After three years of conceptualising a device that aims to integrate various sub- systems within an organisation's network, IoT.nxt, in partnership with AxizWorkgroup, recently unveiled its cloud-based Internet of things (IOT) solution called the Raptor.
This unconventional device was introduced at an IOT seminar organised by AxizWorkgroup and Cisco in Midrand, Johannesburg last week.
The Raptor, which is delivered on the AxizWorkgroup cloud, is able to connect a company's sub systems such as temperature sensors, industrial machines, appliances, generators, cooling systems, biometric sensors, cameras, and more onto one network creating one platform where they come together, communicate and respond with each other.
According to software development company IoT.nxt, this device offers customers a fully-fledged solution to harvest data from various devices onto one network and it can be adapted to suit various industries such as factories, mining, facilities management, and even smart wineries.
The device aims to also help resellers reach out to their customers with a solution which manages both digital and analogue devices irrespective of their architecture, putting together an eco-system that will ensure all components within a company talk to each other.
Addressing delegates at the seminar, Nico Steyn, CEO of IoT.nxt, said the Raptor allows for non-discretionary decisions to be made based on preconfigured service level agreements between machines and people, which allows for pre-emptive maintenance to protect high valued equipment and data, etc.
"We are extremely proud of our Raptor intelligent data gateway that connects edge devices with IP networks. We are the only company in SA to roll out these gateways to our customers.
"While other big names in the industry are still years away from offering similar solutions we have already implemented our Raptor gateway as part of our comprehensive IOT solution architecture," said Steyn, during his talk.
Talking about how this device will change the way businesses operate, he said the silos of information are broken down and different niche systems can be integrated into a common platform to allow optimal management across systems and integration between disparate systems.
This in turns allows customers to significantly lower their maintenance costs, lower security incidents and capture synchronised information should evidence be required for reference and even prosecution.
He pointed out an IOT strategy is important in every business and industries have a lot of opportunities to explore and implement these strategies. He also emphasised the importance of bridging the gap between office space and the heartbeat of the business where the main operations take place.
Discussing how the Raptor is implemented within the security industry, Steyn said the device is used to integrate all third-party devices such as the CCTV cameras, boom gates, radar, radio, VOIP, and if any of the preconfigured thresholds are breached it will notify the workflow engine which will take specific and appropriate action.
The Raptor monitors all the devices and systems to which it is connected.
"The workflow engine is fully customisable and allows for any scenarios to be configured. Escalation [multiple levels] can be set up and notifications can be sent to various platforms, like SMS, e-mail, dedicated mobile apps, and even social media," he explained.
In the mining industry various coal grades can be tracked and monitored from pit to port using the Raptor.
"Service providers can also be monitored to make sure they load the correct grade coal, that coal and trucks are weighed accurately and that management is alerted immediately if any exceptions occur.
"Drone technology can be deployed to do accurate surveillance of stock piles to make sure minimal stock levels are maintained to support customer orders and also to monitor too much stock to prevent safety issues," revealed Steyn.
He added that many more scenarios can be configured based on the customer requirements.
"The strength of this IoT.nxt platform is that it is technology agnostic which enables the end user to deploy best-of-breed technologies but at the same time, have interoperability and interconnectivity between all the IOT-deployed applications, devices, sensors, machines and people."
IoT.nxt says the company is currently running a number of implementation projects, including one at a coal mine, another at an abattoir, as well as a proof of concept at Neotel where they have set up a security operations centre to monitor a number of remote point of presence sites.
Antony Makins, general manager Special Projects at Neotel, explained how IoT.nxt has allowed them to implement monitoring around security and maintenance, once the project concludes the system could potentially be rolled out to more than 900 other point of presence sites.
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