New Release of HPE Universal IoT Platform Increases Opportunities for Insights and Innovation
NOVEMBER 30, 2016 • BLOG POST
Using IoT devices at a fraction of the cost by becoming a mobile virtual network operator
The term Internet of Things (IoT) likely conjures images of smart cars or smart homes. But the possibilities for Internet-connected sensors transmitting data go far beyond that.
Consider IoT applications for agriculture. HPE is currently working with a palm plantation in Malaysia to optimize their operations with sensors and data-driven intelligence. To reach peak growth, palms require precise water consumption and growing conditions. To ensure those precise conditions, inexpensive IoT sensors are placed throughout the plantation to measure and track the exact amount of water each plant receives as well as humidity levels and other critical data needed to ensure maximum growth.
And the palm plantation isnt unique. It's easy to imagine how the same technology could be applied across industries to improve efficiencies. Although, "instead of the typical concern about strong connectivity, the plantation managers are more concerned about how to stop monkeys from stealing the sensors from the trees," jokes Nigel Upton, senior director at HPE.
So what do palm farmers and the companies selling smart appliances have in common? Both need a way to manage all of their IoT devices in a single dashboard. The HPE Universal IoT Platform enables operators to manage multiple sets of connected things while operating applications on machine-to-machine devices as well as process, analyze, and monetize collected data. With the HPE Universal IoT Platform, you can gather all of the data you need and have it delivered in an easily accessible format so you can focus on improving your business.
3 New Features of the HPE Universal IoT Platform
HPE recently released an updated version of the HPE Universal IoT Platform with three main new features:
- Lightweight M2M support –The real value of IoT devices is the ability to use the data collected to make informed decisions. But this ability is often hindered by the way the data is delivered - in different formats, and different data models, over different networks. HPE has solved this problem by adopting the OneM2M standard, which puts all of the data in the same format making the job of analyzing, comparing and acting on the data much easier.
The new release of the HPE Universal IoT Platform has support for a new lightweight version of OneM2M, called LWM2M, a light and compact protocol as well as an efficient resource data model designed for resource constrained devices that allows you to compile data faster. The result is the ability to use more devices to collect more information, which in turn allows you to make an even more accurate decision. The common data model gives you much better interoperability between services and devices to support multiple use cases and verticals.
- Expanded device management – Customers now have greater flexibility in the types of devices that they can manage with the HPE Universal IoT Platform. The solution now allows management of both subscriber identity module (SIM) and non-SIM-based devices across different systems, devices and applications. HPE also added a new portal that makes it even easier to keep track of all of your devices at the same time.
- Increased LoRa support – HPE found that many rapidly growing economies, such as that of India, want to use an IoT network for a large number of people with support for multiple LoRa gateways from different vendors. The added LoRa support in this version allows customers to use the same application, provisioning process and control over multiple gateways, meaning there are more ways for companies to use IoT and even expand use into locations without cell coverage.
Using IoT devices at a fraction of the cost by becoming a mobile virtual network operator
As with all new initiatives, cost is always a concern. HPE now helps businesses keep IoT operational costs even lower by offering mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) services. HPE builds a cost-effective core network for operators using virtualizing, low-cost systems and software-defined networks that are specifically designed for IoT. The network has only the features you need to run IoT, so you aren’t paying for services you don’t need such as voice. This approach results in a much lower cost network for new and existing operators to offer their IoT customers.
A quick glance around your home or office shows just how far IoT has come in the past decade. Most new products are now built with IoT in mind, and this pattern will accelerate in the coming years. “We are going to see super-fast innovation on the device level as well as consolidation on back-end platforms,” says Upton. “With the increase in data and amount of data formats, the heavy lifting required to make it all work is growing and will continue to grow. With HPE Universal IoT Platform and MVNE, your company can focus on growing revenue, minimizing internal resources, accelerating time-to-market, and serving customers instead of managing devices.”