In the 80s, the PC disrupted Information Systems Management at the enterprise, resulting in one of history’s most significant jump in pace of productivity gains across all sectors of the economy. Today we are about to witness another such jump – but one that has the potential of being an order of magnitude more significant than its predecessor from 30 years ago.

As advanced as Information Systems (IS) have become inside the enterprise, they still rely on remote, external data from the edge of an enterprise’s operations, which can come from historical averages or from human intervention. The Internet of Things (IoT) is about to change all that as it intersects with the “Fog Computing” movement, which connects every information asset directly to enterprise information systems, no matter how remote the location or how small its size.

Given its magnitude and scope, the arrival of this new development could disrupt the company’s Management information Systems (MIS). The CEO, his peers, and other managers will want to reach out and obtain the new information coming from the edge of the network. Decision making is tough, particularly the corporate process of translating strategic planning into tactical execution. Therefore staying focused on the company’s core business and on the productivity strategy is the best course of action. For enterprise users of the new data, the IoT connection between edge assets and enterprise IT might feel like plugging in a physical network patch cable: one connection on the edge side and the other on the enterprise services side, whether it’s the cloud or a server. We can visualize this connection, as a chain of chevrons where each represents a distinct element – a service or a product – that is needed to make the connection functional, safe and manageable for enterprise grade applications.

One Stop One Shop- Connecting Edge Assets

With all the technology and services that are available to connect anything to anything available, and the economic scale of productivity gains that can be realized by connecting enterprise IS to things and processes outside the corporation, it is difficult to reconcile the observed uptake with the benefits. The reason is the inherent complexity in this connection. This is something that leading industry players like Telit, Google and many others have been working hard to address. At the beginning of 2014 Telit launched the ONE STOP. ONE SHOP. Delivery model, which simplified IoT connectivity. In November 2014 Telit and Google announced the “IoT Big Data Challenge”, an initiative designed to harmonize the IoT-cloud ecosystem. After obtaining massive amounts of people and people machine  data, Google is now looking to accelerate the collection and business activation of IoT data. And since Telit will to ship around one billion communication devices with embedded cloud-ready clients for the IoT ecosystem over the next 15 years, this collaboration could represent a tipping point that will simplify the process for connecting remote assets. That would result in the fall of the remaining barriers to mass adoption and standardization, both of which would help the enterprise make significant progress toward uantum-leap gains in productivity.

Hardware Solution Modules

In the late 90s, innovators who understood the productivity enhancing power of connected remote assets started stripping first-generation cell phones and turning them into data communication modules that were embedded in numerous devices like vending machines and fleet trackers. Therefore, it is fair to say that the connected asset revolution began at the edge, as these stripped cell phones enabled a basic two-way communication channel between IS and remote business devices. Therefore the first chevron in figure 1 is the longest established solution area of the OSOS, the cellular module.

Edge devices are either mobile or fixed. In either case, once a remote asset can register and exchange data via the mobile network, it will typically require hardware for geo-positioning awareness and/ or wireless connectivity to devices and accessories within its local area, short-range network. In figure 1 they are represented by the next two chevrons: the Short Range Wireless and GNSS module solution areas of the OSOS.

Value-added, Plat form as a Service, Connectivity and Software Management Services

The chevron that follows represents the solution area of the OSOS dedicated to the connectivity and value added services required for provisioning, operating and maintaining edge devices. Cost overruns and other operational issues in this area can become catastrophic for the enterprise in a matter of hours. The next chevron represents the solution area of the OSOS that is most visible and closest to the enterprise CIO when connecting edge devices – application enablement, cloud and enterprise integration. Now that data can flow to and from edge devices, its value must be leveraged by applications designed to align it with the business logic of the enterprise systems. Furthermore, this data must be collected, transferred  and stored in absolute security and be encapsulated in the proper formats and protocols in order to become an integral part of enterprise information systems from IBM, SAP, Oracle, or others. This solution area has recently grown in importance to CIOs, the media and analysts since the deployment of ever larger sets of edge devices highlights the need for standardization, harmonization  and scalability – all of which are driving factors behind the idea that lead to the Google-Telit initiative. The quick pace of evolution in business processes coupled with the need to reduce the risk of obsolescence means that, whenever possible, functionality should be implemented in software, not hardware. The following chevron represents the solution area of the OSOS dedicated to management of software and firmware running on edge devices. The ability to support software revision control & inventory, perform update & roll-back maintenance on a single module or on an entire deployment is just as crucial a requirement for edge devices as it is for devices inside the enterprise.

