Amazon Web Services has a new service dedicated to Internet of Things (IoT) developers, called Greengrass.
The service, announced on Wednesday at AWS re:invent in Las Vegas, will enable messaging, data caching, and local computing between IoT devices.
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For IoT developers using low-power, wide-area devices, AWS Greengrass provides a way to send data to the cloud and retain device efficiency.
The new platform also allows one device to be set up as a hub, called AWS Greengrass Core, which can take data from smaller devices and send it to the cloud. This means the smaller devices don’t need to send data outside of a local intranet network, allowing it to save energy.
Reducing the cost of sending data to the cloud is a big win for large IoT projects, where thousands of IoT devices may be connected to the network.
Growing Greengrass globally
Developers can create a Greengrass Group that can continue to work without any help from outside networks. This means if a smart lightning network in an office disconnects from AWS, it can remain active.
Greengrass Groups are also useful for places that do not have optimal wireless service, making it a good sell for emerging markets.
AWS is one of the major platforms for IoT developers already, as it provides cheap cloud storage and network building tools. Adding Greengrass to the package makes AWS even more enticing for businesses looking to add IoT to their warehouse, office, or transport network.
