# Infosys Whitepaper 
Title: Testing IoT Applications - A Perspective 
Author: Infosys Limited 
Format: PDF 1.7 

---

  Page: 1 / 4  

---

 VIEW POINT TESTING IOT APPLICATIONS   - A PERSPECTIVE - Manjunatha Gurulingaiah Kukkuru,   Principal Research Analyst 

---

  Page: 2 / 4  

---

 Introduction The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects (devices, vehicles, buildings, and other items) that are embedded with electronics,  software, sensors, and network connectivity to collect and exchange data.<|endoftext|>According to a recent report by McKinsey, around 30 billion objects may be connected through IoT by 2020.  Enterprises are adopting IoT solutions for the benefits they offer; such as, optimization in operations, reduction in costs, and improvement  in efficiency. The development and adoption of IoT is being driven by multiple factors, including easily available low-cost sensors, increase  in bandwidth and processing power, wide-spread usage of smartphones, availability of big data analysis tools, and scalability of internet  protocol version 6. Organizations are now starting to focus on external benefits such as generating revenues from IoT-enabled products,  services, and customer experiences.<|endoftext|>IoT: A web of interconnected layers The following figure indicates a reference architecture for IoT, comprising of multiple layers built on top of each other to create industry- specific solutions. The components in each layer include devices, protocols, and modules that need to work in sync in order to effectively  convert data to information, and subsequently to insights.  Resource Efceincy Device management Policy LLRP MODBUS Zigbee BACNet ZPL SNMP Location Provisioning Remote Mgmt Access mgmt Activation Diagnostics Report Complex Event Processor Data Transformation Wi-Fi LAN WAN Satellite Cellular Que Listner Protocol Adapter Cmd Interpreter Data Mangement Ticketing Workfow Maps Command Center Communication Presence Analtics and Machine Learning Big Data Storage Database Location /  Geo Fence User Mgmt Machine Learning Analytics Class of Applications Data Processing Layer Domains Base Stations / Readers Data Ingest & Transfromation Layer Devices Tracking & Tracing Site & Employee  Safety Remote Monitoring Remote Visualization eTraceability Process Visibility & Automation Predictive Analtics Risk, Fraud & Warranty Analytics Smart Grid Manufacturing Logistics Agriculture Buildings Healthcare Retail Residences Oil Mining Pharma Connected Machines Barcode Sensors RFID Smart Phone Actuators Drones GPS Wearables Smart Meters •  Device layer: Consists of various devices  like sensors, wearables, smart meters,  radio frequency identification (RFID)  tags, smartphones, drones, etc. With  such a diverse set of devices, a huge set  of standard and custom communication  protocols — including ZigBee, BACnet,  LLRP, and Modbus — are implemented.  •  Data ingestion and transformation  layer: Data from the device layer is  transformed through different protocols  to a standard format for further  processing by the data processing  layer. This data could be from sensors,  actuators, wearables, RFID, etc., received  via TCP/IP socket communication or  messaging queues like MQTT, AMQP,  CoAP, DDS, Kafka, and HTTP / HTTPS over  Rest API.  •  Data processing layer: With data  available from millions of devices,  performing image, preventive, and  predictive analytics on batch-data  provides meaningful insights. Modules  like a ‘complex event processor’ enable  the analysis of transformed data by  performing real-time streaming analytics  — such as filtering, correlation, pattern- matching, etc. Additionally, multiple  APIs for geo-maps, reporting, ticketing,  device provisioning, communication,  and various other modules aid in quick  creation of dashboards.  •  Applications layer: With the availability  of such rich datasets from a multitude  of devices, a gamut of applications can  be developed for resource efficiency,  tracking and tracing, remote monitoring,  predictive analytics, process visibility and  automation, etc. and can also be applied  to different industries and segments.<|endoftext|>External Document © 2018 Infosys Limited 

---

  Page: 3 / 4  

---

 Unique characteristics and  requirements of IoT systems Compared to other applications, IoT  applications are characterized by several  unique factors, such as: •  Combination of hardware, sensors,  connectors, gateways, and  application software in a single  system •  Real-time stream analytics / complex  event processing •  Support for data volume, velocity,  variety, and veracity •  Visualization of large-scale data  Challenges that thwart IoT  testing These characteristics consequently present  a unique set of challenges when it comes  to testing IoT applications. The primary  challenges include: •  Dynamic environment: Unlike  application testing performed in a  defined environment, IoT has a very  dynamic environment with millions  of sensors and different devices in  conjunction with intelligent software •  Real-time complexity: IoT applications  can have multiple, real-time scenarios  and its use cases are extremely complex •  Scalability of the system: Creating a  test environment to assess functionality  along with scalability and reliability is  challenging Apart from the above challenges,  there exist several factors that present  operational challenges: •  Related subsystems and components  owned by third-party units •  Complex set of use cases to create test  cases and data •  Hardware quality and accuracy •  Security and privacy issues •  Safety concerns Types of IoT testing The complex architecture of IoT systems  and their unique characteristics mandate  various types of tests across all system  components. In order to ensure that the  scalability, performance, and security of  IoT applications is up to the mark, the  following types of tests are recommended: Edge testing Several emerging, industrial IoT  applications require coordinated, real- time analytics at the ’edge’ of a network,  using algorithms that require a scale of  computation and data volume / velocity.  However, the networks connecting these  edge devices often fail to provide sufficient  capability, bandwidth, and reliability. Thus,  edge testing is very essential for any IoT  application.  Protocol and device interoperability  testing IoT communication protocol and device  interoperability testing involves assessing  the ability to seamlessly interoperate  protocols and devices across different  standards and specifications.  Security and privacy testing This includes security aspects like data  protection, device identity authentication,  encryption / decryption, and trust in cloud  computing.  Network impact testing Network impact testing involves  measuring the qualitative and quantitative  performance of a deployed IoT application  in real network conditions. This can include  testing IoT devices for a combination of  network size, topology, and environment  conditions.  Performance and real-time testing This covers complex aspects like timing  analysis, load testing, real-time stream  analytics, and time-bound outputs, under  the extremes of data volume, velocity,  variety, and veracity.  End user application testing Includes the testing of all functional  and non-functional use cases of an IoT  application, which also includes user  experience and usability testing.  External Document © 2018 Infosys Limited 

---

  Page: 4 / 4  

---

 Infosys IoT Validation solution Infosys has developed a comprehensive  quality assurance (QA) strategy to handle  the unique requirements and challenges  associated with validating IoT applications.  The Infosys IoT Validation solution enables  testing with a combination of actual  devices, tools, and frameworks. In addition,  the Infosys IoT Test Framework provides  all the capabilities required to perform  functional validation, load simulation, and  security verification. It can easily integrate  with various IoT protocols and platforms,  thus providing interoperability. This is just  a glimpse of our capabilities, as we have  various tools and solutions that can be  leveraged to perform end-to-end testing  of IoT solutions. To find out more about  our IoT services, download the IoT testing  flyer here.   © 2018 Infosys Limited, Bengaluru, India. All Rights Reserved. Infosys believes the information in this document is accurate as of its publication date; such information is subject to change without notice. Infosys  acknowledges the proprietary rights of other companies to the trademarks, product names and such other intellectual property rights mentioned in this document. Except as expressly permitted, neither this  documentation nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, printing, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the  prior permission of Infosys Limited and/ or any named intellectual property rights holders under this document.  For more information, contact askus@infosys.com Infosys.com | NYSE: INFY Stay Connected   


***


  