Guide for investors and decision makers
Understanding IoT Edge
The essentials of a fast-growing market
IoT Edge combines sensors, embedded AI, and edge computing to create autonomous smart devices. This page gives you the keys to understand this market and its opportunities.
The IoT Edge Market in Numbers
A fast-growing market, driven by AI and Industry 4.0
Why Now?
AI + Robotics
Convergence between artificial intelligence and autonomous physical systems (robots, cobots, vehicles).
Mature Embedded AI
TensorFlow Lite, PyTorch Mobile make AI accessible on low-cost devices.
Affordable Hardware
Raspberry Pi, industrial edge devices are becoming accessible for all budgets.
Data Sovereignty
GDPR, industry requirements mandate local processing and data control.
Real-time Required
Industry 4.0, autonomous vehicles, robotics require minimal latency.
5G Deployment
5G accelerates edge use cases with low latency and high bandwidth.
What is IoT Edge?
Smart devices that process data locally
Traditional IoT vs IoT Edge
Traditional IoT sends all raw data to the cloud for processing. IoT Edge processes data directly on the device, close to the source. Only relevant information is sent to the cloud.
Offline Mode
An IoT Edge device can operate without internet connection: it stores data locally and automatically synchronizes when the network returns. This is critical for industry, mobility, and anywhere connectivity is unstable.
Application Examples
Kiosks & Terminals
Retail payment terminals, information kiosks, vending machines, autonomous checkouts.
Industry
AI-powered predictive maintenance, vibration monitoring, machine vision for quality control.
Mobility
Connected delivery fleets, field maintenance vehicles, optimized route management.
Smart Building
Intelligent energy management, dynamic displays, occupancy analytics, access control.
IoT Edge Glossary
Essential terms explained simply
Device / Connected Object
Physical device equipped with sensors and capable of communicating via internet or local network. Examples: payment terminal, industrial sensor, smart thermostat.
Edge Computing
Processing data directly on the device or nearby, instead of sending everything to the cloud. Enables instant responses and reduces network dependency.
Offline Mode
A device's ability to function normally without internet connection. Data is stored locally then automatically synchronized when the network returns.
OTA (Over-The-Air)
Remote software update without physical intervention on the device. Allows bug fixes or feature additions on thousands of devices simultaneously.
Fleet
Collection of IoT devices deployed and managed centrally. A fleet can range from a few devices to several thousand spread geographically.
Cloud Backend
Remote servers that centralize data, authentication, business APIs and shared services. Complements edge for heavy processing and long-term storage.
Sensor
Component that measures a physical quantity: temperature, motion, light, vibration, pressure, etc. Transforms the physical world into digital data.
Actuator
Component that acts on the physical environment: motor, electronic lock, relay, valve, display. Allows the system to produce concrete effects.
API
Interface allowing software to communicate with each other. APIs enable integrating IoT data with other systems (CRM, ERP, business applications).
Embedded AI
Artificial intelligence executed locally on the device: image recognition, anomaly detection, predictions. Works without cloud connection.
Why IoT Edge Projects Fail
Obstacles companies face
Technical Complexity
Companies want to innovate on their business use case, but spend most of their time on IoT infrastructure.
Scaling Wall
The POC works in the lab, but field deployment requires a complete architecture overhaul.
Operational Complexity
Managing an IoT Edge fleet manually: time-consuming deployments, reactive monitoring, risky updates.
Rare Skills
IoT Edge requires combined expertise: embedded + cloud + security + DevOps. These profiles are hard to recruit.
The Arkipelis Opportunity
Two complementary products to industrialize IoT Edge
Fleet - The Platform
Turnkey IoT Edge infrastructure
Fleet handles technical complexity: accelerated development, frictionless scaling, enterprise-grade security, native offline resilience.
Dock - The Expertise
Support and skills transfer
Architecture consulting, technical team coaching, custom R&D, training. We accelerate projects and make teams autonomous.
Business Model
Transparency and scalability
Fleet - Recurring Revenue
Dock - Billed Engagements
Positioning: Enabler, Not Integrator
Arkipelis provides infrastructure and expertise so companies can develop and deploy their own IoT Edge solutions. We don't sell turnkey solutions: we provide the means to create.
Data Sovereignty
Fleet deploys on the client's cloud tenant (Azure or AWS). Data remains under client control, in the region of their choice. GDPR compliant and suitable for regulated industries.
Let's Discuss Your Project
Investor, decision maker, or project owner: let's talk about IoT Edge