Cisco has filled a big gap in its Internet of Things portfolio by acquiring Jasper Technologies, the most established of the independent IoT connectivity and service platforms, for $1.4bn. This purchase will go a long way to achieving a full end-to-end IoT solution for Cisco, from ‘fog’ and ‘mist’ computing (data intelligence at the very edge of the network); to cloud-based analytics and services; to the physical and virtual routers which underpin the latest Internet wave. Jasper brings it the ability to control connectivity, security, data collection and sensor/device management over cellular networks from the cloud. This adds another element to the six-pillar IoT architecture which Cisco outlined last summer, and therefore to the range of services it offers its…