Introduction

In the expansive realm of the Internet of Things (IoT), seamless and efficient communication is paramount. As industries evolve to become smarter and more interconnected, the role of IoT protocols becomes increasingly critical. MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) and OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) are two of the foremost protocols spearheading this advancement in industrial and automation sectors. Their robustness, flexibility, and security features make them indispensable in today’s IoT ecosystem. This article series will explore each protocol in depth, illustrating their importance and functionalities, and why they are considered foundational components of IoT communications.

Understanding MQTT

History and Origin

Developed in 1999 by Andy Stanford-Clark of IBM and Arlen Nipper of Cirrus Link (formerly Arcom), MQTT was originally created to support connections with remote oil pipelines over satellite networks, which required a highly efficient messaging system. The protocol’s design was specifically tailored to conserve bandwidth and ensure reliable message delivery in environments with limited connectivity, making it an ideal choice for various telemetry applications.

Core Concepts and Architecture

MQTT is fundamentally built on a publish/subscribe messaging pattern. This architecture is facilitated by a central broker that manages all message transmissions. Clients, which can be either publishers or subscribers, connect to the broker. Publishers send messages to the broker, tagging them with a topic, and subscribers receive messages by subscribing to these topics.

Broker

The broker is the heart of MQTT’s architecture. It is responsible for receiving all messages, filtering them, determining who is interested, and then publishing those messages to subscribed clients. This decoupling of publishers and subscribers allows the network to efficiently scale to a large number of distributed systems.

Publisher/Subscriber Model

The publisher/subscriber model eliminates the need for direct connections between devices, which enhances scalability and reduces system complexity. This model is particularly effective in IoT scenarios where many devices need to send data to multiple consumers who may have different data requirements.

Topics and Message Structure

• Topics: In MQTT, topics are used to route messages from publishers to subscribers. The topic namespace is hierarchical and resembles a filesystem path structure, which allows for expressive and flexible topic filtration.
• Message Structure: MQTT messages are composed of three parts:
• Fixed header: Contains essential metadata about the message, such as the message type and the QoS level.
• Variable header: Optional and context-specific, includes elements like topic name and packet identifier.
• Payload: The actual data being sent, which can be up to 256 MB in size.

Key Features

• Quality of Service (QoS): MQTT offers three levels of QoS to cater to different delivery guarantees:
• QoS 0 (At most once): Best-effort delivery without confirmation.
• QoS 1 (At least once): Ensures the message arrives at least once.
• QoS 2 (Exactly once): Guarantees message delivery exactly once.
• Last Will and Testament (LWT): This feature is crucial for detecting and responding to client disconnections from the broker. A client can specify a will message that the broker will send to interested parties if it disconnects ungracefully.

Advantages and Use Cases

MQTT’s lightweight packet structure and efficient distribution mechanism make it highly suitable for environments with limited network bandwidth. Its use cases are broad, covering:

• IoT applications where devices periodically send data like temperature or status updates.
• Implementations requiring real-time updates and alerts, such as security systems and vehicle tracking.

Ideal Scenarios for MQTT Usage

• Telemetry: Data collection from field devices such as in agriculture for monitoring soil moisture.
• Home Automation: Controlling lights, locks, and other home systems remotely.

Case Studies Highlighting MQTT Implementation

Industries like manufacturing and healthcare have leveraged MQTT to enhance operational efficiency and patient care. For example, MQTT has been used to monitor manufacturing equipment to predict maintenance needs and in healthcare settings to manage asset tracking of medical equipment.

Demystifying OPC UA

Historical Context and Development

OPC UA was developed by the OPC Foundation as a successor to the original OPC (OLE for Process Control) standards, which were tied to Windows operating system platforms and dependent on Microsoft’s COM/DCOM technologies. Recognizing the need for a platform-independent, more secure, and scalable architecture, the OPC Foundation introduced OPC UA in 2006. This new protocol was designed to support complex data types and offer a secure and reliable communication framework suitable for the demands of industrial automation.

Core Concepts and Architecture

OPC UA is more than just a protocol; it is a comprehensive framework for data exchange and a machine-to-machine communication paradigm in industrial automation. Unlike MQTT, which primarily focuses on data transport, OPC UA also emphasizes data modeling, which is crucial for representing the semantics and metadata of information.

Server/Client Model

• Server: In OPC UA, the server provides data to clients and offers interfaces for clients to interact with it. It handles all aspects of the data management, security, and communications.
• Client: The client consumes the data provided by the server and can also send commands or write data back to the server, depending on the permissions set by the system.

Information Modeling in OPC UA

One of OPC UA’s standout features is its robust information modeling capabilities, which allow it to not only transport data but also describe what the data represents. This is essential in industrial applications where understanding the context of data is as important as the data itself.

• Nodes and References: At its core, OPC UA represents data as nodes, which can be objects, variables, or methods. These nodes are interconnected by references, which can represent hierarchical relationships or data flows.
• Address Space: OPC UA utilizes a structured address space that contains nodes representing all data and services accessible from the server. This approach allows clients to discover data and functionalities dynamically and interact with them in a standardized way.

Key Features

• Platform Independence: Unlike its predecessors, OPC UA is platform-agnostic, capable of running on any system from embedded microcontrollers to cloud-based servers.
• Built-in Security Mechanisms: OPC UA offers comprehensive security features, including encryption, authentication, and user control, making it suitable for critical industrial applications.
• Data Encryption and Authentication: These features ensure that data is not only secure during transmission but also that the entities exchanging information are verified.

Advantages and Use Cases

OPC UA’s sophisticated information modeling and security features make it ideal for complex industrial automation tasks where multiple systems need to interact seamlessly and securely.

• Industry 4.0 and Smart Factories: OPC UA is crucial in the context of Industry 4.0, where it facilitates interoperability among various devices and systems within smart factories.
• Energy Management: OPC UA is used in energy management systems for efficient monitoring and control of electrical systems across grids.

