Towards Seamless IoT Device-Edge-Cloud Continuum : Software Architecture Options of IoT Devices Revisited

Abstract

In this paper we revisit a taxonomy of client-side IoT software architectures that we presented a few years ago. We note that the emergence of inexpensive AI/ML hardware and new communication technologies are broadening the architectural options for IoT devices even further. These options can have a significant impact on the overall end-to-end architecture and topology of IoT systems, e.g., in determining how much computation can be performed on the edge of the network. We study the implications of the IoT device architecture choices in light of the new observations, as well as make some new predictions about future directions. Additionally, we make a case for isomorphic IoT systems in which development complexity is alleviated with consistent use of technologies across the entire stack, providing a seamless continuum from edge devices all the way to the cloud.