Waiting for the 'Fog Computing' moment!

By Oozi Cats

In the 80s, the PC disrupted Information Systems Management at the enterprise, resulting in one of history’s most significant jump in pace of productivity gains across all sectors of the economy. Today we are about to witness another such jump – but one that has the potential of being an order of magnitude more significant than its predecessor from 30 years ago.

As advanced as Information Systems (IS) have become inside the enterprise, they still rely on remote, external data from the edge of an enterprise’s operations, which can come from historical averages or from human intervention. The Internet of Things (IoT) is about to change all that as it intersects with the "Fog Computing" movement, which connects every information asset directly to enterprise information systems, no matter how remote the location or how small its size.

Given its magnitude and scope, the arrival of this new development could disrupt the company’s Management information Systems (MIS). The CEO, his peers, and other managers will want to reach out and obtain the new information coming from the edge of the network. Decision making is tough, particularly the corporate process of translating strategic planning into tactical execution. Therefore, staying focused on the company’s core business and on the productivity strategy is the best course of action. For enterprise users of the new data, the IoT connection between edge assets and enterprise IT might feel like plugging in a physical network patch cable: one connection on the edge side and the other on the enterprise services side, whether it's the cloud or a server. We can visualize this connection, as a chain of chevrons where each represents a distinct element – a service or a product – that is needed to make the connection functional, safe and manageable for enterprise grade applications.

One Stop One Shop- Connecting Edge Assets:-

With all the technology and services that are available to connect anything to anything available, and the economic scale of productivity gains that can be realized by connecting enterprise IS to things and processes outside the corporation, it is difficult to reconcile the observed uptake with the benefits. The reason is the inherent complexity in this connection. This is something that leading industry players like Telit, Google and many others have been working hard to address. At the beginning of 2014 Telit launched the ONE STOP. ONE SHOP. Delivery model, which simplified IoT connectivity. In November 2014 Telit and Google announced the “IoT Big Data Challenge”, an initiative designed to harmonize the IoT-cloud ecosystem. After obtaining massive amounts of people and people machine data, Google is now looking to accelerate the collection and business activation of IoT data.

Hardware Solution Modules:

In the late 90s, innovators who understood the productivity enhancing power of connected remote assets started stripping first-generation cell phones and turning them into data communication modules that were embedded in numerous devices like vending machines and fleet trackers. Therefore, it is fair to say that the connected asset revolution began at the edge, as these stripped cell phones enabled a basic two-way communication channel between IS and remote business devices. Therefore the first chevron in figure 1 is the longest established solution area of the OSOS, the cellular module.

Edge devices are either mobile or fixed. In either case, once a remote asset can register and exchange data via the mobile network, it will typically require hardware for geo-positioning awareness and/ or wireless connectivity to devices and accessories within its local area, short-range network. In figure 1 they are represented by the next two chevrons: the Short Range Wireless and GNSS module solution areas of the OSOS.

Value-added, Plat form as a Service, Connectivity and Software Management Services:

The chevron that follows represents the solution area of the OSOS dedicated to the connectivity and value added services required for provisioning, operating and maintaining edge devices. Cost overruns and other operational issues in this area can become catastrophic for the enterprise in a matter of hours. The next chevron represents the solution area of the OSOS that is most visible and closest to the enterprise CIO when connecting edge devices – application enablement, cloud and enterprise integration. Now that data can flow to and from edge devices, its value must be leveraged by applications designed to align it with the business logic of the enterprise systems. Furthermore, this data must be collected, transferred and stored in absolute security and be encapsulated in the proper formats and protocols in order to become an integral part of enterprise information systems from IBM, SAP, Oracle, or others.

This solution area has recently grown in importance to CIOs, the media and analysts since the deployment of ever larger sets of edge devices highlights the need for standardization, harmonization and scalability – all of which are driving factors behind the idea that lead to the Google-Telit initiative. The quick pace of evolution in business processes coupled with the need to reduce the risk of obsolescence means that, whenever possible, functionality should be implemented in software, not hardware. The following chevron represents the solution area of the OSOS dedicated to management of software and firmware running on edge devices. The ability to support software revision control & inventory, perform update & roll-back maintenance on a single module or on an entire deployment is just as crucial a requirement for edge devices as it is for devices inside the enterprise.

Support Services: Getting the edge device from its starting point as a standalone, disconnected product to an environment where it is integrated, sending and receiving data requires substantial support. The next chevron in the OSOS solution area is dedicated to full project assistance, which is available to the various groups in the enterprise and/ or its partners who are responsible for specifying, designing, certifying, testing, and deploying the devices. This area includes support for processes that can make or break a project.

Logistics and Quality Assurance: The final chevron in our OSOS chain represents services related to quality assurance and delivery of products and services that support the manufacture and deployment of connected edge devices. There are numerous models adopted by IS management when it comes to deployment of solutions, ranging from all in-house (OEM) to outsourced manufacturing, outsourced design (ODM), to total project outsourcing. These different models may involve a different number of organizations (regionally and functionally) that are responsible for parts of the project, ranging from specification to manufacturing, deployment and field support. The ability to apply elements of the OSOS to the total project, irrespective of the makeup and number of partners adopted by the enterprise, is a critical.

The Internet of Things Made Plug and Play for the Enterprise: It is critical to understand the importance of making this connection achieve plug and play simplicity, even if there are system integrators and other partners involved in the solution.

By now, with the exceptional rise in popularity of the IoT over the past few years, it is a foregone conclusion that both established and new solution providers and system integrators servicing the enterprise market have already aligned with one or more vendors for the elements we have described.

Multi-vendor sourcing of solutions in the chevron chain is, however, not easy. Many technical and business areas need to be aligned and harmonized. Alignment and harmonization will take time. Meanwhile improvements in standards, driven by organizations like GSMA, TIA, GCF, OneM2M and others, as well as advancements in technologies like LTE, will keep making it easier for the enterprise IT organization to implement solutions in a similar way to that of connecting device via Wi-Fi.

Right now multivendor sourcing of the chevron elements that to connect to the IoT, results in more downside than upside potential for the end result. As the CIO, the decision is yours. Make it another successful one – simply prescribe to your organization and providers the need to “Connect my edge assets using the Telit OSOS”.

Short Range Takes on a Far-reaching Role in the IoT

2014 saw the final move of the manufacturing of our short range modules to our large-scale production facilities in Asia. This enabled us to service a much broader range of customers and applications as short range technologies continue to rise in relevance with the increase in hybrid wireless architectures brought about by the wave of innovation in the IoT.

2015 and Beyond: By growth, we mean not only financial results for those of us traditionally in the space but also the relative success experienced by quite a number of innovators within the avalanche of entrants into our industry.

All shapes and sizes of companies from Google to small startups have moved quickly to stake a claim in the IoT. And as much as it has been a dynamic ride so far, this will soon pale in comparison to substantially more exciting times from here onward.

We will be riding the crest of the IoT wave and continue executing with relentless passion the strategy we stated years ago of making the Internet of things Plug and Play for Enterprise, automotive OEMs, system integrators and all other providers in the space.

Oozi Cats

The author is global CEO at Telit Wireless Solution.