Real-world Examples of OPC UA in Action

Several industrial automation giants have adopted OPC UA to enhance connectivity and automation in their processes. For instance, major automotive manufacturers use OPC UA for device interoperability and to streamline their production lines, enhancing real-time data exchange and system interoperability.

MQTT vs. OPC UA

Below is a detailed comparison of MQTT and OPC UA presented in a tabular format, highlighting their primary characteristics, advantages, and typical use cases to facilitate a clear understanding of when and why each might be preferred in different IoT environments.

Comparative Table: MQTT vs. OPC UA

This table summarizes the distinct aspects and capabilities of MQTT and OPC UA, helping to clarify the scenarios in which each protocol excels. MQTT is generally better suited for less complex, high-volume, and resource-constrained environments. In contrast, OPC UA is tailored for industrial applications where detailed data modeling, robust security, and reliable communications are paramount.

When selecting a protocol, consider the specific demands of your application, including data complexity, required security level, network stability, and scalability needs. This comparison should serve as a guide to making an informed decision that aligns with the technical requirements and goals of your IoT or IIoT deployment.

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The ETSI committee on Methods for Testing and Specifications (TC MTS) has recently completed a first set of seven standards addressing the testing of the IoT MQTT and CoAP protocols, and the foundational security IoT-Profile.

Axel Rennoch, Chair of the ETSI working group Testing in TC MTS, says:

“These new standards fill the gaps for the quality assessment of some of the most relevant communication protocols and system requirements of today’s industrial IoT systems using standardized testing techniques from ETSI.”

The ETSI TS 103 596 series provides an overall test suite structure and catalogue of test purposes for the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP). It can serve as a reference for both client-side test campaigns and server-side test campaigns. Part 1 specifies the conformance issues, part 2 the security issues and part 3 the performance issues.

The ETSI TS 103 597 series provides an overall test suite structure and catalogue of test purposes for the MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT). It is also divided into three different parts for conformance, security and performance testing.

ETSI TS 103 646 specifies testing for selected security requirements as known in the IEC 6244-4-2 standard. The chosen requirements have been collected by defining a dedicated IoT profile. The resulting IoT profile represents a generic minimum level of security for IoT devices.

All Test purpose catalogues have been produced using the Test Description Language (TDL-TO) specified in ETSI ES 203 119-4. The TDL-TO library modules corresponding to the Test purpose catalogue are contained in an archive which accompanies the standards. The TDL-TO developments have been achieved using the TDL Open Source Project (TOP), which is a free tool supported by ETSI members to write and validate TDL code.

The work of the ETSI MTS Committee testing group (TST) has been considered by active Open Source projects currently hosted by the Eclipse foundation: IoT-Testware. It includes Test purposes in TDL-TO but also TTCN-3 test code developments which are important for test campaign executions in test labs. Due to this cooperative work, organizations are now able to execute MQTT and CoAP tests programs based on standardized test purpose catalogues released by ETSI.

The MTS Testing (TST) working group develops studies, guidelines, test catalogues and test specifications for specific ICT technologies that are not already covered by other ETSI groups. Testing can include, but is not limited to, conformance, interoperability, security and performance testing.

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MachNation has just published a quantitative whitepaper comparing the in-lab performance of LwM2M and MQTT protocols on a typical Internet of Things (IoT) device.

By choosing the right technology protocol, IoT developers will help enterprises bring their IoT solutions to market faster, save ongoing development and management costs, and future-proof their IoT solutions.

One of the most important technology protocols is the one that facilitates platform-to-device communications and, in some cases, supports management of IoT devices. LwM2M and MQTT are two of the most common protocols that enterprise IoT developers consider to solve these challenges.

To help developers and enterprises make fact-based choices when selecting technology, MachNation, with technology support from AT&T and AVSystem, designed and completed a set of hands-on tests to investigate the relative efficiencies of LwM2M and MQTT protocols.

Key whitepaper findings

1. LwM2M showed efficiency and performance benefits over MQTT in almost all in-lab test categories.

LwM2M shows efficiency and performance benefits over MQTT in almost all test categories including amounts of data transferred during the initial device-to-platform connection (or after device reboot), the steady ongoing state of a device connection, device observations at 2 updates per minute, and a single platform-to-device message push.

In addition, a LwM2M-equipped device consumes less power than a similarly-equipped MQTT device irrespective of the update interval, although it is possible that such differences stem from the device client framework rather than protocol used.

Finally, LwM2M requires more forethought during the design and development process, but yields several important technical advantages.

MQTT shows slight efficiency and performance benefits over LwM2M in the amount of data transferred during an OTA firmware update.

LwM2M vs MQTT – measured :

• LwM2M is 72% more efficient than MQTT at delivering data during the initial connection between IoT device and platform.
• LwM2M is 17% more efficient than MQTT at delivering data during a single platform-to-device message.
• However, MQTT is 4% more efficient than LwM2M at delivering data during an over-the-air (OTA) firmware update.

2. MQTT is more readily available, easier to procure, and easier to trial than LwM2M.

MQTT is easier and faster to deploy on an IoT device, though allows many important device integration questions to go unresolved during initial deployment and roll-out, possibly creating unknown, future costs for enterprises.

For enterprises that are looking to quickly and easily create a proof-of-concept (POC), today’s ecosystem around MQTT makes it much easier than the ecosystem around LwM2M.

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New integration allows even highly constrained devices to connect securely and deliver data to IBM Watson AI.

SORACOM, Inc., the leading provider of cloud connectivity-as-a-service for the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced the release of new integration capability designed to allow direct collaboration with the IBM Watson IoT Platform, a fully managed, cloud-hosted service that makes it simple to derive value from IoT devices.

