IoT Platform Solutions Numerex Analyst Report

5 Key Ingredients for a Robust, End-to-End IoT Platform

Introduction As the Internet of Things (IoT) matures and more projects are initiated by enterprise users, corporations and organizations in many different industries, a clear need for a comprehensive platform approach to IoT is emerging. In short, IoT Platform Services are being widely viewed as being too unwieldy and inefficient, with many of the common elements for crucial IoT services missing, making it difficult for companies to quickly deploy and develop their IoT strategy.

The concept of an IoT platform should be one of elegant simplicity. An IoT platform should bring together all of the software and infrastructure components required to create an end-toend IoT solution, taking the complexity out of delivering key services and support. That allencompassing, end-to-end set of capabilities is core to the IoT platform concept but confusion exists in the market because vendors that do not offer a complete, end-to-end platform still refer to themselves as platform vendors even though they may have only one set of capabilities available.

Key Platform Services

1

Device management

A complete IoT platform is composed of the core

is an essential platform

services of device management, network connectivity

capability because it

management, and application enablement, along with

provides built-in over the

several other underlying capabilities that are

air (OTA) ability to update

fundamental to a comprehensive IoT service such as

hardware in the field, enabling

security, billing services and data management.

software and hardware to be

Having all of these capabilities available from a single

reconfigured over the air.

source, with a single supplier relationship creates vital

Additionally, changing device

efficiencies for an enterprise, providing them with

reporting intervals, provisioning

access to high-end technologies in a way that enables

of devices, and monitoring

them to scale up as required, launch new services

signal and battery life are

quickly and do so in a very cost effective manner.

crucial capabilities. If you can’t monitor and manage devices that are already deployed in the field, you lose flexibility and limit your return on investment.

2

Gateway Services specifically focusing on data management, is another important aspect of a robust, end to end platform. IoT devices generate vast volumes of data which can be utilized and analyzed to create valuable insights. Businesses need a content management service that removes data choke points and ensures that even large sets of data captured at the edge of the network from many devices are aggregated and translated to a common format, through a single and seamless connection using a standard interface. IoT data can be generated from thousands or even hundreds of thousands of connected devices simultaneously. Gateway services takes the complexity out of the IoT and makes it simple to capture, organize, and transform data into useful information supporting better decision making. Sensor networks, for example, can be used to continuously monitor everything from lights to energy consumption, but the value of such networks can only be extracted if the data is presented in a usable format that provides real business insights to organizations. The ability to use the platform to provide edge intelligence to decide what gets sent, where it gets sent and when it gets sent is a fundamental aspect of IoT and therefore critical to include in any notion of an IoT platform.

Connectivity, security and deployment of medical devices.

USE CASE:

IoT Plays Important Role for Patients Awaiting Heart Transplant Worldwide Reliant Heart provides lifesaving connectivity for patients worldwide awaiting a heart transplant and need to have the ability to remotely monitor and send real-time data via a secure network anywhere in the world 24/7. In addition, ReliantHeart needed to signal urgent alerts when needed to power its Heart Pump.

3

Application enablement is at the heart of IoT because without applications, the data collected by IoT sensors cannot be turned into something of value and displayed in such a way as to make sense of the information. An IoT platform should therefore enable smooth integration directly between the application, the enterprise and the analytics using API’s and other forward leaning technology and software. An IoT platform should also enable an organization to bring its own application, set it up simply and easily, and smoothly onboard the application, finally integrating the application with the devices, network and other systems that make up a complete IoT platform service.

Reliant Heart looked at three very specific criteria that were important to them when searching for an IoT platform partner on this project. First, a partner big enough not to fail. Next, they needed to be connected real-time, all the time, anywhere in the world. Finally, having a turnkey solution IoT partner with all the platform capabilities and infrastructure under one roof was crucial– from frontend design, to execution and moving of the data – along with superior customer service. Numerex matched these criteria and much more.

For ReliantHeart, Numerex’s worldwide connectivity and 24/7 remote monitoring capabilities play an integral role in the company’s daily operations. Critical data about the functioning of a patient’s heart pump, such as blood flow, speed and power, are monitored and broadcast via a secure wireless internet connection to a control centre remotely monitored via computers, iPads or smartphones. If a patient’s transmitted data violates predetermined levels set by physicians, an alert is immediately sent to a clinical team charged with monitoring that patient.

