A wide-ranging, integrated approach to the creation of edge-to-app IoT connection solutions

TELIT WHITE PAPER MAY 2015

TELIT WHITE PAPER MAY 2015 2

The IoT (Internet of Things) is a wide-ranging development that is driving a new economic order. IoT solutions are having a profound impact on the way business is conducted as companies – large and small - are improving their competitive position and boosting profitability. The Telit IoT Engine is there to help drive this process. It powers the seamless connection and integration between ‘things’ and ‘apps’ – delivering operational efficiency, enhanced customer relations, insightful information based on real-time data and the enablement of new business models.

Telit’s role in this new economic order is to facilitate the creation of applications and enable fast deployment and life cycle management of the solutions. In a nutshell we mask the technology, so that our customers can focus on their core competence, which is knowledge of the information requirements of the market sector their solution will serve.

Executive summary

The IoT Engine: what is it? 3

The value chain 3

A comprehensive product portfolio 4

Connectivity services 4

Application enablement 5

M2M / IoT: the key differences 5

Conclusions 6

CONTENTS

TELIT WHITE PAPER MAY 2015 3

TELIT IoT ENGINEMost IoT and m2m deployments divide three distinct domains:

data acquisition, data communications, and data consumption. The IoT Engine combines all three into a seamless value chain that facilitates the delivery of robust, edge-to-app IoT connection solutions and minimizes time-to-market. Dissolving the links in the regular value chain is a development that Telit pioneered, but more significant has been the ability to create value-added services that leverage the synergy that was established between the domains.

Data is normally acquired via hardware devices into which machine communication modules are integrated. These devices are the “Things” in the IoT. They monitor and measure the many physical parameters that surround us, e.g. temperature, pressure, humidity, location, etc., as well as event data like a moving machine part or a door opening.

Data is normally communicated over a wireless network to information systems, typically in a public or private cloud, where it is processed into real-time, actionable information. The IoT Engine provides customized network connectivity as well as a suite of value-added services that enable data management from the edge devices through to the cloud and into business systems such as Business Intelligence (BI) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Modules and wireless services are a means to an end, which is the creation and deployment of applications. The latter is delivered by an Application Enablement Platform that is offered as a service (PaaS), which in Telit’s case was specifically designed for the diverse nature of devices and architectures that characterize the IoT. Features include a simple “pay-as-you-grow” usage-based subscription plan as well as comprehensive management and configuration capabilities.

In a nutshell the Telit IoT Engine leverages a portfolio of products, value added wireless services and a cloud-centric application enablement platform. This combination is designed to cut costs, minimize technical risk and accelerate time to market by enabling companies to focus on the creation of solutions for the market sector they will serve.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and in the past that was an issue because solutions were fragmented. Different vendors provided the relevant product or service for a single domain; for example, Telit’s early expertise was primarily in the data acquisition domain.

Expertise in the communications domain came via the acquisition of Global Connect, but what set that development apart was the joint recognition that a brand-new set of value-added connectivity services could be provided by tight, seamless integration with cellular modules. Telit bought into that vision and the official launch of those services took place in early 2014, the key market differentiator at that time being seamless managed connectivity over Telefónica’s wireless network. This facility has been extended to other leading mobile network operators, e.g. Tele2.

Expertise in the data processing domain came as the result of a second acquisition, that of ILS Technology. In this case the key development was the ability to extend connectivity to the cloud, either private or public. This allowed Telit to offer, edge-to-application solutions: one end being the modules that are integrated in devices in the field, the other being an enterprise’s corporate information systems. Moreover the offer comprises a comprehensive range of data-integration services having robust application enablement and a manage-ment platform.

The first development allowed Telit to become a service provider; the second moved the company up the value chain, which allowed the company to become a solution provider. However, our customers create the solutions that we provide. The Telit IoT Engine facilitates the creation of m2m and IoT solutions, which it does by allowing application developers to leverage the functionality and value-added services of our next-generation value chain.

The IoT Engine: what is it?