The IBM Watson IoT Platform brings real-time insight to IoT data with powerful AI-based capabilities including Watson Cognitive Analysis, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing.

Soracom’s cloud-native IoT platform provides secure cellular and LPWA connectivity designed for ease of integration with leading cloud services. Beginning today, users of the platform’s SORACOM Beam service will be able to send data directly to devices registered in IBM Watson IoT using MQTT.

Normally, transmission of data from devices to IBM Watson IoT Platform using MQTT Publish requires credentials such as Organization ID, Device Type, Device ID and authentication tokens to be set on the device side. Since this data also needs to be encrypted from the device side for security, devices must have sufficient memory and power to handle both onboard credentialing and the larger data transmissions required for encrypted communication.

SORACOM Beam allows all necessary credentials to be managed in the cloud, with no impact on device resources. MQTT data can be automatically converted to MQTTS, ensuring secure communication with IBM Watson IoT Platform while minimizing data transferred from the device, and devices connected using Soracom can be uniquely identified by IMSI.

By managing settings, permissions, and credentials from the cloud, this integration makes it possible for even highly resource-constrained devices to benefit from the powerful cognitive, analytical and data-management capabilities of the IBM Watson IoT platform.

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Cumulocity takes a leading role in the evolution of the lightweight MQTT messaging protocol to improve its applicability for the IoT.

In addition, the Cumulocity IoT platform now has native support for MQTT allowing customers to take advantage of the ability to communicate seamlessly and consistently out-of-the-box.

Today, IoT standardisation is slowly crystallising with a wide breadth of protocols vying to be commonly adopted. Since its creation in 1999, the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol has morphed into a protocol well suited for communication to IoT devices with limited processing, battery and communication resources. In 2014 the stewardship of the MQTT protocol was handed over to the Oasis Alliance, a not-for-profit consortium which is managing open standards for the global information society, and it has recently been approved for release by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Cumulocity believes that open standards are fundamental to the success of IoT and the exploitation of its benefits within organisations. As such, Cumulocity actively tracks numerous evolving protocols and techniques, has been an early adopter of many open standards and has developed its own open publicly documented versions where none were available, such as SmartREST and Cloud Field Bus. In joining the Oasis Alliance, Cumulocity will ensure that version 5.0 of the MQTT specification incorporates the considerable experience it has gained working with numerous global customers. Specifically, that the specification incorporates the necessary plug-and-play and scalability approaches required by modern IoT deployments.

The Cumulocity IoT Platform is open, publically documented and easy to extend with plug-ins and applications. The native support for version 3.1.1 of MQTT provides our customers with a faster, less resource-intensive and more flexible implementation of the standard compared to a MQTT broker based deployment, with the reassurance that the feature will have commercial level support and will continue to be evolved with the platform.

“As the leading independent IoT platform provider we actively track the myriad of evolving technologies and techniques within IoT and support those that deliver measurable benefit to our customers”, said Bernd Gross, CEO of Cumulocity.

“We are pleased to join the Oasis Alliance to pursue the continued evolution of the MQTT standard and incorporate its native adoption into our IoT platform. The native implementation further simplifies IoT solutions by eliminating unnecessary software components and enabling faster, more reliable and scalable solutions.”

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iSocket Systems introduced the prototype of the world’s first “Thread with Cellular” module for DIY electronics at the IoT Connect Show in ExCel London today.

This module uses secure cellular and Thread technologies to connect literally anything in the home via a cellular network.

iSocket Systems recently announced their new ecosystem for cellular connected homes that adopts the new Thread protocol. The CECO HOME project has already achieved recognition from companies such as Nest, Samsung, Yale, and other members of the Thread Group who declared iSocket Systems the Q3 Winners of the Innovation Enable Program in November 2015. The company has also been declared IoT HEROES 2016 in the IOT / M2M Innovation World Cup 2015/16 and shortlisted as a finalist at The WTS 2016 Awards.

The new CECO MODULE from iSocket Systems allows users to connect to virtually anything in a home or outside the home, regardless of the location or Internet availability. Built-in software and Open API are essential parts of the new ecosystem and the new module will also have embedded software and supports MQTT protocol for integration with the IBM Bluemix platform or any other MQTT servers.

“You don’t need to know how to program micro controllers,” said Denis Sokol, CEO of iSocket Systems.

“This module is supplied with built-in software to support all major features demanded in a Smart Home. You just build your own hardware solution and use smart software where we already predict most of the features you would like to see. We have extensive experience in Smart Homes and know customers’ expectations.”

iSocket Systems designed CECO MODULE in an unusual hexagonal shape with a Thread antenna onboard and connectors for external 3G and GPS antennas. CECO MODULE is not locked to work with any one operator – it is an open project for the public that will support any 3G mobile operator around the world. The module has a slot for a micro SIM card located alongside the new generation USB 3.1 Type C connector.

This module will be a part of the new CECO ecosystem where developers can build a service around the product quickly, even without knowledge of the hardware part.

The main goal of the company now is to gather a community for their Kickstarter plans and get input from the community about additional features for this module and supplementary Thread modules.

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Version 3.1 extends policy and security enablement to the MQTT protocol to add support for millions of M2M devices.

Cryptosoft, the leader in policy driven authentication and encryption services for connected IoT and M2M devices, today announced the availability of the latest version of the Cryptosoft platform. V3.1 sees the introduction of critical new functionality to enable the secure transfer of data from IoT devices throughout the ecosystem.

Cryptosoft’s market-leading, policy-based authentication and data protection technology has been extended to support the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (‘MQTT’) protocol, widely regarded as a leading communication standard for the ‘Internet of Things’. By adding support for MQTT within the Cryptosoft Gateway Agent, customers are now able to transparently secure data payloads from the edge of the IoT ecosystem, right back to the relevant, authorised application.

