IoT platform modernisation - scaling and rescuing connected-product platforms that have outgrown their design

The situation this addresses

A connected product platform was designed for an earlier scale. It now holds more devices than intended, retains less data than the business needs, runs single-instance where it should be distributed, or depends on a hosting arrangement nobody wants to extend. Replacing it outright is not realistic: there are devices in the field that cannot be recalled, firmware that cannot be changed quickly, and customers using the apps on top of it every day.

What we do

We modernise the platform underneath the fleet while it stays in service. The pattern we have used successfully:

1. Add the new capability as a layer rather than a replacement. On one HVAC platform limited to 24-hour data retention, we introduced an MQTT module bridging the existing TLS device server to a modern long-term data platform, leaving device communication untouched.

2. Restructure the components that cap scale. Core services were re-architected to run across multiple instances behind a load balancer, taking the design ceiling from 40,000 to 100,000 connected devices.

3. Move consumers across, not devices. Customer tools, mobile applications and back-office systems were repointed to the new platform for data, leaving the legacy system to do what it still did well: talk to the devices.

We also take on the integration side: defining the initial data structure for new message types, setting retention policies, choosing between managed cloud IoT services and self-hosted brokers on cost and volume grounds, and building the microservices that keep internal systems in step with platform notifications.

Why staged migration matters

Device fleets do not tolerate flag-day cutovers. Every step above is reversible, runs in parallel with the system it will eventually replace, and is executed under formal change control. The devices in the field never experience the migration.

What you get

An architecture that fits the next five years rather than the last five, long-term data where you previously had a 24-hour window, and a platform whose operation we can take on afterwards under SLA.

Starting point

We normally begin with a structured assessment of the existing platform before proposing anything.

Show on the organisation page: yes

What are we looking for?

Services agreement and technology cooperation. We are looking for manufacturers and technology companies whose connected-product platform is at its scale, retention or hosting limits, and for organisations that inherited an IoT platform they no longer have the team to evolve.