Like all application development the process begins with defining requirements. The concept of an application is different between consumer IoT and Industrial IoT. Examples of consumer applications include remote setting of home temperature, health monitoring through Fitbit etc. Examples of industrial applications include device drivers for connecting to specific industrial wireless sensors or controllers, frequency of data reports, specific security configuration etc. In consumer IoT, the consumer is very active in the application process in terms of using touch screen, setting configuration elements and so on. Industrial devices such as sensors and controllers cannot directly participate in that manner. That’s what makes industrial IoT so complex even though it appears deceptively simple. Often customers and IoT companies misjudge the complexity of an application because the requirements appear benign in terms of implementation. But to get the flexibility of consumer IoT without active participation from the devices is anything but straightforward in terms of implementation. Machfu has developed a set of tools that make the application creation process rapid once a good set of requirements are created. The deployment cycle is considerable reduced due to this.
Post deployment Machfu uses well proven device management tools for Industrial application and development platform management. This includes security updates and patches, platform updates as well as application features updates. All these can be implemented across the whole population or a subset of the population. Its strictly version controlled so that the behavior and performance of each device is known. Machfu’s preferred business model is to provide end-to-end service to customers and that includes alarms, alerts and notifications. For example, if a device in the field is having trouble connecting to the cellular network an SMS or email is sent to the customer. Diagnostic support is also provided. Sometimes the problems can be solved remotely while at other times a site visit may be needed. Site visits will usually be needed for hardware problems while software issues can often be fixed remotely.