M2M will migrate to the cloud and become part of integrated enterprise environments. Standards have been agreed that will enable this development: it’s a question of when, not if. However, Viewbiquity (News - Alert) has developed an innovative, flexible hybrid solution that delivers the basic cloud promise in any open environment —and for an encore it does VoIP.
I covered my take on the enabling standards in “
M2M Moving Forward via ETSI Standards”, so there is no need to go over the same ground. Nor am I going to rehash the business case for “M2M in the Cloud”. It’s covered on
Viewbiquity’s informative, hype-free site. Instead I want to consider the merits of this hybrid concept and outline how it works. And it is working for several organizations in the US, but right now the company has not released the names, so watch this space.
The concept isn’t complicated, but the best way to “get it” is to take it one step at a time. Initially I didn’t and I was confused for a while.
Step 1: The requisite technology for full M2M in the cloud solutions isn’t in place. What Viewbiquity has done is to divide server functionality between the cloud and the local level (see figure 1). A similar division is made in ETSI’s (News - Alert) high-level architecture.
The hosted server enables a single Network Operations Center (NOC) to manage multiple sites and monitor the network performance while supporting multiple devices, applications and resources. In a nutshell, it does the heavy lifting.
Step 2: The applications run on one or several off-the-shelf computers. They function as a local application server that communicates with the cloud. In addition, the local server (or servers) connects to input and output devices, which can include sensors as well as stand-alone M2M solutions and IP PBXs. These solutions can operate independently or in concert with an application server that’s in the cloud. Operation is secure and execution is behind a firewall. This is a very interesting concept and it took a while before I got my head around it.
Step 3: The client interface is the customer-facing portal. It gives users real-time visibility into monitored and controlled business processes and activities via the Internet. It is the way users interface with Viewbiquity applications.
That’s the basic picture: the way the solution is architected.
Figure 1. Viewbiquity’s Cloud Interface (VCI) is a hybrid solution that enables remote management through universal connectivity of geographically disparate devices and processes.
Say hello to open systems
Right now M2M applications run on proprietary middleware platforms (they disappear in the ETSI’s industry-standard, high-level architecture). In VCI the apps run on regular servers and are created using a combination of JavaScript and HTTP APIs plus a library of device templates.
The APIs enable easy, fast development of new applications and technologies in order to meet ever-changing customer requirements. Templates make it easy for manufacturers and developers to integrate products (e.g. sensors and stand-alone M2M solutions) into the local application server. Developers can use them for free, customized them, and also create their own templates and offer them to the open-source community for free or make a charge.
Open-source is the antithesis of proprietary and it’s what ICT demands. M2M has been amazingly successful, but the days of proprietary platforms and stovepipe solutions are limited.
VoIP: The encore
My initial reaction to the integration of voice and video into the same platform as M2M apps was mixed. Nice to have but why would you want it? My take on integration had been limited to the ability to update business processes like CRM and ERP with real-time data from the field.
I found the answer on the “End Users” part of the site. It goes like this:
Consider a simple vertical solution that monitors refrigeration equipment and issues an alarm when the temperature reaches a set point. A manager receives this alarm and tells somebody to go and resolve the issue.
A horizontally integrated solution could leverage existing communications assets in order to make this a more efficient process. For example, the alert message is issued together with data from the energy management system, which indicates that the hardware is functioning properly. However, live video from the security system indicates that the door of the refrigeration unit has been left open.
The integrated VoIP system opens a communication link with a nearby intercom, which allows the manager to instruct someone on site to close the door. Verification that the door has been closed is confirmed on video.
The non-integrated solution simply provided an alert. The integrated solution provided the alert, analysis, had the capability to resolve the issue and file a report within seconds. There it added value to the existing communications assets: the video security and VoIP systems.
There’s a lot to like in this hybrid cloud solution and in my opinion it has extended the concept via the ability to integrate legacy assets such as vertical M2M solutions (fleet management in figure 1) and communications systems (IP PBXs).
Bob Emmerson (News - Alert) is TMC's European Editor. To stay abreast of the latest news affecting the European market, check out Bob's columnist page.
Edited by
Jennifer Russell