A key goal of Industrial IoT practitioners is to design products and systems with IoT capabilities already ‘built in,’ or embedded. Sometimes this is a wholly new design, with IIoT as a consideration from the start. More often, it is an upgrade or adaption of an existing design or perhaps even a retrofit. In each instance, this means adding software and hardware capabilities that can support IIoT data models and processing as well as connectivity to the Internet. Unfortunately, achieving success with embedded IoT can be an exercise in frustration. Many existing embedded computing boards do not have sufficient memory and power or the proper means to achieve internet connectivity. To address this unmet need, Triotos has developed a better option: our ‘Embedded‘ Connected Product Monitoring, a solution built around modern embedded board technology, operating systems, and IIoT edge processing, that is easy to integrate with your existing software and hardware designs, and delivers meaningfully better performance.
Understanding the Challenge
Embedded computing boards performs core control, monitoring, and data processing in thousands of industrial products and systems. These products are supported by an industry of hardware and software suppliers providing anything from custom hardware, and software to more general-purpose designs based on standardized ‘motherboards’ running industrial operating systems, often Unix based, with well-defined connectivity. Sometimes they even offer slots for ‘add on’ daughter boards and modules. Converting these solutions to IoT can be challenging, especially with existing designs that were optimized ‘pre-IoT’ with little extra processing power and limited connectivity. Even some of the most advanced systems of that period, lack sufficient processing power and connectivity to support current requirements, particularly cloud based IoT.
‘Embedded’ Connected Product Monitoring – an Evolved Answer
What if there were a better way? Triotos has examined this challenge and developed an answer, the ‘Embedded’ Connected Product Monitoring Solution that can be implemented as an overlay, or integrated with existing embedded computing and connectivity. As the name implies this solution can be simply applied with or “overlaid” on an existing product without massive investment and integration costs.
An overlay solution addresses some of the most difficult challenges in delivering the most critical functions required for a successful IoT implementation.
First and foremost, it helps ensure delivery of IoT applications that actually meets the needs of users, whether product/system users, operational managers, technical support, business analysts, administrators, or executives. In other words, the applications are made available in the right format, on the right device, and with the right timely relevant actionable information that each user wants. In the specific case of converting industrial products and systems, Connected Product Monitoring Solution meets the requirement of being low-cost and easy to implement. It is a real solution, using industry standard software and hardware and interfaces.
Additionally, the Industrial IoT Connected Product Monitoring Solution delivers:
- An IoT data model and associated data gathering capabilities designed together with each customer and customized for that customer’s specific needs.
- Hardware and software designed for integration with existing or new solutions via embedded computing interfaces or IIoT agent software that can run on existing embedded boards. The hardware solution support LAN connectivity or high speed or cellular connectivity (LTE, LTE-M or NB-IoT)
- An IoT platform that handles all the data gathering, processing, and storage of the IoT data. A processing architecture that then processes and converts raw data to meaningful data, events, alarms, and information that can be used for applications, machine learning and analytics. And, of course, a processing architecture that uses edge processing available in IoT gateways/devices to optimize data flows and efficiency.
- A secure scalable application that will meet the customer’s needs today and for the foreseeable future.
In summary – an existing IoT solution that can be integrated with your existing designs or incorporated into new designs that offers compelling advantages in terms of cost, ease of implementation, and reliability.
Triotos Solution – Built on our Reference Architecture
Our Industrial IoT Reference Architecture is built around Amazon’s AWS IoT Core platform, edge processing software and associated applications/software for data management, time series storage & analytics, machine learning, and tools for information presentation as well as services for messaging and email. This also includes integration with existing enterprise software and tools where you currently keep track of assets.
On top of this we have created a complete set of applications for data/event monitoring, analytics, administration, and management of the IoT solution as well as user, device, and application provisioning. In addition to the extensive AWS IoT security architecture, we are integrated with AT&T’s extensive mobile offering for secure high speed and low speed data connectivity.
By starting with an already existing reference architecture augmented with tools for rapid development and integration we will bring up a complete IoT implementation for you in months instead of the typical year an internal effort would take. Working closely with your IoT team and using an agile approach we will start delivering your IoT applications, designed for your specific needs, in weeks rather than months. As we are already starting with a fully deployed reference architecture, we can do this at a very competitive price point and offer it as a solution owned by you or hosted on our AWS multi-tenant platform.
So, if you need to implement ‘Embedded Connected Product Monitoring Triotos can deliver, bringing you the complete IIoT solution you need for your business and customers.
