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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as "iot"

How do I Ensure a Robust IoT Security?

Previously, we touched upon what the internet of things is and how it revamps the whole world. Its key advantages may change everything as you know it today. The major aspect of IoT is the billions of new devices or “things” that will become part of our worldwide wireless network, and the relentless stream of data that these devices bring to the storage infrastructure extant today. Along with this transformation, a critical question arises: “How can you ensure the security in this IoT world?” Security risks come in all forms. For instance, in 2011, independent security analyst blog Krebs on Security spoke about a new type of data hijacking coming to prevalence, known as juice-jacking. This attack targets your smartphone’s data if you hook your device into one of those public charging stations in airports and metro stations. You have probably seen plenty of examples of software-run cars being hijacked by hackers and viruses and used to put the owners in danger. We have seen similar terror in Hollywood techno-thrillers, such as The Net, Eagle Eye, Antitrust, Firewall, etc. Weak IoT security can make the world seem like it’s under alien attack. This is because IoT connects everything, from your microwave and coffee machine to your garage door to a network, and allows you to remotely operate these devices. You don’t want someone else remotely operating your lights, thermostat, or your car, do you? That will surely be pretty weird. However strong a security system is, it has been proven time and again that it can be broken if a persistent hacker is able to find its Achilles’ heel. As the security systems became more and more advanced, so did the hacking techniques. This is why Edward Snowden used a relatively unknown high-security operating system called Tails, and terrorists like Bin Laden still trusted offline messaging to communicate. With botnets consisting of millions of computers and cloud systems with unlimited processing power, it is easy to hack into any network, even government ones. In the case of IoT, so many statistics exist. Several prognosticators in the IT domain have estimated the size of IoT-connected devices to be in the range of 20-50 billion devices. Hacking figures are not very promising, either. It seems in 2014, almost half of the population of the United States using computers have been hacked in one way or other. If the number of devices goes on increasing, the hacking attempts will also rise relentlessly. Remote network management of huge number of devices is already a challenging area. With the advent of IoT, several industries will have to be network-connected, from retail, manufacturing, to healthcare. Security Preparation As a new wave of network-aware, smart devices are coming into the world, it is high time for security organizations to revamp their security systems. As we are already struggling with high volume of devices connected to far-reaching networks, a lot of research and development is necessary for securing IoT in a big way. In view of this, here is 5 security steps procedure from Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies) – A leading IoT solutions and services provider that a consumer should ensure. Learn about the device sensors you have. For instance, if you have an advanced smartphone, it has a camera, GPS system, accelerometer, compass, barometer, temperature sensor, and many other such advanced features. You should be aware of these advanced features at the time of getting your device. This will give you an idea of what should be allowed to an application and what should not. Both iOS and Android let you decide which features of your device can be accessed by an app. Learn about the data access and communication capabilities of your devices. How are they communicating, and what speed is achievable by the device at any point of time. This will let you identify if the device is operating normally or if it’s transmitting any unnecessary amount of data. Take advantage of all security features available in your devices. Every smartphone comes with built-in security features, such as the thumb-print access in the iPhone. Learn about and make use of all these security features to be extra-safe. Take advantage of all network security features given by your network. Most of the routers available today let you have advanced security features such as WPA2 encryption and MAC address filtering. Take advantage of these features to be sure that your connection is always secure. A major part of the security, and one that can actually weaken your entire security if you are not careful enough is the password. A strong password is like an impossible barrier for hackers. A weak password, such as “password1” can easily open your doorway to hackers at any time. Make your passwords long and riddled with special characters. Conclusion IoT, while it makes the world a better place, comes with a lot of concerns. Securing IoT devices will become a huge industry in itself tomorrow. Only proper consumer awareness can help fight hackers in such a massively interconnected world. There are numerous IoT development services and IoT services provider that can help navigate the security risks.

