Best IoT Connectivity Management Software
IoT connectivity management software helps businesses monitor and control the network connections utilized within a connected device infrastructure. Internet of things (IoT) networks entail hundreds or thousands of unique connections between embedded objects and dedicated servers, allowing them to share continuous observations, generate valuable data, and trigger actions across the IoT architecture. IoT connectivity management software provides a centralized view of these specified networks, their various subscription plans, and the flow of data between networks and distributed assets.
These tools are primarily used by IT professionals and others involved with IoT network configuration, maintenance, and optimization. Utilization of IoT connectivity management software helps businesses achieve a fully realized IoT strategy with resources that are separate from the company’s primary IT infrastructure. IoT connectivity management tools can be used in conjunction with IoT platforms and IoT device management software to deploy and manage systems of connected devices. These solutions may share features of or integrate with network management software.
To qualify for inclusion in the IoT Connectivity Management category, a product must:
Featured IoT Connectivity Management Software At A Glance
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Pelion: Global IoT Connectivity Made Effortless What is Pelion? Pelion helps customers rapidly deploy, connect, secure and manage IoT Connectivity for operations of any scale or use case. With Pel
184 Twitter followers
HiveMQ is the Industrial Data Platform helping enterprises move from connected devices to intelligent operations. Built on the MQTT standard and a distributed edge-to-cloud architecture, HiveMQ connec
2,852 Twitter followers
Ericsson’s high-performing, programmable networks provide connectivity for billions of people every day. For 150 years, we’ve been pioneers in creating technology for communication. We offer mobile co
4,796 Twitter followers
Telnyx IoT provides secure, global connectivity solutions for IoT devices, simplifying the challenge of bringing smart devices online from anywhere. Leveraging the power of a secure virtual private mo
4,278 Twitter followers
emnify is a global connectivity platform built for IoT By operating our own cloud-native mobile core and connectivity management platform, we give you full control to manage and secure connectivity
828 Twitter followers
Own your IoT deployment with Hologram's cellular SIM cards and easy-to-use monitoring dashboard. Our seamless, global coverage, multi-carrier network and support specialists are here to help you conne
27 Twitter followers
As a world leader in IoT connectivity solutions, Eseye helps customers to realise lasting value from global IoT projects. We bring the deep device expertise needed to integrate, manage and optimise Io
2,455 Twitter followers
For more than three decades, Aeris has been a trusted cellular IoT leader enabling the biggest IoT programs and opportunities across Automotive, Utilities and Energy, Fleet Management and Logistics, M
1oT is your one-stop shop for global IoT connectivity. We combine everything that's needed to run a global IoT company - 1 SIM card for your global IoT deployments, 1 platform to manage SIM cards an
307 Twitter followers
Voyager by Datablaze is a highly scalable solution for SMB and large enterprises looking to manage their IoT deployments. The platform's real-time IoT data dashboard offers powerful capabilities such
45 Twitter followers
Onomondo is an IoT connectivity platform that turns telecom complexity into clarity. Our cloud native core unifies 600+ carrier networks, delivering M2M connectivity with NB-IoT, LTE-M, and traditiona
307 Twitter followers
EMQX is the world's most scalable and reliable MQTT Messaging Platform designed by EMQ Technologies. It supports 100M concurrent IoT device connections per cluster while maintaining the best-in-class
2,859 Twitter followers
Jasper, now part of Cisco, is a global Internet of Things (IoT) platform leader.
721,498 Twitter followers
Make the IoT the backbone of your business success! Connected products and services combined with continuous data-driven improvements and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities will shape your valu
Couchbase’s operational data platform for AI is a scalable foundation for enterprise operational, analytical, mobile and AI workloads that replaces legacy infrastructure and data services.
136,516 Twitter followers
Learn More About IoT Connectivity Management Software
What is IoT Connectivity Management Software?
For an internet of things (IoT) project to work as planned, smart devices require internet connectivity and data plans, just as our computers and phones do. These unique connections will entail data limits, subscription lengths, and various associated costs. They will also require close monitoring to ensure connections remain strong and data is transferred without delay or interruption. IoT connectivity management software provides IT teams with real-time insights into these network connections and data plans, allowing for convenient updates and modifications wherever necessary.
IoT connectivity management is closely related to IoT device management software, which offers a comprehensive view of the devices in an IoT ecosystem and real-time information about their overall health and status. These solutions also assist with over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates and patches as well as analytics such as performance and resource usage. IoT connectivity management addresses the connectivity services that are enabling these devices to exchange real-time data, which may involve any number of different subscribers and service providers. The platforms in this category may provide features for lifecycle management of subscriber identity modules (SIMs), including activation and plan renewals. A number of solutions provide some overlap between IoT connectivity management and IoT device management, allowing users to manage IoT devices and connections from a single, unified source. In other cases, these functions are handled with standalone solutions.
Key Benefits of IoT Connectivity Management Software
- Track the entirety of subscribers and data subscription plans across a fleet of connected devices
- Monitor data usage and remaining limits of device to help adjust processes, device activity, or plans as needed
- Activate, renew, modify, or cancel IoT data subscriptions conveniently for individual devices or groups of devices
- Diagnose wireless connectivity issues involving IoT hardware proactively to minimize downtime and optimize performance wherever possible
Why Use IoT Connectivity Management Software?
