The Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications paradigm, a novel automated exchange of data among autonomous devices without human intervention, is crucial for the networked society and is shaping the evolution of the future Internet and the Internet of Things (IoT) – the next step in increasing the ubiquity of the Internet, by connecting inanimate objects after connecting people anytime and everywhere. The key enablers of M2M applications are cloud computing, which provides unlimited computing capabilities, and next-generation wireless technologies (e.g., 5G technology and heterogeneous networks), which enhance performance and efficiency of wireless networks.