Azure IoT Hub Operations Monitoring Addresses Users’ Desire for Data

Azure Stream Analytics can process millions of events per second. Easy integration with Azure IoT Hub allows for real-time IoT device monitoring. (Image courtesy of Microsoft.)

Users of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform may already be familiar with the close integration of the Azure Internet of Things (IoT) Hub and Azure Stream Analytics. Respectively, these complementary services allow users to connect and monitor IoT devices easily and gain value from their device data through real-time analytics.

For those out of the loop, Microsoft recently published a blog post emphasizing the integration of these services while also introducing IoT Hub Operations Monitoring, a new method for monitoring the status of IoT operations in realtime. The post offers users a simple visual tutorial on how users can configure their Azure services to notify them in near-real time if a device disconnects from the IoT Hub and fails to reconnect in a specified time period.

Depending on the connected device and its purpose, a quick response to going offline may be crucial to avoid unwanted problems. IoT Hub Operations Monitoring allows users to sleep a little easier knowing their devices are under Azure's eyes. In addition to this, the IoT Hub can provide real-time status monitoring for five categories of events:

Device identity operations: for tracking errors that occur when users create, update, or delete an entry in the IoT Hub identity registry.
Device telemetry: for tracking errors related to the telemetry pipeline at the IoT Hub, such as errors in sending and receiving telemetry events.
Cloud-to-device commands: for tracking errors related to the device command pipeline at the IoT Hub, such as errors in sending and receiving commands and receiving command feedback.
Connections: for tracking errors that occur when devices connect or disconnect from an IoT Hub.
File uploads: for tracking errors related to file upload functionality at the IoT Hub, such as failed uploads or missing files.

Users can obtain these real-time updates using not much more than a simple SQL-like query, meaning IoT engineers can focus less on time-consuming troubleshooting and more on developing their IoT solutions.

To learn more about Microsoft Azure, be sure to read about the recent integration with GE Predix or expanded interoperability on the Industrial IoT. You can read the full post about IoT Hub Operations Monitoring on Microsoft's website. Or, to learn more about how Azure compares to other IoT Platforms, check out “10 Questions to Ask an IoT Platform Provider.”