Preface

Welcome to this guide on setting up an Internet of Things (IoT) solution in Azure. As the IoT continues to transform the way we interact with the world, IoT developers and architects are at the forefront of innovation. This book is crafted with your specific needs in mind, whether you’re a seasoned developer or an architect seeking to navigate the complexities of building and managing IoT solutions in the Azure ecosystem.

With the rise of cloud-based computing, deploying IoT systems has become more cost-effective for businesses. This transformation has led to developers and architects shouldering the responsibility of creating, managing, and securing these systems, even if they are new to the IoT technology. The Azure IoT Handbook is a comprehensive introduction to quickly bring you up to speed in this rapidly evolving landscape.

In the world of IoT, building a complete system that operates seamlessly in the Azure cloud is paramount. Our focus is on guiding you through the process of developing a comprehensive IoT system in Azure, from inception to deployment. This book will provide insights into creating, securing, and managing enterprise-wide IoT systems. Additionally, it will equip you with the essential skills to collect, analyze, and visualize streaming data, ensuring that you can harness the full potential of your IoT solutions.

Whether you are embarking on a new IoT project or enhancing your existing skills, this book is here to serve as your trusted companion on your journey toward mastering IoT in Azure. We hope it empowers you to not only navigate the intricacies of IoT development but also to drive innovation, making a meaningful impact in the rapidly evolving IoT landscape.

Starting with the basic building blocks of any IoT system, this book guides you through mobile device management and data collection using an IoT hub. You’ll explore essential tools for system security and monitoring. Following data collection, you’ll delve into real-time data analytics using Azure Stream Analytics and view real-time streaming on a Power BI dashboard. Packed with real-world examples, this book covers common IoT use cases as well.

By the end of this IoT book, you’ll know how to design and develop IoT solutions, leveraging intelligent edge-to-cloud technologies implemented on Azure.

Who this book is for

Our primary audience for this book consists of IoT developers and architects. If you fall into one of these categories and are eager to gain the knowledge and skills required to implement and manage IoT solutions in Azure, you’re in the right place. To make the most of this guide, you should possess some prior knowledge of programming languages such as C#, Java, or Python, along with a basic understanding of data processing principles.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, An Introduction to the IoT, introduces you to the exciting world of the IoT. This chapter serves as a foundational overview of IoT, explaining its basic concepts and the significance of connecting everyday objects and devices to the internet. It explores the various applications and potential benefits of IoT, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of this transformative technology.

Chapter 2, Exploring the IoT Hub Service, delves into the core component of IoT systems – the Azure IoT Hub service. This chapter provides a comprehensive exploration of IoT Hub, an essential platform to manage and communicate with IoT devices. You will learn about its key features and functionalities and how it enables secure and scalable IoT solutions. This chapter also introduces important concepts such as telemetry and device management within the context of IoT Hub.

Chapter 3, Provisioning Devices with the Device Provisioning Service, focuses on the crucial aspect of provisioning IoT devices securely. You will gain insights into the Device Provisioning Service, an integral part of IoT architecture. This chapter covers the process of registering and onboarding devices, ensuring that they can seamlessly connect to the IoT ecosystem while maintaining robust security protocols. Understanding device provisioning is essential to build reliable and secure IoT systems, making this chapter a vital resource for IoT enthusiasts and professionals.

Chapter 4, Exploring Device Management and Monitoring, delves into the intricacies of managing and monitoring IoT devices effectively. It covers topics such as device life cycle management, remote configuration, and monitoring device health and performance. You will learn how to ensure the reliability and efficiency of IoT deployments, making this chapter a valuable resource for IoT professionals seeking to maintain and optimize their device ecosystems.

Chapter 5, Securing IoT Systems, addresses one of the most critical aspects of IoT implementation – security. This chapter emphasizes the importance of securing IoT networks and devices against various threats and vulnerabilities. You will explore best practices and strategies to safeguard your IoT systems, including authentication, encryption, and access control. With the increasing concern over IoT security, this chapter provides essential knowledge to build and maintain robust, safe IoT solutions.

