The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming increasingly important, but integrating devices and machines to process data in real-time and at scale is a major challenge. Apache Kafka and its ecosystem have become the technology of choice for this task. MQTT integration with Kafka can be achieved through various options, including Kafka Connect, Confluent MQTT Proxy, and REST Proxy. These solutions offer tradeoffs between scalability, security, and complexity. To integrate IoT devices with Kafka, organizations must consider the pros and cons of each option and choose the one that best suits their needs. Additionally, building a reliable end-to-end monitoring infrastructure is essential for distributed systems like Kafka, which can be challenging to monitor and secure. Confluent Control Center provides insights into Kafka clusters and data flows, while security features like Role-Based Access Control enable standardized authentication and authorization.