At IoT World Forum 2014 Cisco announced it is expanding the fog computing portfolio to accelerate Internet of Things (IoT) use cases.
The company launched the second phase of its IOx platform for industrial scale IoT deployments with expanded partner ecosystems, increased IoT platform support and the introduction of IOx Application Management Module.
The new development helps provide developers and operators with greater visibility for large-scale IoT deployments, and will make the process of getting sensors and applications on and off the network much more efficient, Cisco said.
IoT deployments involve unique requirements such as combining distributed sensors and data, optimizing the analysis of data in motion as it enters the network, and centralized control, which requires a new infrastructure approach with strong centralized data center and robust Edge.
Cisco’s strategy to invest in hybrid Data Center solutions, including the Intercloud as well as in the fog, creates an optimized infrastructure for IoT, the company said.
Further expanding its IoT offerings, Cisco also unveiled the components of its IoE Software and Services Suite. This suite analyzes the data culled from IoT deployments and connects them with the people and business processes.
Cisco IOx now supports 16 new platforms including select Cisco 819, 88x, and 89x series routers, in addition to the already existing support for Cisco Connected GridRouters, CGR1120 and CGR1240. The extended support enables fog applications to run in a variety of physical environments for specific industrial use cases such as manufacturing, transportation and energy, Cisco said.
Major companies in the M2M/IoT segment offering support to IOx include Itron, OSISoft (PI), Intel and WindRiver, smartFOA in Japan, Tieto in the Nordics, Bitstew, Davra Networks, SK Solutions and Rockwell Automation among others.
The newly launched IOx Application Management Module from Cisco helps customers reduce the time and expense involved in managing and monitoring millions of endpoints and their applications running right at the network edge, by centrally managing fog computing applications running on Cisco IOx edge.
Today Cisco also outlined the key components of its Internet of Everything Software and Services Suite. The suite includes real-time decision-making solutions via analytics, data virtualization, and data integration software that reach and process data from the core to the edge of the network.
Rob Soderbery, SVP of Enterprise Products and Solutions for Cisco, said, the challenge for IoT providers is to combine their deep knowledge of their business with technical innovation.
“First, they need to understand their value chain and where IoT can add value. Second, they need to assess and prioritize those opportunities,” Soderbery added. “Then they can effectively leverage technology platforms to achieve the business advantages they want.”
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