The Cryptosoft platform, by transparently processing data at the MQTT protocol layer, enables customers to add comprehensive, policy driven, data encryption services to their existing IoT workflows without re-wiring applications or current data flows.

Jon Penney, CTO and Founder, Cryptosoft, said:

“The introduction of support for MQTT is an important step in the evolution of the Cryptosoft Platform. Customers need to be able to secure data across the IoT ecosystem in a way that is non disruptive to existing workflows. The Cryptosoft Platform is designed to offer this security, without impacting on our customers networks or applications.”

V3.1 of the Cryptosoft Platform also contains enhancements to the core policy engine thereby improving the ability of organisations to manage security policies at IoT scale, as well as improving management and administration of the core platform.

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Wi-Next’s latest update of its WiseMESH® Network Operating System (NOS) bring the emerging de facto M2M protocol to its line of EdgeNodes and EndNodes.

Wi-NEXT continues the technology leadership of its Industrial Edgeware product line with a new release of its WiseMESH® NOS. This latest version features the MQTT protocol as a native capability of its line of EdgeNodes and EndNodes used in industrial IoT deployments.

Wi-NEXT is the leader in industrial edge networking and computing devices known as Industrial Edgeware and has strong roots in industrial networking solutions. Powered by their patented WiseMesh® network operating system, Wi-NEXT built the first Industrial Edgeware Wireless Platform to power Fog Computing.

The integration of the MQTT protocol allows for all of Wi-NEXT’s industrial IoT building blocks to exchange data within its agile mesh network and upstream to multi-vendor Operating Support Systems (OSS) deployed on the Cloud.

“Wi-Next is an active participant in the industry debate over IoT protocols. We felt that the MQTT protocol has evolved into a de facto standard due to its flexibility, reliability and security features in the transport of IoT data from the edge to the Cloud”, said Massimiliano Galanti, CTO of Wi-Next.

“With this new version of our WiseMesh® NOS we extend our position as a first-mover providing to our clients the capability to easily and securely keep analytics and decision making close to the connected objects.”

Our product family of EdgeWare building blocks are small low-power WiFi solutions, ideally suited for developing industrial grade smart maintenance, monitoring, metering or other more generic automation applications. Our EdgeNode and EndNode units are multifunctional WiFi and low-power WiFi devices, capable of monitoring machine and equipment data that is sent to the Cloud via Wi-NEXT’s WiFi Agile Mesh networks. Both units can be easily connected to industrial machines, sensors and actuators via analog and digital interfaces.

This WiFi network technology allows different entities such as an industrial plant or an office building to turn their existing network infrastructure into an integral part of an IIoT solution by allowing the transfer of data from the edge directly to Cloud base applications.

Overall benefits are:

• Easier and faster connection of sensors, actuators and machinery to a WiFi network
• Lower network infrastructure costs
• Faster, more secure and scalable network resources
• Decision making and analytics kept within the network, close to the connected objects
• Analysis of historical data to enhance future data collection strategies

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M2M Intelligence®, M2Mi’s industry leading M2M and IoT platform, supports OASIS MQTT and the NIST Cybersecurity framework.

Machine-to-Machine Intelligence (M2Mi) Corporation, provider of M2M Intelligence®, the essential platform for the M2M & Internet of Things economy, today announced support for the recently published OASIS MQTT and the NIST Cybersecurity framework.

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) has emerged as an important standard for connectivity and messaging in the M2M and IoT environment. The OASIS MQTT and the NIST Cybersecurity framework for MQTT defines security best practices, such as alignment with the NIST Cybersecurity framework, and guidance for organizations wishing to deploy MQTT in a way consistent with the NIST Framework for improving critical infrastructure protection.

The M2M Intelligence® platform and its M2M Cyber Security component enables an organization to address and implement these core cybersecurity functions within their MQTT deployments. M2M Cyber Security includes patented secure “Lockbox” technology, which implements privacy and security policies.

Geoff Brown, CEO, Machine-to-Machine Intelligence (M2Mi) Corporation, says:

“Cybersecurity is one of the major challenges that organizations face as they look to drive value from M2M and IoT business models. The OASIS MQTT Security Subcommittee recognizes this challenge and have included cybersecurity guidelines for MQTT implementations.”

“We are pleased to support the new OASIS MQTT cybersecurity framework within our leading M2M Intelligence® platform v5.6 and strongly believe these guidelines will give organizations increased confidence in deploying M2M and IoT solutions.”

The M2M Intelligence® platform, through the use of secure Lockbox technologies, enables organizations to rapidly build secure M2M and IoT solutions. M2M Intelligence® simplifies the process required to establish global telecom and device connectivity, embed cyber security, and automate an intelligent M2M & IoT solution. Applications can therefore focus on business logic, while the M2M Intelligence® platform provides the required secure infrastructure to rapidly build out complete offerings.

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Ecosystem for wireless sensor platform extends to Axeda, Esri, ThingWorx, MQTT.

Libelium today added new integration options from leading Cloud technology providers in the latest stage of the build-out of its Waspmote wireless sensor platform ecosystem, to reduce time to market for Internet of Things solutions.

Demos showcasing Waspmote nodes integrated with software platforms from Axeda, Esri, ThingWorx as well as the MQTT protocol will be rolled out at Dreamforce 2013 in San Francisco, at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain and at the Internet of Things & WSN conference in Santa Clara, California. The new Cloud connector framework is based on a new managing system for Libelium’s Meshlium wireless gateway, allowing easy configuration of any of these platforms. Existing Meshlium users are eligible for the upgrade.

“Waspmote is a universal hardware platform for the Internet of Things because it is open and modular, and can integrate any sensor, using any communication protocol, and send retrieved data to any Cloud system for analysis or storage,” said David Gascón, CTO at Libelium.

