation, and a significant amount of server resources.

Conclusion

A successful IoT project is carved by a combination of reliable hosting, excellent performance, low latency, and strong security. Hosting serves as an infrastructural foundation of your project; thus, the hosting solution should be chosen with care and precision.

We have looked at the importance of speed for IoT, key requirements for IoT hosting, and the most common and trustworthy hosting options. Keeping all of this in mind, we’re sure that you can select a hosting solution that is safe, feature-rich, and powerful.