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data-security iot security

Machine Learning- Why It Is the Future of Technology

Recently, an article by Forbes enlisted the top 10 technologies set to drive the technology industry in the year to come. “Machine learning” a relatively new concept is based on the theory of pattern recognition and computational learning in artificial intelligence. It is fast catching up and taking the tech industry by storm. Machine learning has been named as “the future” that will be the normal way to function very soon. It’s important to delve into what this technology is and how it can be of use to us. Very simply put, machine learning is nothing but the phenomenon of computers learning from experience; using algorithms that repeatedly absorb from data, machine learning enables computers to discover hidden insights without being clearly programmed to do so. Machine learning is a very practical application that reaps the true business benefits in any given set up which is saving on time and money. Tasks are now being handled by virtual assistant solutions that earlier required a person who managed activities with passwords, etc. This enables human efforts to be diverted to better and critical areas that can raise customer satisfaction and render the organization in a competitive space. Thinking logically, there are certain factors that contribute in the excellent functioning of machine learning – the technology. Massive availability of data and the exceptional power of computation render this technology incomparable. With the availability of humongous data and help of IoT in today’s world, many algorithms with patterns and combinations are devised to throw up intelligent inferences just like the human brain. This is facilitated with the advancement of computer hardware that is now able to perform way more complex computations in a matter of nano seconds with accurate results each time, every time. A human brain is intelligent but sometimes lacks the ability to retain such massive data. That is where machine learning takes over. Machine learning encompasses many complex learning models with zillions of parameters that analyze and interpret data in seconds. We see a plethora of applications bursting from this technology thus giving the world a genius AI and making life easy for the inhabitants of this planet. Machine learning is one technology that has the potential to dim the line between science and dream.

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What are the Advantages of Predictive Storage Analytics?

Predictive Analytics can play a big role in taking your storage stack to the next level. Machine learning algorithms can pierce through the data and uncover critical insights. By analyzing the data patterns, you can improve capacity planning of your storage infrastructure and accelerate its efficiency as well as performance. Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies) as a revered big data analytics solutions providers and expertise in predictive storage analytics, present you the following infographic:Are you looking to adopt Predictive Analytics for your storage company? Our team can provide expert consulting and support services. Contact us today!

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Internet of Things: What the Future Has in Store!

Imagine your washing machine calling on your smartphone and telling you in a Siri-like voice that it’s time to wash your socks. Imagine you receiving texts on your phone about your garage door being left open, your car out of fuel, or your toaster finishing its work. In the near future, this may no longer be science fiction; it is very much possible that any object you have in your home will start talking to you–in fact, not only to you but to any other objects around. What enables this is a technology known as Internet of Things (IoT).What is this revolutionary new technology? What is Internet of Things? This term has existed and been hackneyed since the early ’90s so as to breach the boarders of cliché. People have come forward with certain other terms to substitute “Internet of Things,” but most of them turned out to be just bush-league. Internet of Things refers to a future in which your commonplace objects—things that you normally do not associate with technology—start to communicate as part of a network. This concept radically augments our idea of the smart planet, because you can communicate to not just computers but every object in your home over the Internet.IoT and the Fascinating FutureIf you are a fan of popular sitcom Big Bang Theory, it has an interesting episode in which the characters light lamps and turn down stereos using their laptops by sending signals across the Internet. After a while, by giving open access, unknown people start playing around with the lamps in their apartment. This kind of development is highly invigorating as well as slightly intimidating for many people.While on one side people are talking about the advantages of IoT, a discussion is looming