“Now we’re offering access to the best Cloud software platforms by streamlining the integration process, to connect the physical world to the virtual world and transform sensor data into information resources.”

Waspmote Cloud Connector Software Ecosystem Additions – available separately

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WestJet Improves Traveler Experience with Real-Time Interactions.

As the world experiences sweeping business change powered by big data, cloud, mobile and social business technologies, IBM today unveiled new business process and integration software and services that will enable global organizations to accelerate adoption.

According to an IBM study, CEOs for the first time have identified technology as the most important external aspect impacting their organizations today[i]. As the adoption of big data, cloud, mobile and social business technology continue to transform industries, organizations increasingly value how these technologies can improve customer engagement, forge new partnerships and drive competitive advantage. Yet, many organizations are still struggling to reinvent their business operations and keep pace with the explosion of mobile channels and volume of data being generated.

To meet these growing needs, IBM’s new business process and integration software and services will enableorganizations to extend and connect their existing infrastructures to a wide variety of mobile devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies. As a result, clients will now be able to simplify day-to-day operations and reach their customers and constituents with insightful information, anywhere and anytime.

At the cornerstone of this strategy is IBM MessageSight, a new appliance designed to help organizations manage and communicate with the billions of mobile devices and sensors found in systems such as automobiles, traffic management systems, smart buildings and household appliances.

New Software and Services Transform Business Operations

On a Smarter Planet, business processes must be instant, seamless and insightful. Whether an insurance agent in the field needs to process a claim or a doctor requires immediate test results to seamlessly route patients through a hospital, these tasks are expected to be simple and immediate.

To help clients meet these demands, IBM is extending its Business Process Management (BPM) and Operational Decision Management (ODM) solutions to integrate with the IBM MobileFirst portfolio. With access to these IBM MobileFirst capabilities, clients can now infuse their processes and operational decision making into custom mobile apps, accelerating the delivery of mobile BPM applications and tapping into location, camera and notification features.

For organizations seeking a fast, easy and cost-effective way to manage business operations, IBM is making both IBM BPM and IBM ODM solutions available on the IBM SmartCloud as a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering. These advances in cloud options for business processes complement a new release of IBM Blueworks Live, a fully SaaS-based cloud offering that enables clients to capture, document and understand the decisions that businesses use to run their operations.

With this announcement, IBM is also bringing together its consulting expertise to enable clients to make their business operations more agile and customer-centric. As industries rapidly transform and customer demands increase, businesses are under pressure to aggressively stay in touch with – and even ahead of – their customers’ needs. To help business leaders design their operations for change, IBM is announcing new BPM Industry Solutions that combine IBM Global Business Services’ deep industry and process expertise with IBM software to enable clients to be proactive and respond rapidly. These solutions will initially target the banking, insurance and financial markets, and healthcare industries.

Marie Wieck , general manager, WebSphere, IBM, said:

“The technology shifts created by big data, cloud, mobile and social business are drastically changing the business landscape, driving an intelligent, interconnected and instrumented world that is smarter than ever before.”

“To be competitive on today’s Smarter Planet, successful businesses must find ways to extend and connect their existing infrastructures to the billions of mobile devices and M2M technologies that now exist. IBM’s new offerings, being rolled out today, will simplify this process drastically.”

WestJet Leverages IBM Technologies to Assist in Improving the Travel Experience

WestJet Airlines, Canada’s low-cost carrier, is using IBM ODM software to enrich the travel experience for the more than 50,000 customers it serves daily. To better meet the needs of today’s always connected traveler, WestJet is using IBM technology to provide customers with more meaningful notifications from the moment they decide to take a trip, to the day they return. Using IBM software, WestJet is integrating its notification capabilities with customer identity to provide customers with critical information at the right time through various channels. For instance, if a traveler’s aircraft has changed to an alternate gate, they are now sent a real-time notification containing the new gate information.

“At WestJet one of our priorities is to create a stress free, enjoyable experience for our guests across the travel continuum,” said Bill Souliere , WestJet architect and senior technical advisor. “Clearly the mobility of individuals and the accessibility of information on-demand are very important factors for travelers today. By working with IBM technologies, we have been able to enhance our communications with our guests and gain competitive advantages by integrating intelligent solutions in the travel experience.”

New Software Integrates Front and Back Office Systems

IBM is also announcing several updates that enable clients to reinvent their business operations, including:

• IBM API Management – IBM is unveiling a complete solution to help organizations securely create, manage and socialize APIs in an effort to extend their products and services to various mobile channels. Clients can also access a collaboration portal to view operational metrics and gain business insights into how apps are performing in the market. For instance, a pharmaceutical company can give third party developers access to online healthcare portals to create new and innovative apps with drug pricing, FDA information and provider data so pharmacists can instantly help patients.
• IBM WebSphere Application Server – Building on 15 years of experience, WebSphere Application Server (WAS) now supports several open standards protocols and integrates with the IBM MobileFirst platform and IBM MessageSight to help organizations quickly build and run new web applications that embrace big data, cloud, mobile and social business technologies. A large retailer can now provide customers with an enhanced shopping experience by quickly deploying a lightweight app, such as a digital storefront, that seamlessly connects and immediately analyzes data captured from social media sites and credit card companies. With real-time insights, retailers can determine the right products to offer customers at the right time.
• IBM Integration Bus – With access to IBM MobileFirst capabilities, organizations can now extend critical data to mobile devices in real time to improve business operations. Additionally, new traffic shaping capabilities allow organizations to monitor and interpret massive amounts of data flowing into the enterprise from mobile devices. Now, a hospital can notify a doctor’s mobile device automatically if a patient’s vitals drastically drop, and retail companies can adjust inventory instantly by analyzing data coming in from mobile devices and apps.

