In particular, the Networking the products (systems, machines, physical products) play a central role. Terms such as "Internet of Things", "Smart Connected Products" or "M2M" describe this concept. Ultimately, however, this is what it is all about, Collect usage data from the product and use it to optimize existing business processes (e.g. remote access to the machine in order to carry out an initial fault diagnosis) or from it completely. new market offers (e.g. to provide the customer with periodic reports showing the performance data of their machines).
The optimization of existing business processes and the redesign of our own core competencies through the use of IoT is therefore a important technological driver in companies. While the Internet of Things offers a multitude of opportunities and new possibilities, companies also face a number of important challenges. Not only the technical requirements must be clearly defined, but also the necessary technology modules (hardware, connectivity, IoT platform...) are evaluated so that the plan can be implemented.
A key technology component is a IoT platform (often referred to as middleware), as this is where the machine's usage data is aggregated and forms the basis for further services (e.g. for a web-based service). As an experienced IoT system integrator, we know that it is important for the customer to carry out this in-depth analysis task as objectively as possible so that they can make the best decision for themselves. In many cases, the customer's overriding question is: Make or buy? In order to be able to answer this question in a well-founded manner, it is important to analyze several potential IoT platforms. It then makes sense to compare these platforms with a possible in-house development for the customer. One sound analysis requires first and foremost Clear and transparent criteriawhich can be used to examine and evaluate the alternative solutions.
When entering the search term "IoT platform", Google currently finds more than 23 million results, while its competitor Bing has more than 55 million hits. These figures show that the topic of Product networking has a very high relevance has. As there are a large number of IoT platforms on the market and the technology is still relatively new, it is often very difficult for the customer to define, analyze and then evaluate relevant criteria.
IoT platforms - a brief overview
After a brief consideration, the following IoT platforms come to mind spontaneously:
- ThingWorx - The IoT platform from our partner PTC.
- Cumulocity - An M2M spin-off from Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN).
- Microsoft Azure (IoT Suite) - Microsoft also offers an IoT service with Azure.
- IBM Bluemix - Bluemix was released in June 2015.
- Google Cloud Platform - Of course, Google also offers an IoT service.
- EVRYTHNG - Founded in 2011 with offices in London, Zurich and NYC.
- Amazon - Amazon recently launched its service. It is still in the BETA stage.
- Carriots - A rather unknown provider in terms of name, Carriots offers a comprehensive set of functions.
This is just a small selection of the commercial solutions available on the market. There are also many other solutions based on open source, such as
- Eclipse IoT - "IoT needs open source to be successful"
- Kaa - Another IoT open source platform alongside Eclipse.
Functional and qualitative parameters as the basis for evaluating an IoT platform
In discussions with customers, we are often asked about the advantages and disadvantages of the individual solutions. Apart from the "price" factor, which we are deliberately ignoring at this point (there is often no standard price list from the platform provider, which makes it very difficult to make a transparent comparison), there are a large number of functional and qualitative parameters that are measurable and therefore assessable. Customer-specific requirements can therefore be weighted accordingly, enabling the customer to make the best decision for them. Through the Use of customer-relevant performance criteria ensures that IoT platforms are made comparable. The usual problem of comparing "apples with oranges" is thus largely avoided by using clear parameters and evaluation criteria for the purchase decision. At this point, of course, the price must also be included in the decision. Such an approach offers the customer a variety of added values:
- Planning security → the customer knows that he has chosen the optimum solution.
- Transparent decision-making process → the customer used clear parameters and criteria that were relevant for the decision-making process. This creates more trust in the company and makes it easier to get the relevant stakeholders in the company (e.g. the client, the IT department and the purchasing department) on board.
- Clear requirements → Beforehand, the company must think about what requirements there are in relation to the IoT platform and how important these are. This task alone ensures that the customer has clarity about the individual requirements.
Making an informed purchasing decision is in the interests of all stakeholders involved. It is therefore important to have as many relevant parameters as possible on the agenda and to evaluate them. The following table shows which areas of the company pursue which interests when selecting the right solution.
| Corporate Division | Interests |
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| IT department |
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| Purchasing |
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| Management |
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The large number of IoT platform providers as well as the various functional and qualitative requirements in combination with the relevant stakeholders in the company ensure that the Decision-making process for the purchase of an IoT platform is quite complex.
Read in the second part of the articlehow doubleSlash documents and structures the performance criteria that form the basis for the criteria catalog for IoT platforms.
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