IoT devices must often be configured to be remotely managed and monitored. The configuration process is referred to as a provisioning process, where the device is configured into an operational state. IoT devices use varying technologies that external software systems must interact with, and these devices may require unique provisioning processes.

Market trends are moving towards outsourcing the management and monitoring of IoT devices to a device-as-a-service (DaaS) platform that simplifies provisioning processes and scaling according to an enterprise’s demands. The platform must facilitate the integration and provisioning processes of new IoT devices and, in the operational phases of the devices, manage installed apps, and monitor the device’s status. Because new IoT technologies are regularly introduced, the DaaS platform must expand with the integration of such new technologies.

Digital twins have often been used to model the life of complex physical systems. This paper explores the opportunities that digital twins present for managing the life cycle of heterogeneous IoT devices in a DaaS platform context.

This paper shows a strong correlation between the DT characteristics and the functional and non-functional requirements of a DaaS platform. Furthermore, this paper presents the opportunities that the characteristics of digital twins present to different phases of the IoT lifecycle within the DaaS platform, and unique features different types of digital twins present to the life cycle management of IoT devices. The paper, therefore, shows the potential value of future research into using digital twins to create a DaaS platform for enterprise-level management of IoT devices.