large on the horizon about the security concerns surrounding the concept. For instance, what if the bad guys hack into your smartphone to disable your home’s security system and open the doors of your house while you are away in Hawaii on a vacation?One area IoT is going to transmogrify is the automotive industry. Already, the cars are as smart as you want them to be. A few days ago, I was watching the Audi keynote in the International CES (watch it below), and wow! The cars can not only park themselves but drive you through busy streets. The technology is that sophisticated now. Last week, Fox News published a piece on V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) communication system that helps cars communicate with other cars in the vicinity to convey important information, such as whether or not the driver is applying breaks properly to avoid a possible collision.The US department of transportation is considering a regulatory proposal for vehicle to vehicle communication. You can go to BBC Top Gear and be literally flabbergasted at the automotive technology that is emerging. In essence, cars have advanced through technology in the last decade more than they ever did in a century led by mechanical engineering. Embedded computing technology is at the helm of all these developments.When IoT comes to our world, these cars will be well connected, through 4G technology. They will communicate fluently to bring assistance to you wherever you are.Cisco has done quite a bit of research on Internet of Things (which they call Internet of Everything in their vernacular). Check out that site; it’s a goldmine of information on IoT. According to Cisco’s findings, released in Feb 2013, IoT globally will be worth 14.4 trillion dollars in the next decade. I happened to look at the data concerning our country too, and the value at stake seems to hover around 35 billion USD. When it comes to the zenith of information technology, the United States, the total value at stake seems to be 473 billion dollars.IoT: How It Changes Your World?I have given you a slight idea of how IoT is going to change your future in the beginning of the article. While some of the ideas may be a bit out there, there is virtually no bounds to the way applications can be developed to incorporate things. Embedded systems will be subsumed into almost every object to make it more intelligent. That’s where the washing machine that talks and texts comes in. These developments can significantly improve your lifestyle.Just as the lot of geeks in the Big Bang Theory, IoT will exhilarate the techies amongst us. They will come up with specialized applications that do everything from garage-door-opening to toilet-seat-lifting. The way IoT can uplift the services in certain industries today is bound only by your imagination. Surveillance, security, healthcare, education, retail, etc., are some of the industries that will taste the massive benefits of Internet of Things.There is a minor problem. And that concerns software development. For an analogy, consider today’s mobile app development. While a developer needs to concentrate on only one device (or two) in case of iOS development, he has to consider a plethora of hardware configurations, resolutions, processors, and OS versions when it comes to Android. Imagine if a developer needs to create an app that controls refrigerators or washing machines? There is more diversity there than the number of verses in the King James Bible, figuratively speaking.This development intricacy has also been discussed by a recent podcast in GigaOM. They also discuss the rampant privacy concerns surrounding the subject. Play the podcast to listen:How IoT redefines our world is well illustrated in this image:As a first step of inventorying everything to be managed better, you can use technologies such as RFID (Radio-frequency ID) and NFC to tag each object. Then, they can be managed through a network, and locating and securing the inventoried objects become a piece of cake.There is, however, one little issue concerning IoT: the standardization. We should come up with a way to standardize the tagging technologies that we use—RFID, NFC, barcodes, or QR codes. It should not be as wayward as in the case of 4K resolutions (wherein there are six different resolutions and no fixed standard).In essence, for coherence and congruence, everything from development to nomenclature should follow a standard.How far are we in realizing IoT in our cities? Well, when it comes to Ubiquitous Cities (aka smart city, wherein everything is connected with computers), Songdo IBD of South Korea is probably the first. It is a smart city where everything is connected, not just computers.ConclusionI could go rambling on and on about IoT as it is quite an interesting topic. Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies)’s development teams have expertise in embedded computing technologies, which is right there at the brink of IoT. It is inspiring to know that we are part of a global team working toward the future of technology.

