Where device data arrives.
WHAT A PLATFORM PROVIDES
Device registry and identity Secure message ingestion at volume Device state and configuration Command delivery Rules and routing Storage, or forwarding to it Monitoring and management tooling
WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE
Managed services from cloud providers Specialist commercial platforms Open-source platforms, self-hosted Building your own
WHAT MANAGED SERVICES PROVIDE
Scale without operation, and integration with other cloud services.
WHAT THEY COST
Per-device and per-message charges, in foreign currency Dependence on one provider
WHAT SELF-HOSTING PROVIDES
Predictable cost, and data under your control.
WHAT IT REQUIRES
Operating message brokers, storage and management reliably.
WHAT BUILDING YOUR OWN IS JUSTIFIED BY
Very little, in most cases.
WHY
The components exist and are well understood.
WHAT TO ASSESS
Device count now and projected Message volume Whether your protocol is supported Cost at your scale Data residency requirements
WHAT TO CALCULATE
Cost per device per year, at projected scale.
WHAT SURPRISES PEOPLE
How quickly per-message charges accumulate.