Chapter 6, Creating Message Routing, focuses on the efficient and intelligent routing of messages within an IoT ecosystem. This chapter explores the concept of message routing and its significance in ensuring that data is transmitted to the right destinations within an IoT network. You will gain insights into designing and configuring message routing rules, enabling you to effectively manage and process the vast amount of data generated by IoT devices. Understanding message routing is crucial to optimize data flow and enable real-time decision-making in IoT applications.

Chapter 7, Exploring Azure Stream Analytics, dives into the world of real-time data processing and analysis within IoT environments. This chapter explores the capabilities of Azure Stream Analytics, a powerful service provided by Microsoft Azure to ingest, process, and extract valuable insights from streaming data generated by IoT devices. You will learn how to set up and configure Stream Analytics jobs, enabling you to harness the power of real-time data for decision-making and actionable insights in IoT applications.

Chapter 8, Investigating IoT Data with Azure Data Explorer, focuses on the exploration and analysis of historical and large datasets in IoT systems. Azure Data Explorer is a powerful data exploration and visualization service. You will learn how to query and analyze IoT data and gain valuable insights into your data. This chapter equips IoT professionals with the tools to make sense of the wealth of data their devices generate.

Chapter 9, Exploring IoT Edge Computing, delves into the concept of edge computing, an essential component in IoT architecture that enables data processing closer to the source, reducing latency and enhancing efficiency. You will explore the principles of IoT edge computing, understand how to deploy and manage edge devices, and learn how to leverage the advantages of edge computing for real-time processing and decision-making in IoT applications. Understanding edge computing is crucial for creating responsive and scalable IoT systems.

Chapter 10, Visualizing Streaming Data in Power BI, introduces you to the power of real-time data visualization and reporting using Power BI. This chapter explores how to connect and visualize streaming data from IoT devices, providing insights into how to create interactive, dynamic dashboards and reports that display real-time updates.

Chapter 11, Integrating Machine Learning, delves into the convergence of IoT and machine learning. It guides you through the process of leveraging machine learning models to gain deeper insights, predictions, and automation within IoT systems. This chapter covers topics such as model integration, training, and deployment, allowing you to understand how to harness the full potential of machine learning in IoT applications.

Chapter 12, Responding to Device Events, focuses on understanding and managing device events in IoT systems. You will learn how to design responsive and automated workflows that can be triggered by specific device events, allowing real-time actions and decision-making.

To get the most out of this book

To make the most of this guide, you should possess some prior knowledge of programming languages such as C#, Java, or Python, along with a basic understanding of data processing principles. Some experience with the Azure portal and Visual Studio Code would also be helpful.

Software/hardware covered in the book	OS requirements
C# and Python	Windows 10 or above
Visual Studio Code
The Azure portal

It is expected that you have access to an Azure subscription. This can be a free version available at https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/. It is important to delete your resources after each lab. This will ensure you have enough spend to make it through all the exercises in this book.

If you are using the digital version of this book, we advise you to type the code yourself or access the code from the book’s GitHub repository (a link is available in the next section). Doing so will help you avoid any potential errors related to the copying and pasting of code.

Download the example code files

You can download the example code files for this book from GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/The-Azure-IoT-Handbook. This includes chapter code and lab code. If there’s an update to the code, it will be updated in the GitHub repository.

Important Note

Please note that most of the code in the chapters has been written using C#; however, we have also provided the Python version of the source code in the GitHub repository.

We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “In Azure, create a resource group called IoTLab-rg.”

A block of code is set as follows:

#r "Newtonsoft.Json"
using System.Net;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Primitives;
using Newtonsoft.Json;

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

dotnet run --PrimaryConnectionString <myDevicePrimaryConnectionString>

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see on screen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “Select the Overview page under the Defender for IoT group on the IoT Hub left-side menu.”

Tips or important notes

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Get in touch

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