4

Connectivity management dynamic and reliable network capability is integral to IoT because without it there is no connectivity for the internet of things. Organizations can, of course, self-manage their relationships with network operators, but this is often counter-productive because a company will typically have to establish relationships with multiple carriers across different markets to ensure coverage to support a service that is widely available. Being able to manage multiple carriers, across thousands or even tens of thousands of connections, all in one common portal is a clear differentiator for a robust IoT platform. Even where one large carrier group can be selected, there can often be situations in which different network technologies are used in different markets. By using the connectivity management capabilities of an IoT platform, an organization can gain connections using the most appropriate carrier for their service in each market or region. This simplifies the connection management and eliminates the customer from having to deal directly with the carrier. The IoT platform provider should have built in infrastructure, tools, and service to support and sustain all of its network connections.

Connecting IoT Applications that improve safety USE CASE:

IoT platform enables safety solutions for U.S. school districts Designed to alert drivers when schoolchildren are present, especially in low-visibility conditions, school-zone flasher signals are typically updated manually at each school. The switching is based on the school calendar and manually changed when an unexpected early dismissal occurs, as in the case of a weather-event altering the normal schedule.

The process to reprogram the flashers requires a significant effort by school district personnel to implement due to the large number of warning flashers installed across an entire school district.

RTC Manufacturing, a provider of school zone safety equipment, utilized the power of an IoT platform and network capabilities to provide remote connectivity to schoolzone warning flashers for enhanced student safety. The IoT solution enables remote, twoway communications between the school district's central traffic office and an embedded electronic device in the flasher signal signs. In the event of an early dismissal, the flasher schedule can be changed very efficiently across the entire school district with one simple update. This improvement saves a significant amount of time and frees administration personnel to assist students as they enter and exit the school safely.

RTC integrated the secure cellular network, as well as its embedded cellular module, allowing each flasher panel to communicate wirelessly. Advanced IoT platform capabilities allows the schools to receive text or email alerts informing them when a bulb burns out or when the battery is failing. These real-time updates enable technicians to be dispatched for repair before any students or administrators are put at risk.

5

Underlying service and support functions are the additional key elements of an IoT platform and encompass systems to address administration and data protection – such as billing and security. This portfolio of functions provides the capability to bill on behalf of, manage your subscriptions, and keep track of monthly network usage for all of your connections, especially if operations have been set up utilizing a multi-tenant structure. Such management tools are vital for the efficient running of an IoT service and present obvious efficiency and day-to-day management advantages for organizations. Being ISO 27001 Certified with Tier 1 24x7 support are also highly desirable key features for anyone considering an IoT Platform today.

Managed solution delivered as an IoT service USE CASE: Tank Monitoring Solution Delivers Big Savings for Bulk Fuels Distributor Fuel delivery has always had some built-in inefficiency. Like most fuel and lubricant distributors, Retif Oil & Fuel followed a keep full model when restocking fuel tanks and was spending too much money topping off customer fuel tanks and making emergency deliveries. Without an accurate view of customer fuel stocks it was impossible to determine who needed fuel or how much they actually needed.

After deploying the iTank solution, which runs on a secure, scalable, and robust IoT Platform, Retif personnel and customers can now view tank levels and alerts in the iTank Management Portal. “The application is color-coded, so they simply look at the customers approaching the 25% full mark. This makes deliveries easy because they can pull up all of the deliveries in a designated area and just service those customers that meet a certain threshold in a geographic region, saving time, money and increasing efficiencies.”

The deployment expanded across more tanks in Retif’s seven state coverage region. To date, Retif has deployed thousands of tank monitors, many of which were installed by Retif personnel. Since deploying iTank, Retif has reduced the number of unnecessary deliveries by 48%, resulting in a net total in return-oninvestment of over $10,000 per month in delivery expenses alone.

Introducing a New Approach to IoT Platforms – end-to-end capability with nxFAST™ Numerex was early to recognize the changing nature of organizations’ demands for end-to-end IoT capabilities and has transformed itself from an M2M solution vendor to an IoT managed service provider. The focus of the company has evolved from discrete and independent products toward more hosted enablement services designed to free customers from many of the traditional complex challenges faced in deploying IoT solutions. At the heart of the company’s transformation is Numerex’s horizontally integrated platform called nxFAST. The nxFAST Platform combines over two decades

with device administration and abstraction to

of Numerex IoT expertise and development with a

enable rapid IoT solution development

modular, end-to-end, open architecture, which

capabilities with pre-integrated and productized

supports:

devices. nxFAST Gateway Services provide a

•

Fully integrated IoT managed solutions

productized, lightweight framework to quickly

•

Application enablement and device

combine new applications, networks and devices

management services

for rapid integration and deployment.

•

Enterprise Connection Management

•

Billing on behalf of Services

Additional important flexible abilities including

•

24x7 end-to-end tier 1, 2 and 3 support.