Delivering these technologies on an open architecture is imperative to allow clients to quickly and easily bridge the gap between their infrastructure and front office systems, such as mobile devices. Through work with the OpenStack community to make its cloud services and software open source-based, and the recently announced proposal to standardize Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), IBM is continuing to drive an open architecture approach to help simplify this process. Further enhancing this effort is IBM’s leadership in HTML5 and Apache Cordova.

These new capabilities are on display at this year’s IMPACT 2013 conference, which features more than 8,000 attendees and hundreds of client testimonials, presentations, workshops and product demos.

[i] *Source: Capitalizing on Complexity: Insights from the Global Chief Executive Officer Study

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]]> https://iotbusinessnews.com/2013/04/30/93685-ibm-drives-enterprise-adoption-of-big-data-cloud-mobile-and-social-business-technologies/feed/ 0 https://iotbusinessnews.com/2013/04/30/98234-ibm-unveils-new-technology-to-connect-a-smarter-planet/ https://iotbusinessnews.com/2013/04/30/98234-ibm-unveils-new-technology-to-connect-a-smarter-planet/#respond Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:26:50 +0000 http://m2mworldnews.com/?p=5826

New Appliance, Software and Services Extend the IBM MobileFirst Strategy. IBM’s Smarter Planet strategy took a major technological step forward today with the introduction of IBM MessageSight, a new appliance designed to help organizations manage and communicate with the billions of mobile devices and sensors found in systems such as automobiles, traffic management systems, smart ...

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New Appliance, Software and Services Extend the IBM MobileFirst Strategy.

IBM’s Smarter Planet strategy took a major technological step forward today with the introduction of IBM MessageSight, a new appliance designed to help organizations manage and communicate with the billions of mobile devices and sensors found in systems such as automobiles, traffic management systems, smart buildings and household appliances.

Over the next 15 years, the number of machines and sensors connected to the Internet will explode. According to IMS Research, there will be more than 22 billion web-connected devices by 2020[i].These new devices will generate more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of new data every day[ii], while every hour enough information is consumed by Internet traffic to fill seven million DVDs.[iii]

Building on the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) technology, IBM MessageSight delivers the performance, value and simplicity that organizations need to accommodate the growing multitude of mobile devices and sensors. This enables large volumes of events to be processed in near real time, allowing organizations to consolidate all of the information in one place and more easily glean insights to make better business decisions. IBM MessageSight is capable of supporting one million concurrent sensors or smart devices and can scale up to thirteen million messages per second.

Marie Wieck , general manager, WebSphere, IBM, said:

“When we launched our Smarter Planet strategy nearly five years ago, our strategic belief was that the world was going to be profoundly changed as it became more instrumented, interconnected and intelligent. IBM MessageSight is a major technological step forward in continuing that strategy.”

“Until now, no technology has been able to handle this volume of messages and devices. What’s even more exciting is that this only scratches the surface of what’s to come as we continue down this path of a Smarter Planet.”

The ability of IBM MessageSight to handle and route tremendous volumes of messages makes it ideal for use by governments and organizations looking to connect and infuse intelligence into cities and across industries such as automotive, healthcare and finance.

For instance, an automotive manufacturer can use IBM MessageSight to help manage the features and services of its automobiles. With thousands of sensors in each car, a dealer can now be notified when a “check engine” light turns on in a specific car. Based on the information transmitted by the engine sensor, the dealer could then notify the owner that there is a critical problem and they should get their car serviced immediately.

“To realize the vision of a Smarter Planet, we must first enable the universe of instrumented sensors, devices and machines to communicate more efficiently while sharing, managing and integrating large volumes of data at a rate much faster than ever before,” said Bob S. Johnson , director of development for Sprint’s Velocity Program. “We have been testing IBM MessageSight for some initial projects and are excited about the capabilities that it could help us deliver to the vehicle and beyond.”

The vast majority of the 22 billion sensors will be found in devices that are mobile. As a result, IBM MessageSight is designed to complement and extend the IBM MobileFirst offerings, now enabling a corporation to create mobile solutions, manage and monitor those mobile devices in real time. Introduced in February, IBM MobileFirst is a collection of mobile enterprise software, services, cloud and analytics capabilities that help a corporation design, deploy, secure and manage mobile strategies and apps. According to IDC, the market for mobile enterprise infrastructure software and services was $14.5 billion in 2012, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 16.3%. IDC expects this market to reach $30.9 billion in 2016.

Foundational to IBM MessageSight is its support of MQTT, which was recently proposed to become an OASIS standard, providing a lightweight messaging transport for communication in machine to machine (M2M) and mobile environments. Sensors are often small in size, have low power and typically low communications bandwidth capabilities. MQTT can be used in conjunction with these devices. Its low power consumption, high performance and reliability allow real time updates that can be acted upon immediately.

IBM MobileFirst Portfolio Delivers Expanded Mobile Analytics and Cloud Services to Clients

In other news, the IBM MobileFirst portfolio is being extended further today with the introduction of new mobile analytics capabilities and cloud services that enable corporations to design more engaging mobile offerings to reach customers, partners and employees in new and compelling ways. As a result, mobile apps can now be constantly tailored to meet the needs of the specific audience they are trying to reach.

Using mobile analytics to collect usage data is an effective and powerful way for companies to create a better user experience and target their customers. IBM’s MobileFirst platform is the first in the industry to speed the process of building apps by enabling companies to seamlessly integrate analytics and capture the complete on-device experience of how customers are using apps, including insight into gestures, dwell time and navigation.

The IBM MobileFirst platform now includes geo-location services for developers. Now, geo-location triggers can be used to extend applications to take contextual action based on a user’s location to provide personalized service. Featuring a new toolkit, developers can more efficiently monitor battery and network bandwidth. Additionally, newly integrated mobile app testing capabilities enable organizations to improve app quality while reducing the effort needed to test across different mobile platforms.