Support Services

Getting the edge device from its starting point as a standalone, disconnected product to an environment where it is integrated, sending and receiving data requires substantial support. The next chevron in the OSOS solution area is dedicated to full project assistance, which is available to the various groups in the enterprise and/ or its partners who are responsible for specifying, designing, certifying, testing, and deploying the devices. This area includes support for processes that can make or break a project. Take, for example, device certification with regulatory agencies and mobile. operators. Any time cellular communication functionality is added to a device, regulatory and operational compliance tests need to be performed and results certified. Failure in any of these tests may require a minor software adjustment or a costly hardware redesign. Adequate support at key stages of the project can help avert redesigns or other snags, keeping the project on track in costs and timing.

Logistics and Quality Assurance

The final chevron in our OSOS chain represents services related to quality assurance and delivery of products and services that support the manufacture and deployment of connected edge devices. There are numerous models adopted by IS management when it comes to deployment of solutions, ranging from all in-house (OEM) to outsourced manufacturing, outsourced design (ODM), to total project outsourcing. These different models may involve a different number of organizations (regionally and functionally) that are responsible for parts of the project, ranging from specification to manufacturing, deployment and field support. The ability to apply elements of the OSOS to the total project, irrespective of the makeup and number of partners adopted by the enterprise, is a critical. Flexibility helps CIOs leverage proven project management models in order to further mitigate risk. The ability to source scalable volumes of products and services into one or many logistics/manufacturing sites and into any number of partners without compromising quality or cost is a fundamental requirement for enterprise grade IS solutions.

The Internet of Things Made Plug and Play for the Enterprise

The articles that follow provide more detailed information on the various elements within each chevron in the chain and the OSOS. It is critical to understand the importance of making this connection achieve plug and play simplicity, even if there are system integrators and other partners involved in the solution. The global structure we have built up at Telit to support the OSOS model is designed to accommodate multi-party, multi-region touch points. What that means is that the adoption of the Telit OSOS to connect enterprise assets is simple and that can be prescribed down the supply chain to integrators and other providers. This process will help ensure that the end solution delivers the same benefits of risk mitigation, cost and performance optimization, irrespective of the number and hierarchy of partners and vendors supplying the enterprise. By now, with the exceptional rise in popularity of the IoT over thepast few years, it is a foregone conclusion that both established and new solution providers and system integrators servicing the enterprise market have already aligned with one or more vendors for the elements I have described. Multi-vendor sourcing of solutions in the chevron chain is, however, not easy. Many technical and business areas need to be aligned and harmonized. Alignment and harmonization will take time. Meanwhile improvements in standards, driven by organizations like GSMA, TIA, GCF, OneM2M and others, as well as advancements in technologies like LTE, will keep making it easier for the enterprise IT organization to implement solutions in a similar way to that of connecting device via Wi-Fi. Right now multivendor sourcing of the chevron elements that to connect to the IoT, results in more downside than upside potential for the end result. As the CIO, the decision is yours. Make it another successful one – simply prescribe to your organization and providers the need to “Connect my edge assets using the Telit OSOS”.

2014 Cellular Module Year in Review

With the conclusion of the acquisition of the ATOP business from NXP in April, we reorganized the Telit automotive teams into a full global business unit and in June announced the ATOP 3.5 G, an HSPA+ automotive grade module with GPS/GLONASS and NFC functionalities all in a hardened compact package. In September we leveraged our great standing at CTIA’s Super Mobility Week in the US to introduce the concept of Cloud-ready modules. At the event we launched a beta version of firmware for the most popular 2G, 3G and 4G variants of the xE910 and xL865 families kicking off the Telit drive of the enterprise towards the IoT. The API embedded in the modules is developer-friendly, open and powered by the popular deviceWISE platform. In November we announced the introduction of our smallest 3G-only cellular module, the UE866. The product incorporates powerful and reliable cloud-ready firmware and is designed for drop-in replacement migration from 2G to 3G. Also in November we also introduced additions to the xE910 family with the 3G-only UE910 – which incorporates an optional embedded SIM for applications requiring rugged reliability. In 2014 we retooled our cellular PM and R&D organizations to accelerate the 3G and 4G portfolio enhancement in 2015 with work started in a number of projects including further miniaturization of 3G/4G modules, single mode variants, ultra-low power for wearable applications and many more. In his article on page 24/25, Felix Marchal, Chief Product Officer, explores how we are making LTE a success story with the planning of products including a sharply relevant set of features for the Internet of Things, from present and future releases of the technology.

m2mAIR – A Yea r of Partnerships to help make it All Work Together and in More Places