Businesses and consumers alike are increasingly realizing the benefits of connected devices each day. A business can oversee a deployment of a small number of IoT devices or thousands of devices across the world. Whatever the details may be, the assigned network operators in charge of these applications will need to ensure that each device and its containing IoT hardware is properly connected to a network (e.g., 5G, NB-IoT, LTE-M), and is transmitting data at the desired level. This may entail one or more subscription plans for wireless connectivity, along with continuous monitoring of costs, available resources, and plan details. The connectivity solutions in this category provide a centralized view of this information as well as the ability to modify data subscriptions and SIM card activations. By leveraging this technology, teams can ensure that IoT projects remain online and functioning in the intended ways, while keeping costs and data consumption at a manageable level across the enterprise.
Some companies may launch an IoT deployment but allow distributed teams, external businesses, or individual users to manage certain pools of devices based on proximity or specific use cases. In these situations, the network or platform administrator can use connectivity management tools to maintain control over the connectivity lifecycle, including subscription management and real-time reporting on device data consumption. The solutions in this category may also assist with managing costs associated with data contracts, including plan activations and renewals as well as data overages or limit adjustments. If there are any efforts to monetize the IoT applications with customer subscription models, businesses may be able to utilize these platforms to deploy subscription models and launch end-user billing functionalities. These efforts can generate new revenue streams for the business, while the project continues to optimize and modernize operations in various other ways.
Who Uses IoT Connectivity Management Software?
Depending on the size and scope of a company’s IoT initiative, it may involve any number of specialists across the enterprise as well as third-party assistance during the design, implementation, or ongoing maintenance of the project. Still, there may be different users of this technology depending on the company or the circumstances of the project. IT departments or dedicated IoT experts may be the likely users of IoT connectivity management tools, helping to manage these advanced devices, their data subscription plans, and the consumption of data across these fleets. Roles like IoT engineer, IoT platform architect, and IoT project manager are becoming increasingly common as enterprise companies allocate greater resources to building and managing smart devices and device applications. Working with an IoT consulting services provider can help teams determine the necessary steps in launching the business’ IoT project, achieving and maintaining connectivity across the fleet, and assigning the associated responsibilities to those best suited for the job. Consultants can also help recommend the right software and hardware solutions as well as the network and cloud services providers who can help power the project.
IoT Connectivity Management Software Features
The solutions in this emerging category offer unique sets of capabilities that assist with activating, monitoring, and modifying the network connections of IoT devices. In some cases, IoT connectivity management platforms may be packaged with IoT data service plans or SIM card packages from mobile network operators. In other cases, these tools are offered as standalone solutions but may provide integrations with different network providers, types of networks, and SIM cards. The following are some common features associated with the diverse offerings in this category:
SIM management — SIM cards, much like those in mobile devices, are what allow embedded smart devices in an IoT project to communicate with the network and with each other. Remote devices in an IoT architecture will often contain both smart sensors and SIM cards to enable the full range of functionality and connectivity required of advanced IoT apps. IoT connectivity management tools may offer assistance with managing the complete lifecycle of SIMs, from initial activation to their eventual retirement, while some tools assist with certain aspects of these business processes. Users may be able to view a real-time dashboard of all the SIM cards being utilized in an IoT fleet, along with identifying information and activation status.
In addition to general management of SIMs, some products offer security features to help protect this hardware from unwanted access or modifications. With certain tools, users can lock SIMs on specific devices to prevent unauthorized usage and even encrypt communication between embedded devices and corresponding IoT applications. Using these solutions in tandem with IoT security software can help businesses secure IoT projects from the many threats they might be vulnerable to, including data theft, malware, and rogue control of devices. It’s important to consider the security implications of bringing physical devices to the cloud when planning an IoT initiative.
Subscription lifecycle management — Along with general tracking and management of SIMs, IoT connectivity management tools may provide assistance with monitoring and managing service plans across both internal and customer-facing scenarios. Just as internet or mobile connectivity requires network subscriptions with a qualified provider, so do many implementations of smart technology and embedded device architectures. The solutions in this category may provide capabilities to assist with the subscriber lifecycle, including plan renewals, cancellations, and upgrades. These features may offer visibility into the terms of each subscription (e.g., data limits, contract terms) as well as assistance with adjusting plans directly on the platform. Some products also include features for deploying customer subscription models related to connected devices, both in B2B and B2C scenarios, along with tools for deactivating and restricting subscribers as needed.
Consumption and cost monitoring — When initiating an IoT connectivity scenario, businesses will establish certain data limits and associated costs for each device based on their expected tasks as part of the fleet and the budgets for the project. After these plans are activated, teams will need to keep a steady eye on device activity to ensure data consumption and its associated costs remain in line with projections and contract limits. If a device or set of devices is consuming more data than expected, it may require these subscription plans to be adjusted or device workflows to be reconsidered in order to reduce data usage and costs. The solutions in this category may offer features to help monitor these metrics, so teams can proactively address issues or make necessary changes before they cause issues. A number of tools allow users to configure alerts or notifications related to device usage, such as when data consumption approaches the defined limits of a subscription plan. Additionally, some tools provide diagnostics into SIMs and overall connectivity to help identify and fix issues in a timely fashion. If data usage or costs exceed the plan limits or allocated budgets, users can modify connectivity plans directly on these platforms. If the problems are more related to device distributions or workflows, teams will need to consider changes to their IoT infrastructure in addition to connectivity settings and service plans.