As mobile apps proliferate, the cloud has also emerged as a key enabler of this growth. Cloud delivery of mobile applications accelerates time to value and speed to market, making availability of new capabilities instantaneous. According to a recent MarketsandMarkets report, mobile cloud services are estimated to grow from $216.5 million in 2012 to $7.7 billion in 2017[iv].

To help organizations take advantage of this opportunity, IBM is also introducing new cloud services for mobile so that companies can focus on creating compelling user experiences, rather than spending time on back end connectivity and integration issues.

This includes a new mobile marketing service that helps organizations create digital passes for employees in Apple’s Passbook. Accessed through the cloud, organizations can quickly design and issue passes for loyalty, events, ticketing, payments and more without having to purchase on-premise development tools.

In related news, IBM’s recently announced acquisition of UrbanCode will also help its clients tap into new opportunities in mobile. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, UrbanCode automates the delivery of software, helping businesses quickly release and update mobile, social, big data and cloud-based apps.

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]]> https://iotbusinessnews.com/2013/04/30/98234-ibm-unveils-new-technology-to-connect-a-smarter-planet/feed/ 0 https://iotbusinessnews.com/2013/04/29/36578-oasis-members-to-advance-mqtt-standard-for-m2m-iot-reliable-messaging/ https://iotbusinessnews.com/2013/04/29/36578-oasis-members-to-advance-mqtt-standard-for-m2m-iot-reliable-messaging/#respond Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:57:02 +0000 http://m2mworldnews.com/?p=5780

Cisco, Eclipse Foundation, Eurotech, IBM, Kaazing, M2Mi, Red Hat, Software AG, TIBCO, and Others Partner to Standardize MQTT Protocol. Organizations from around the world are collaborating at the OASIS open standards consortium to advance a lightweight reliable messaging transport protocol for the Machine-to-Machine (M2M)/Internet of Things (IoT) marketplace. The new OASIS Message Queuing Telemetry Transport ...

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Cisco, Eclipse Foundation, Eurotech, IBM, Kaazing, M2Mi, Red Hat, Software AG, TIBCO, and Others Partner to Standardize MQTT Protocol.

Organizations from around the world are collaborating at the OASIS open standards consortium to advance a lightweight reliable messaging transport protocol for the Machine-to-Machine (M2M)/Internet of Things (IoT) marketplace. The new OASIS Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) Technical Committee will develop a standardized version of the MQTT protocol.

MQTT is a publish / subscribe messaging transport protocol optimized to connect physical world devices and events with enterprise servers and other consumers. It is designed to overcome the challenges of connecting the rapidly expanding physical world of sensors, actuators, phones, and tablets with established software processing technologies.

“MQTT is well suited to underpin the world of M2M/IoT and mobile applications where resources such as bandwidth and battery power are at a premium. It is an extremely lightweight, simple yet reliable protocol, designed for use where small code footprints are often advantageous,” said Richard Coppen of IBM, who co-chairs the new OASIS MQTT Technical Committee, along with Raphael Cohn.

“At OASIS, we’ll be addressing IoT data flow challenges and other issues that have been identified by the community,” added Cohn.
“We’ll broaden the range of enterprise solutions by enabling integration with business applications and expanding connectivity to different types of networks and remote devices.”

MQTT is already widely implemented across a variety of industries and applications. For example, MQTT has been used in sensors communicating to a broker via satellite links, over occasional dial-up connections with healthcare providers (medical devices), and in a range of home automation and small device scenarios. MQTT is well suited for mobile applications because of its small size, minimized data packets, and efficient distribution of information to one or many receivers.

The MQTT specification has been contributed to the OASIS MQTT Technical Committee by IBM and Eurotech, authors of the original version of the protocol.

Laurent Liscia, OASIS CEO, said:

“We applaud IBM and Eurotech for bringing MQTT into the OASIS open standards process. Companies feel more confident about implementing the protocol when they can actively participate in its future.”

“We’re very pleased that the MQTT Technical Committee will operate the OASIS Non-Assertion Intellectual Property Rights mode, which will provide added reassurance for developers and promote widespread adoption.”

New members are encouraged to join the OASIS MQTT Technical Committee at any time. Archives of the work are accessible to both members and non-members, and OASIS invites public review and comment on the work.

Support for OASIS MQTT

Eclipse Foundation
“The M2M industry will need to adopt technology based on open standards and open source implementation to ensure widespread adoption. MQTT is well on its way to being a key standard for M2M applications. We are happy to be involved in the OASIS MQTT standardization process and host the MQTT reference implementation in the Eclipse Paho project.”
Mike Milinkovich. Executive Director, Eclipse Foundation

Eurotech
“We are excited to encourage further adoption of the MQTT protocol, which has the potential to simplify Internet of Things applications and services. Connecting distributed devices using this efficient and elegant protocol offers companies flexibility to integrate disparate data sources like intelligent devices and sensors into enterprise IT landscapes, to deliver truly useful and actionable information that drives business decisions.”
Giampietro Tecchiolli, CTO and Executive VP, Eurotech Group

IBM
“We are excited to be working with OASIS on standardizing the MQTT protocol to unify communications for billions of mobile devices, machines and sensors, across networks. This Technical Committee and the Eclipse PAHO open source project are important ingredients for building a Smarter Planet. Just like HTTP and HTML transformed how we used the Internet, MQTT will accelerate how we all interact with the Internet of Things.”
Angel Diaz, Vice President, Software Standards and Cloud, IBM

Kaazing
“As the enablers of the Living Web and HTML5 WebSocket technology, everyone at Kaazing is excited to support OASIS’ ongoing efforts to proliferate open standards and create a superior user web experience. Standardizing MQTT and combining it with WebSocket technology is an excellent strategy when building an event driven architecture. Working alongside OASIS, Kaazing has developed a Living Web in order to create the best possible web experience for users, reduce complexity, and increase interoperability.”
John Fallows, Kaazing CTO and Co-Founder

M2Mi
“Machine-To-Machine Intelligence (M2Mi) is delighted to participate in the development, awareness and adoption of MQTT as an open industry standard for M2M/Internet of Things.”
Geoff Brown, M2Mi CEO (and OASIS MQTT TC Secretary)

Software AG
“Software AG is very pleased to be part of the OASIS standardisation effort for MQTT, an extremely lightweight messaging middleware protocol that facilitates embedded / M2M systems communication in real time. Leading research estimates 50 to 500 billion devices will have a connection to the cloud by 2020 and Software AG is excited to be already in a position to provide connectivity, integration and analytics solutions to enterprises with such needs.”
Eddie McDaid, VP, Software AG.