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embedded-systems internet-of-things iot storage technology

How to build a smart home using Raspberry Pi device

AbstractThis article describes a case study on building a smart home using Raspberry Pi device. We have used AndroidThings as the OS on the Raspberry device, and Firebase as backend service for storing the data (which is synced real time with all devices authenticated). The article gives a brief description on the current trend on Internet of Things (IoT) devices (popular IoT platforms like Raspberry Pi, Arduino, etc.). In addition, the article mentions a brief on AndroidThings OS (provided by Google), which was developed for IoT devices and support Java framework for application developers to develop IoT applications using Java. We also talk about Firebase, which was used as a backend to store data.Possibilities of controlling several devices from a single panel in Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies) office. (Creative visualization)AndroidThingsAndroidThings brings the entire Android platform now to devices on which you can build Java based IoT applications. It has the potential to change the game for IoT, like Android did for devices.The thing that we have found most IoT developers struggle with, is collecting sensor data, transport and save that data to the backend. And the real value lies in analyzing that data for alerts, visualization, etc. And that is where we believe we will see a lot of people understand the values of Firebase, Google Cloud Services more. AndroidThings, developed by Google fits all these pieces together to create a compelling IoT platform.One of the interesting things that is being mentioned as a strength of Android Things is that OS updates will be distributed by Google themselves.FirebaseFirebase provides a quick way to persist sensory data collected at the device level, and it works great with the Android APIs, which is supported by AndroidThings. A lot of mobile and device programmers that I have come across struggle with server side programming. Firebase can really help bridge that gap and make it easier.It will be interesting to see developers use its offline features. If you are new to IoT or in general any device that collects data and needs to transmit it over networks, the golden rule to be assumed is that network connectivity cannot be assumed. As a result, you will need to collect the data offline and when network is available, transmit this over to your server. Firebase with its offline feature can really make this simple for a lot of developers.Firebase has a ton of features including Real-time Database, Authentication, Cloud Messaging, Storage, Hosting, Test Lab and Analytics but I’m only going to use Authentication, Real-time Database.AuthenticationAny proper app has some form of security. Firebase Authentication provides this form of security by flawlessly providing an OAuth platform that integrates popular OAuth providers such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.Real-time DatabaseThis is a NoSQL cloud database. Okay, this means that all data in your application is stored online in the cloud and an added advantage is that it syncs across all connected clients in real time (as it changes).Implementation: Smart Home using RaspberryPi.This implementation requires the following:Software:1.Java.2.Android Application Development.Hardware:1.RaspberryPi 32.Ethernet Cable3.LED Bulb4.1KΩ resistor5.Female to Male jumper wires6.Breadboard7.Power Supply for Raspberry Pi8.SD Card (8GB or higher)Demo: LED bulb controlled through internet (using Android device) Software implementation1.Android Client app – talks to firebase, updates value in firebase.2.Android Things App – reads value from firebase and sends instructions to the Led bulb (through Raspberry Pi device)WorkflowAny Internet enabled android mobile that has android app, connects with Firebase using OAuth authentication.After successful authentication, it updates/reads value from Firebase.Firebase updates the values to IoT device that has AndroidThings OS and Android IoT app.IoT device controls all the connected electronic devices.Connecting IoT device in Cloud.Connecting IoT device in Cloud.1. Download the Developer preview from Android Things web site.https://developer.android.com/things/preview/download.html2. Download Android Thing OS for Raspberry Pi3. After formatting your SD Card we have to install the OS.4. After boot up RaspberryPi will connect to your network through Ethernet.5. Once it is successfully connected you will see the following messageconnected to :55556. LED positive pin to 7 (BCM4) and Negative to 9 (Ground)7. Create a Firebase Project in https://firebase.google.com/.8. Go to rules section and change the rules as follows{ "rules": { ".read": "true", ".write": "true" } }9. Download this Android-Things-Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies) project from the Github.https://github.com/Chokkar-G/Android-Things-MSys.git10. Get the google-services.json file from the Firebase project and copy it to your app folder.11. After successful compilation, run your first Android Things project which is configured with Firebase.12. Click on ‘Run’ button in Android studio and select your device.13. Now your application will run on your device and you will see the bulb is blinking.If you use a platform other than RaspberryPi, change pin value as shown below:I have used BCM4 GPIO pin for RaspberryPi device.(BoardDefaults.java) public static String getGPIOForLED() { switch (getBoardVariant()) { case DEVICE_EDISON_ARDUINO: return "IO13"; case DEVICE_EDISON: return "GP45"; case DEVICE_RPI3: return "BCM4"; case DEVICE_NXP: return "GPIO4_IO20"; default: throw new IllegalStateException("Unknown Build.DEVICE " + Build.DEVICE); } }Building Android Client App1. Download AndroidThingClientApp from this github link, import it into android studio.https://github.com/Chokkar-G/AndroidThingClientApp.git2. Get the google-services.json file from the Firebase project and copy it to your app folder.3.Enable Email, google, Facebook login in Authentication section. Source Codehttps://github.com/Chokkar-G/Android-Things-MSyshttps://github.com/Chokkar-G/AndroidThingClientApp Client app Login and Menu ItemsConclusionThe Internet of Things is easier to implement than the average person would think. We have great potential in IoT. This was just a simple demonstration for IoT. From security systems to healthcare; from transport companies to warehouse management, the possibilities in IoT are simply endless. Further, with the advent of mobile apps like IFTTT, communication has gone to the next level. We can confidently say that the future does belong to IoT.References:https://developer.android.com/things/index.htmlhttps://developer.android.com/things/hardware/raspberrypi.htmlhttp://fritzing.org/ (Electrical layout diagram tool)https://www.aziro.com/internet-of-things/https://github.com/amitshekhariitbhu/awesome-android-things

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AndroidThings connected homes FIrebase internet-of-things iot smart homes

How to Design an Android Wearable using Smart Bluetooth?

