Leveraging the Internet of Things: Integration of Sensors and Cloud Computing Systems

Nowadays, cloud computing is a widely debated topic. In fact, there are many scientific works that apply the cloud technology to different fields including energy efficiency [1], storage [2], eHealth [3], dataweb [4], and Internet of Things (IoT) [5]. In particular, considering the IoT scenario, the increasing penetration of sensing and actuating devices is modifying the way of how Internet services and applications are both conceived and consumed. The integration of distributed sensor networks with cloud computing systems is raising the interest of both the academic and industrial communities. Developments and progress in this area pave the way toward novel scenarios for IoT applications. Virtualisation generates pools of (virtual) sensors and actuators, and these, in turn, form new types of on-demand IoT resources available over the cloud. These IoT resources are delivered and accessible in form of IoT as a service (IoTaaS) which require to be integrated with other cloud services (e.g., regarding computing, storage, and network). As a consequence, new types of providers are rising, which combine cloud computing solutions with IoT. We talk about IoT cloud to indicate a new type of distributed system consisting of a set of smart devices interconnected with a remote cloud infrastructure, platform, or software through the Internet able to provide IoTaaS [6]. In this scenario, it is possible to build new mashup applications and services which can be deployed in a multiprovider ecosystem in which several cloud providers are interconnected to deliver a universal decentralized computing environment where everything is driven by constraints and agreements. However, integrating IoT devices with the cloud is not trivial at all and many research challenges are yet to be addressed. IoT and cloud computing have become new “buzz words” in the IT world, but how to combine these concepts is not clear. In fact, according to a recent Gartner report, there will be 25 billion devices connected over the Internet by 2020.The IoT phenomenon can accelerate emerging novel application on several sectors, but it can be effective only if the device and object ecosystem are organized, interoperable, and userfriendly. The main challenge of hybrid IoT cloud systems is represented by the fact that they require interoperability, scalability, self-adaption, Quality of Service (QoS), faulttolerance, and security.