SAP Leonardo, as SAP’s innovation system, integrates transformative technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, blockchain, and analytics into the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Among these, IoT applications are instrumental in enabling real-time business operations by connecting devices, sensors, and enterprise systems. However, to truly leverage the potential of IoT in mission-critical use cases, low latency becomes a pivotal requirement.
In this article, we delve into how to optimize SAP Leonardo’s IoT applications for low latency, ensuring real-time responsiveness, high throughput, and reliable performance across industries.
Latency refers to the time delay between data transmission from an IoT device and the corresponding action or response by the system. In the context of SAP Leonardo, low latency is essential for applications that require:
Reducing latency ensures timely insights, enhances operational efficiency, and supports time-sensitive business processes.
SAP Leonardo’s IoT architecture consists of several layers:
Optimizing latency involves refining performance across all these layers.
Instead of sending all data to the cloud for processing, edge computing enables data processing directly on or near the device. SAP Leonardo supports SAP Edge Services, which bring core capabilities to the edge:
This architecture ensures that only essential data is transmitted to the cloud, lowering latency and improving system responsiveness.
Choosing the right communication protocol is critical. SAP Leonardo supports lightweight and low-latency protocols such as:
Using these protocols ensures faster and more reliable communication between devices and SAP IoT services.
Reducing the size and complexity of transmitted data can significantly lower latency. Best practices include:
SAP Data Intelligence and SAP IoT services provide data shaping and transformation tools to streamline the data lifecycle.
With SAP IoT Rules Engine, organizations can define rules that trigger actions based on incoming sensor data. Executing these rules at the edge (via SAP Edge Services) eliminates the need for cloud round-trips, thus reducing response times.
Examples:
Low latency also depends on the underlying network infrastructure. Optimization strategies include:
SAP IoT services allow administrators to configure message delivery settings, timeouts, and retry policies to minimize delays.
SAP Leonardo’s seamless integration with SAP S/4HANA ensures that insights derived from IoT data immediately inform core business processes such as inventory management, manufacturing, and maintenance. Using OData or REST APIs, data can be pushed into SAP systems in near real time.
For analytics, SAP Analytics Cloud provides live data connections to minimize delays between data ingestion and visualization.
A global manufacturing enterprise uses SAP Leonardo IoT to monitor critical machinery. Sensors capture vibration and temperature data, processed locally using SAP Edge Services. If anomalies are detected, the system:
By combining edge computing, real-time analytics, and tight integration, the system achieves sub-second latency, preventing costly downtime and ensuring operational continuity.
Optimizing IoT applications in SAP Leonardo for low latency is not a one-time task, but an ongoing strategy involving edge computing, efficient data transmission, network optimization, and real-time integration. As enterprises embrace Industry 4.0 and intelligent automation, low-latency IoT applications will be crucial for maintaining competitiveness and operational excellence.
By harnessing SAP Leonardo’s robust architecture and advanced IoT capabilities, organizations can build responsive, intelligent, and scalable solutions that turn data into real-time action.