We are living in a day and age, where technological innovations drive our daily life. Wearable technology has been talked for long, but in recent past we have come to see live products that help in our daily lives. Within the Android ecosystem, wearable technologies have a tremendous scope for growth, given the nature of open ecosystem surrounding it. In this article, we will present how Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies) Android team helped Spree Sports, a leading fitness monitor wearable device come out to market with a feature rich and pleasing UI android application.The ability to track performance and the body’s reactions to training or workouts is very important to fitness enthusiasts.Bluetooth has been around since the mid-to-late 1990s and has become the standard for peer-to-peer networking of devices over short distances. One disadvantage is that it can draw a bit of power, and this becomes something of an issue on mobile devices, and even more so on wearable technology where the batteries need to be smaller still. Also two Bluetooth devices must be paired before they can communicate with each other. The pairing process needs to be performed only once but can be an unpleasant experience for the userHow Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies) designed and implemented their Android mobile applicationThe Spree Sports headband is a far-reaching fitness monitor that takes your fitness to a whole new level. Spree is worn around your head in order to give the most precise reading of body temperature, heart rate and movement using biosensors.Spree takes “step counting” to a new level by tracking exact distance and speed travelled with the mileage tracker. Spree can accurately measure your heart rate in a non-invasive and comfortable way.We at Aziro (formerly MSys Technologies) understood the client’s requirement and came up with the below UI. We independently implemented the complete functionality, including interfacing wit.The key to using the Spree Sports headband is the Spree smart performance mobile app. While you exercise, the Spree fitness monitor tracks your body temperature, heart rate, distance, speed, time and calories burned. This biometric information simultaneously streams to your mobile app using Bluetooth smart technology. Since you can view an analysis of your progress in real time, your fitness goals become more clear and tangible.One can observe calories burned during your workout with the calorie indicator, and track distance traveled or set target heart rate. You can even listen to your music library while using the app. This all-around smart performance app helps elevate your fitness training.Bluetooth Low Energy, or Bluetooth LE for short, or BLE for even shorter still, was introduced as part of the Bluetooth 4.0 (sometimes called Bluetooth Smart) specification, and addresses these specific issues. As far as improved battery life is concerned, many manufacturers are claiming months or even years for some sensors. Google added BLE support to Android 4.3 (API 18).Challenges Faced during development:The first major challenge is in the BLE pairing process. For traditional Bluetooth development, the task of pairing two devices was largely the responsibility of the user, but with BLE that responsibility lies much more with the developer. That is a good thing because it makes the whole pairing process much more straightforward from our users’ perspective.The other major difference is the actual communication itself. In traditional Bluetooth development there were a number of options. Fundamentally these were based on a socket architecture very similar to standard network sockets. Essentially our data is streamed over sockets, and it is a case of both devices knowing the format of that stream. BLE takes a different approach, and centers around attributes. An attribute is essentially an atomic piece of data (i.e. an integer or string) which is shared between both devices. Attributes may be used to either represent data or control how the sensor behaves. For example, in a heart rate monitor one attribute may hold the current heart rate value (data) and another may contain a setting for how often the heart rate value should be updated (behavior).Finding BLE Devices:To find BLE devices, you use the startLeScan() method. This method takes a BluetoothAdapter.LeScanCallback as a parameter. You must implement this callback, because that is how scan results are returned. Because scanning is battery-intensive, you should observe the following guidelines:As soon as you find the desired device, stop scanning.Never scan on a loop, and set a time limit on your scan. A device that was previously available may have moved out of range, and continuing to scan drains the battery./** * Activity for scanning and displaying available BLE devices. */ public class DeviceScanActivity extends ListActivity { private BluetoothAdapter mBluetoothAdapter; private boolean mScanning; private Handler mHandler; // Stops scanning after 10 seconds. private static final long SCAN_PERIOD = 10000; ... private void scanLeDevice(final boolean enable) { if (enable) { // Stops scanning after a pre-defined scan period. mHandler.postDelayed(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { mScanning = false; mBluetoothAdapter.stopLeScan(mLeScanCallback); } }, SCAN_PERIOD); mScanning = true; mBluetoothAdapter.startLeScan(mLeScanCallback); } else { mScanning = false; mBluetoothAdapter.stopLeScan(mLeScanCallback); } ... } ... } Conclusion:By combining a developer’s imagination with Bluetooth Smart technology, the future of wearable Bluetooth technology is virtually unlimited. Bluetooth Smart creates a playground for companies willing to experiment with creative wearable solutions. Bluetooth technology is energy efficient, low in cost, offers high security and easy to work with, and it takes into account sustainability concerns for reducing the carbon footprint. References:http://spreewearables.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy

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