The value chain

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Modules are the 24/7 beating heart of the applications so it is hard to overstate the importance of these hardware compo-nents. Telit is the leading vendor in the Industrial Internet sector, having a comprehensive portfolio of multi-technology products. However, in addition to the size of the multi-technology portfolio the company has pioneered a number of leading-edge developments. For example: enabling modules to function as programmable operational environments; ensuring backwards compatibility; all products in a family have the same form factor and functionality; and cloud-ready modules that enable seamless transfer of data between devices and the cloud.

Value-added connectivity services require agreements with mobile network operators. These services were introduced in EMEA early 2012, following a strategic partnership agreement with Telefónica, and in the US in 2013 agreements with AT&T, Rogers and Sprint were finalized following the acquisition of CrossBridge Solutions.

Telit’s flexible portfolio of mobile services divides into three areas. In addition to basic services, there is the first industrial-scale Mobile Device Management service based on the module. The third area is a platform of value-added services that provide usage and billing insights on the fly. They include:

�� �Aware is a cloud based connectivity Network Operation Center. This service enables customers of any size to gain real-time access to connectivity monitoring and control functions, even in roaming situations.

�� �Analyzer is a portal and framework for analyzing the per formance of deployments. With Analyzer companies can troubleshoot their "Things" on a hardware level. In addition this service delivers ground-based geo-positions without the need for a GPS positioning device.

�� �Switch enables on-the-fly proactive changes of a roaming network provider at the "Thing" level and/or a selection of multiple "Things". In addition it allows connectivity to be restored if the service provider experiences radio service degradation in roaming conditions.

� �Here is a ground-based geo-positioning service that does not need a GPS positioning device. This service obtains the approximate location, both indoors and outdoors. In also provides positioning by tri-angulating cell towers.

� �Intelligence is a portal that provides insights into the barriers and costs associated with roaming across mobile networks (for data, text messages and voice). The service enables better control of the bill of material (BOM) without having to wait for the end-of-the month invoice bill. Intelli-gence can generate usage and financial reports on the fly.

Services are a core component of Telit’s DNA and new services are being introduced at regular intervals. For example, in Q1 2015 the company announced that it is partnering with Redbend to deliver end-to-end software management for Telit module and service customers. In a nutshell, services represent Telit’s future as well as that of the m2m/IoT industry.

A comprehensive product portfolio

Connectivity services

POSITIONING

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POSITIONING

GNSS

CELLULAR

WWAN

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SHORT TOLONG RANGE RF

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PRODUCTS

MOBILE

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Managing business in a more connected world requires the ability to adjust in real-time to a limitless amount of data and millions of live signals from devices and machines. Therefore, data consumption – in addition to data acquisition and data connectivity – is an essential function in any end-to-end IoT solution.

Telit’s application enablement platform is a do-it-yourself cloud service that simplifies the creation of IoT applications – from simple dashboards to big data analytics.

From a single, easy-to-use management portal, businesses can connect, collect, control any ‘thing’, manage devices remotely, perform network provisioning, and store unlimited amounts of data in the cloud.

Telit’s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offers a simple, low cost, usage-based subscription plan that enables a “pay-as-you-grow” model – from prototyping, to basic entry-level solutions and enterprise-grade global deployments.

Unfortunately there is no commonly accepted, precise definition of the IoT, which comes from the complexity and breadth of the concept. In addition there is a lot of misleading media hype that can lead to confusion between m2m and the IoT.

Regular m2m applications monitor parameters coming from one device that transfers the data directly to a single application, i.e. solutions are point-to-point. They are so-called silo solu-tions that operate in vertical industries such as utilities, home automation, agriculture and healthcare.

IoT allows multiple device types, monitoring a variety of assets, to interact with each other and with a diverse range of applications and stakeholders: solutions are multipoint. IoT should therefore be seen as an evolutionary, complementary development that operates in a new, horizontal environment that cross connects vertical solutions.

Application Enablement

m2m/IoT: the key differences

MOBILECLOUD

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The IoT Engine is a game changing development, as this short paper has outlined. Businesses rely on intelligent application of technology and on a constant pace of evolution in the informa-tion systems on which they base corporate decision-making. Therefore it is hard to overstate the importance of leading edge IoT solutions and the significant benefits they deliver. For example, edge-to-cloud data connections that improve logistics, fore casting, billing, manufacturing and other business processes, thereby improving a company’s competitive position and boosting its profitability.

Conclusions

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www.telit.com

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