MQTT vs HTTP for IoT: Detailed Protocol Comparison

1. As the IoT explodes with connected devices, selecting the right communication protocol is all-important to building efficient and scalable IoT solutions. MQTT vs. HTTP are frequently discussed protocols in this regard. Both have their own advantages and ideal applications.

2. Consider a manufacturing plant that uses a real-time asset monitoring solution based on MQTT. On the other hand, a smart home setup might use HTTP for periodic data uploads from smart devices. However, HTTP is not limited to periodic data transfers, nor is MQTT reserved only for real-time asset tracking.

3. Let's review each protocol’s features and how it works in different IoT settings to determine the best uses for each protocol. This article compares MQTT vs. HTTP for IoT applications based on benchmarks. Here, we'll explore the pros and cons of each protocol and discuss their ideal applications.

Making Strategic Sourcing Decisions Based on Total Cost of Ownership

1. You make a product in China. You went it alone. You found someone on the internet and they promised they could manufacture your product to your standards in the time required for the lowest price. Unfortunately, they also made an absolute hash of it.

2. If that wasn’t bad enough, you spent so much time on the phone sorting out quality issues and shipping problems that the “low cost” of the product skyrocketed because of the extra costs of fixing the quality problems (which were stopgap at best) and air freighting your product to customers (an unsustainable solution).

3. You’ve run into a perfect example of what happens when the lowest cost is the ultimate goal rather than looking at the whole picture.

4. As you probably guessed, we certainly aren’t bashing sourcing from China or anywhere overseas. There are great, quality manufacturers and suppliers to be found in China, Vietnam, India and elsewhere. We are, however, believers in approaching sourcing decisions, whether overseas or domestically, from a total cost of ownership (TCO) point of view. Properly used, TCO is a tool that can serve as a vital layer in the decision-making filter of choosing a contract manufacturer or supplier.

How to do Cyber Security Awareness Training for Small Business

1. Imagine if you couldn’t access your computer systems or data. It could lead to an existential threat. Unfortunately, many companies have already gone bankrupt after cyber attacks (e.g. Bicycle manufacturer Prophete, KNP Logistics, Financial services company Travelex, Cloud Nordic, window manufacturer Swiss Windows).

2. That’s why prevention is necessary. One key element of required measures: Cybersecurity awareness training. It can help your small business withstand cyber risks.

3. As a small business, you interact daily with your team, customers, potential customers, vendors, government agencies, and many other stakeholders. Organizations don’t operate in bubbles.

4. To build and maintain these relationships, digital communication channels are essential. We can’t avoid using the internet or email; it’s a business necessity to stay connected and reachable.

5. While these tools are useful, they leave your business exposed and vulnerable. That’s because malicious actors also use these channels for their fraud attempts.

6. As long as humans use computers and apps, we are targets because every good hacker knows it’s easier to hack humans than systems. This fact is underscored by the FBI Internet Crime Report, which states that fraud attempts via email (phishing) are the top crime type.

7. In other words, cyber risks are unavoidable. The good news is that it’s a risk you can do something about.

America’s industrial transformation needs a Marshall Plan for small businesses and their workers

1. There’s broad agreement on at least one thing about this year’s election outcome: Americans want more good jobs and an affordable cost of living, especially for working families. A question now emerges: Can our nation’s leaders leverage a budding industrial renaissance that hinges, far more than we recognize, on the capabilities of America’s small businesses and their workers?