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Software AG has unveiled the latest version of its open, cloud-based Cumulocity IoT platform (Release 9), which builds on its distributed architecture with additional edge processing capabilities. Cumulocity IoT now includes enhanced high availability, multi-cluster deployment options, which strengthen its carrier-grade offering for Service Providers. Additional features include code-free integration of devices supporting Low Power WAN (LPWAN) technologies used for long-term low bandwidth remote monitoring, including Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Lightweight M2M (LWM2M), and Long Range (LoRa). 

Software AG’s Cumulocity IoT, an IoT platform that operates across cloud, on premises and edge, provides enterprises and Service Providers with total freedom and choice in designing, building, deploying and evolving their IoT distributed deployments. Customers include Deutsche Telekom, Dürr, Gardner Denver, Octo Telematics, NTT Communications, Unlimit by Reliance Group, Zeiss and many more. 

Powerful New Distributed Architecture and Edge Processing

The enhanced distributed architecture and edge processing in Cumulocity IoT (Release 9) brings new extensions to the platform that delivers operational autonomy for devices, advanced local data processing, reduced data flows and improved response time. Users can use the same dashboards, analytics models, integrations and applications when operating at the edge or in the cloud, while saving bandwidth and reducing costs and security concerns. Edge extensions include: rapid, secure industrial fieldbus connections, data forwarding filters, analytics distribution management, centralised edge platform management, and easy integration; all of which provides users with comprehensive, automated control over their entire IoT solution architecture at scale.

Bernd Gross, senior vice president, IoT and Cloud, Software AG noted: “Our new edge processing brings the power closer to the end user application, which means devices no longer need to constantly ‘call home’ to a centralised cloud infrastructure for instructions or analysis, but instead they are given the ability to accomplish these tasks on their own. We are increasingly seeing designs of self-contained devices, such as self-driving cars, drones, and other IoT devices, pushing cloud services out as more computing moves to the edge. As this becomes a more tangible possibility, companies need to aggregate data collected at the edge for real-time analysis and smart business insights.”

IoT Microservices & DevOps

Cumulocity IoT R9 includes an open, enhanced Microservices SDK (software development kit) and industrialised lifecycle support for Microservices and DevOps. This removes a common headache for developers and enables them to create robust, scalable Software-as-a-Service apps that are designed and built for a microservices architecture using Docker containers, deployed in the Cloud, or at the edge, and managed through automation. These Docker containers are fully isolated with resource quotas, centralised request authorisation, tenant access, permission handling, and tenant associations.

Microservices-based apps, which are developed using Cumulocity IoT, can work on any deployment, scale elastically, are highly available and fault tolerant, and are easy to change. This ensures that enterprises and Service Providers can rapidly evolve and change their apps through a Continuous Delivery process.

IoT Platform-as-a-Service

Cumulocity IoT’s Enterprise Edition enables Service Providers to provide full IoT platforms to their enterprise customers. These IoT platforms are cloud services that can be white-labeled or self-branded, managed and maintained by the enterprise, and take full advantage of the same hyper-scalable, high-availability architecture of the hosting Service Provider’s platform. With new virtual multi-tenancy and full data segregation, Service Providers can create and deploy unique, branded experiences for their customers automatically and quickly without a lengthy instance deployment or an increased service management overhead. Moreover, advanced administrative rights delegation and native multi-tenancy significantly increases the availability of self-serviceability for end-users.

Bernd Gross noted that this Cumulocity IoT release is jam-packed with additional, new features: “We have included in this release numerous key features that support our new Microservices and IoT Platform-as-a-Service capabilities, including the ability to create dashboards automatically for individual or groups of devices with a full range of features and alerts. Also, we have significantly enhanced the Low Power WAN device integration with plug and play integration for Lightweight M2M, Narrowband IoT and LoRa devices.”

Software AG’s Cumulocity IoT has its own dedicated area at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona where attendees will be able to discover current and future IoT initiatives and see demonstrations of its distributed architecture, edge processing and code-free device LPWAN integration.