About OASIS:
OASIS is a non-profit, international consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of open standards for the global information society. OASIS promotes industry consensus and produces worldwide standards for M2M, IoT, security, privacy, cloud computing, content technologies, energy, emergency management, and other areas. OASIS open standards offer the potential to lower cost, stimulate innovation, grow global markets, and protect the right of free choice of technology. OASIS members broadly represent the marketplace of public and private sector technology leaders, users, and influencers. The consortium has more than 5,000 participants representing over 600 organizations and individual members in 100 countries. http://www.oasis-open.org

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]]> https://iotbusinessnews.com/2013/04/29/36578-oasis-members-to-advance-mqtt-standard-for-m2m-iot-reliable-messaging/feed/ 0 https://iotbusinessnews.com/2011/11/03/66038-eurotech-and-ibm-contribute-software-to-connect-next-generation-of-wireless-and-mobile-devices/ Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:36:43 +0000 http://m2mworldnews.com/?p=1992 Eclipse Contribution to Create New Standard that Connects Internet of Things IBM and Eurotech today announced that they are contributing software to accelerate and support the development of a new generation of smarter wireless and mobile devices. The technology, which could become the basis for a new standard of mobile connectivity and interoperability, will be ...

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Eclipse Contribution to Create New Standard that Connects Internet of Things

IBM and Eurotech today announced that they are contributing software to accelerate and support the development of a new generation of smarter wireless and mobile devices.

The technology, which could become the basis for a new standard of mobile connectivity and interoperability, will be contributed to the Eclipse Foundation open source community.

The Eclipse Foundation, founded by IBM in 2001, is celebrating its 10th anniversary at EclipseCon in Germany.

Originally developed by IBM and Eurotech, the contributed Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol is in use today among some industrial, mobile, and consumer applications, providing reliable device connectivity in industries such as transportation, energy, military, financial, social media and medical. Uses of MQTT range across projects as diverse as real-time monitoring for a ConocoPhillips pipeline, to a new lightweight mobile messaging application for Facebook.

Billions of embedded devices – from RFID tag readers, smartphones and cardiac monitors to GPS-aware systems, thermostats and smart appliances – can be interconnected to one another. Fueled by rapid growth in wireless broadband connectivity, this number is rapidly expanding. (There are 9 billion connected devices in the world today and according to a recent study conducted by Ericsson AB, that number is expected to reach 50 billion by 2020.)

Many of these devices tend to be industry focused and tied to proprietary technologies and platforms, making true connectivity a complex task.  Further, there is an influx of instrumented products, such as power meters and washing machines some of which do not yet have access to the power of the internet.  By connecting all of these devices with an open-source, cross-industry messaging technology, there is potential to create new systems of systems that can operate with one another like never before. This would help organizations more easily embrace growth opportunities across a wide range of industries, including retail, healthcare and automotive where the use of mobile and wireless devices are transforming the way they work.

For instance, today’s smarter cities allow existing systems to alert operators of a broken water main and report the extent of flooding in streets and subways. However they are often closed systems. An open messaging protocol can be used to openly publish these events, enabling public and private transit systems to share and monitor these critical alerts. As a result, agencies would be able to adjust traffic signals, change routes, and notify commuters of alternative routes, transportation, lodging and meals on their mobile devices.

The architecture that the contributed technology enables can adapt easily to existing systems and provide a new level of connectivity across a wide range of systems – without requiring significant programming or reconfiguration of legacy monitoring systems.

Mike Milinkovich, executive director, Eclipse Foundation, explains:

“Just as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) enabled open communication over the internet, we believe the creation of an open protocol for messaging can do the same for smarter systems.”

“History has proven that driving open standards, such as IBM and Eurotech’s contribution to Eclipse, is a proven strategy for rapid and widespread industry adoption.”

Based on an industry proven open protocol, the MQTT technology will provide the missing piece needed to usher in this new level of accessibility and connectivity among systems, and enable the creation of next generation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solutions.

Open Communities Are Essential to Advance Connectivity and Open Markets

To further accelerate the development of these next generation products, Eurotech and IBM are also announcing that they will join as founding members with Sierra Wireless in a new Machine-to-Machine Industry Working Group at the Eclipse Foundation.  The goal of the M2M Industry Working Group is to create an open development environment that will make it easier to integrate and connect systems of systems.

A scalable protocol like MQTT will bridge a wide range of platforms and devices including embedded, mobile, Web 2.0 and Enterprise IT. When backed by the open source community, it will allow system developers and integrators to usher in the next generation of applications with higher levels of innovation and functionality in order to create smarter buildings, industries and cities.

“As a founding member of the M2M Industry Working Group, Sierra Wireless is working together with IBM and Eurotech to advance the creation of software that simplifies and accelerates the creation of M2M applications,” said Emmanuel Walckenaer, senior vice president and general manager, Solutions and Services for Sierra Wireless.

“Open source contributions to the Eclipse community give developers confidence in the long term viability, continuous innovation, and ongoing community support of their M2M software platform.”

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