2014 was a key consolidation year for the Mobile and Cloud operations of m2mAIR. We started the year announcing at Mobile World Congress, increased scopes of value add from both Mobile and Cloud. Then, only six months later, at CTIA’s Super Mobility Week, we announced the Cloud-ready module concept with available developer’s kit and free trial portal delivering the m2mAIR Cloud functionality previewed in February in Barcelona. October saw the highlight of the year for m2mAIR Cloud with the launch of the IoT Big Data Challenge in collaboration with Google Cloud Platform. Our collaboration with Jasper also progressed in 2014 with new initiatives and programs started with both m2mAIR Mobile as well as with ILS Technology. At Mobile World Congress 2014 we announced how we were enhancing our partnership with Jasper Wireless, this time to deliver m2mAIR Mobile’s Module Management services directly through the Jasper Platform to applications using m2mAIR Mobile-ready Telit modules and operating on the m2mAIR Mobile network. And in April ILS Technology and Jasper announced collaboration to help mobile operators deploy successful IoT initiatives on the Cloud-based Jasper Platform and the deviceWISE Application Enablement Platform (AE P) from ILS Technology. In July we announced expansion of m2mAIR Mobile coverage across Europe and Latin America by joining Telefonica’s m2m Channel Partner Program which has helped us extend the reach of our unique value added services to customers around the globe And in December we closed the year of achievements for m2mAIR with the announcement of cooperation with Swedishbased Tele2 to provide a number of new premium value added services, VAS, and connectivity solutions for the Machine-to- Machine/Internet of Things, m2m/IoT market.

Short Range Takes on a Far-reaching Role in the IoT

2014 saw the final move of the manufacturing of our short range modules to our large-scale production facilities in Asia. This enabled us to service a much broader range of customers and applications as short range technologies continue to rise in relevance with the increase in hybrid wireless architectures brought about by the wave of innovation in the IoT.

Strong Year for GNSS Modules

In 2014 we also significantly changed our GNSS portfolio strategy to further align it with growing market demand. The multi-chipset/uniform form factor strategy explained by Felix Marchal, Telit’s Chief Product Officer in page 40/41, allows us to outperform more traditional vendors in the space managing portfolios based on single source of chipset technology. 2014 product introductions started in February with the announcement  of the Jupiter SL871. The new module was our second based on MediaTek’s low-power MT3333 core. Then in September we introduced the ultra-low power, GPS-only SL869-V2S which shares the xL869 form factor for pin-to-pin compatibility with the JN3, SL869 and SL869 V2. In October, the SL871-S, an ultra-low power single mode module was introduced for new power-conscious, GPS-only customer devices as well as to offer a drop-in replacement for existing applications designed for the xL871 multi-constellation series. For 2015, the Telit GNSS Solutions business unit will continue delivering unique market value by ranging different variants of each GNSS module family, each with unique feature sets and leveraging different chipsets while maintaining similar APIs and form factors so that integrators can develop one core design and utilize that design across different products and markets, increasing ROI and shortening time-to-market.

Telit Automotive Solutions

In April we announced conclusion of the acquisition of Automotive Telematics Onboard-unit Platform  ATOP) business from Netherlands based NXP B.V. With the acquisition behind us, we proceeded to integrate the ATOP business including sales, engineering and support staff into a new business unit we created to envelop the combined Telit automotive teams and incoming ATOP talent. Telit Automotive Solutions, is chartered with expanding the automotive market reach with solutions leveraging our expanded engineering and sales expertise particularly in software-centric RFIs from Automotive and Telematics OEMs. The new business unit has been operating with remarkable success landing a number OEM and Tier-1 designs in APAC, Europe and North America, leveraging our global ISO/TS16949  Compliance and one of the industry’s largest product portfolios for the automotive sector with particular emphasis on advanced technologies such as LTE and HSPA+. Along with the ATOP 3.5 G announced in May, our automotive module portfolio remained strong with members of the xE910 family targeting OEMs and Telematics System Integrators including the GE910-QUAD AUTO and UE910-EU V2 AUTO. Members of the xE920 3G and 4G module family along with the GE864-QUAD AUTO V2 restructuring of our logistics and operations areas. A new global operations hub was established in Cyprus and further consolidation was carried out on the number and location of our manufacturing sites, lining us up to comfortably sustain growth in product shipments the for coming years. The new structure was also conceived to support a variety of possible new business and supply models from the new business unit.

2015 and Beyond

By growth, I mean not only financial results for those of us traditionally in the space but also the relative success experienced by quite a number of innovators within the avalanche of entrants into our industry. All shapes and sizes of companies from Google to small startups have moved quickly to stake a claim in the IoT. And as much as it has been a dynamic ride so far, this will soon pale in comparison to substantially more exciting times from here onward. We will be riding the crest of the IoT wave and continue executing with relentless passion the strategy we stated years ago of making the Internet of things Plug and Play for Enterprise, automotive OEMs, system integrators and all other providers in the space.

– By Oozi Cats, Global CEO, Telit Wireless Solution