The Internet of Things (IoT) is driving a new industrial revolution, and new solutions are required to ensure that businesses can take full advantage of the new trend.
Huawei’s Mark Wu points out that the traditional network was called on to connect PCs, laptops and maybe phones – but with IoT there are many more devices that need to be connected.
“In addition, IoT generates a lot more data, so we need much bigger data centres as well as more analysis,” he says. “And, in most IoT situations, very fast realtime actions are required to respond to information from the devices. So we need to add intelligence in the IoT gateway so that required responses can be determined and actioned quickly.
“So we need much more complex networks, bigger and more intelligent data centres, and fast gateways on the edge.”
The move to IoT presents a number of challenges to the business, Wu says. These include the difficulty in migrating applications because of different APIs and software environments; diversified hardware platforms; and poor standardisation at the device level.
Meanwhile, software challenges include a need for low power consumption; fast response times and limited resources.
To address the challenges on the device, Huawei has introduced its LiteOS that is dedicated to the IoT device market. The operating system is very small at about 10kb, with lower power consumption and a faster response time.
The Huawei Agile IoT Gateways intelligently link these devices with the rest of the network, addressing various markets with industrial switches, industrial routers and ICT-convergence gateways.
All of these gateways can be managed by the Agile IoT Controller hat provides an open management platform to both internal and external applications.
Some examples of IoT applications in the field have already resulted in business benefits, Wu says.
For instance, smart meter reading can reduce labour costs by 90%, while guaranteeing 100% successful readings resulting in increased return on investment and electricity infrastructure investment.
A smart factory solution allows for continual technology optimisation, smart device maintenance and source tracing to improve efficiency by up to 30% while allowing for the manufacture of personalised products.
A smart fitness centre allows for smart health management and scientific fitness; the intelligent monitoring of the environment for better comfort and energy efficiency; while helping to maintain equipment at optimal levels.
A smart water heater management solution can be remotely monitored, reducing accident rates by 70% and reducing maintenance costs by 80%.
Securing the IoT infrastructure, Huawei has introduced its fireHunter Series Security sandboxes to quickly and efficiently identify and neutralise security threats. It is complemented by the company’s cyber-security intelligence system that can detect 83% of APT (advanced persistent threats) and a series of virtual firewalls. The company has also set up the Cloud Clean Alliance where different companies work together to block DDoS attacks at source.