Bring Your Own Application (BYOA) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), all hosted on the robust,

nxFAST is a cloud-based, highly scalable,

Numerex multi-carrier network service.

geographically redundant system. It supports pre-packaged, hosted IoT vertical solutions ready

If a company has already partnered with one or

for rapid deployment by Numerex or its channel

more wireless service providers introducing

partners for security, asset tracking, asset

multiple operational processes for managing their

optimization, remote monitoring, public safety

IoT connections, nxFAST provides a solution for

and other vertical markets. Hosted managed

managing multi-carrier connectivity. Enterprise

solutions provide everything needed to ramp-up

Connection Management provides a single,

quickly including device support, issue resolution

common management system to simplify these

and warranty, fulfilment, billing data feeds and

processes while using the customer’s existing

24x7 tiered support. These offerings are

provider relationships. nxFAST also includes

essentially IoT-Solutions-as-a-Service (IoT SaaS).

several other enablement features such as billon-behalf, over 11 integrated wireless service

nxFAST Gateway Services combine robust APIs

offerings, and full end-to-end support at any level.

Conclusion Although substantial hype and confusion continues to exist as to what constitutes a real IoT platform, it is becoming clear that providing a single set of IoT-related capabilities does not make a supplier an IoT platform provider.

Significant cross-discipline, horizontal skills are required to create a true platform for IoT that encompasses device, network and application enablement and connectivity along with supporting systems and services.

Businesses who are looking to engage an IoT platform services provider would be well served to not have to buy those capabilities separately from different vendors, forcing them to have to maintain a series of different vendor relationships and require them to either integrate the different vendors’ offerings themselves or hire an integration vendor to do this for them. There’s an obvious inefficiency in creating additional work and increasing the number of vendors required to deliver IoT services for an organization.

However, cost is only one aspect of the value that IoT platforms can provide. Perhaps more critical is time to deployment and time to market. IoT platforms, because they have been created by experienced vendors, bring pre-integrated components together in a simple to understand package, backed by the appropriate systems and network capacity. This can enable a service to be initiated within days, rather than spending months assembling an army of solution vendors and then losing further time – most likely many months – integrating the different technologies and systems.

For technology organizations, this is a difficult task but many of the organizations deploying IoT

solutions are non-technical. It’s unreasonable to expect a fuel distribution company or a schools department or a healthcare service provider to invest in the expert IT resources such integrations require. This is particularly the case at this relatively early stage of the IoT market’s development when organizations need the freedom to experiment and to trial services without overloading them with high capex and opex.

Full service IoT platforms allow organizations to get services up and running with a high-grade technical foundation that sets up the organization for massive growth if successful but, at the same, does not require the significant upfront investment usually required when dealing with an inexperienced or incomplete IoT Platform or company.

IoT platforms therefore enable flexibility for companies. They enable companies to gain time as they accelerate their deployment and enable straightforward scaling up as service take-up occurs. In addition, they add simplicity by providing organizations with necessary functionality rather than a requirement to train personnel, acquire technology and work through integration headaches.

In other sectors, companies shy away from the notion of a platform provided by a single supplier amidst fears of vendor lock-in. IoT is different because the applications themselves are drawn from a wide ecosystem of developers, it’s the combined building blocks of device, gateway services and network connectivity management plus application enablement that provides a constant foundation and that’s where IoT platforms add their value. In the world of IoT platforms, one vendor/one solution is not the concern, it’s actually the value proposition.

Market data Data from ABI Research’s IoT Market Tracker,

annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33% over the

has uncovered that professional services are

2015-2021 forecast period, with annual

driving more than 40% of global IoT revenues

revenue reaching $1.6 billion in 2021.

today. Professional services consist of myriad service activities including mobile,

The widespread adoption of the Internet of

web and server-side application

Things (IoT) is driving platform as a service

development, IT and OT systems integration,

(PaaS) utilisation, according to Gartner. The

and consulting. However, by 2019, software

firm predicts that, by 2020, more than 50%

platforms and analytics services will each

percent of all new applications developed on

drive more revenues globally than

PaaS will be IoT-centric, disrupting

professional services in IoT markets.

conventional architecture practices.

Berg Insight estimates that total revenues

Research by Mind Commerce has projected

for third party IoT platforms will grow at a

that global IoT platform enabled revenue will

compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of

reach $9.1tn by 2021. The firm says IoT

32.2% from €450 million in 2014 to €2.4

Platform security solution revenue will

billion in 2020.

represent an $820bn opportunity by 2021 and general purpose IoT platforms will

A forecast from IoT Analytics sees the IoT

overtake purpose-built platforms

Platforms market growing at a compound

by 2020.

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