Bonn, Germany – Thanks to M2M, the operation and monitoring of machinery and equipment is becoming ‘child’s play’ for machine manufacturers and operators, or so says Deutsche Telekom. With M2M Device-to-Cloud (D2C), DT is expanding its portfolio of services for machine-to-machine communication with ‘ultra-simple’ data and device management through the cloud.
The new features were presented for the first time at Deutsche Telekom’s stand at the Embedded World trade fair in Nuremberg last week. Deutsche Telekom also launched the M2M Device-to-Cloud Ready certification programme at the same time. This programme helps hardware manufacturers confirm that their M2M devices are compatible with the enhanced platform, making the Internet of Things even easier.
“With our M2M Device Cloud, machinery operators can now monitor and manage their machines more easily with M2M,” says Jürgen Hase (pictured), Head of Deutsche Telekom’s M2M Competence Centre. Sensor data that the machine transmits to the cloud can then be processed in ERP or other systems. Two measurement values can also be logically linked, for example, to identify a critical operating status reliably. When defined thresholds are exceeded, the platform automatically alerts maintenance staff via e-mail.
The M2M Device Cloud also makes it simple to update the operating software installed on the devices. “Our new M2M Device Cloud offering will speed up the development and market launch of M2M solutions, and also simplify management of networked devices,” says Hase. The platform is highly scalable and supports an unlimited number of devices and users. In addition to the premium version, with 2,000 MB of storage space and an unlimited number of devices, a free-of-charge test version with limited functionality is also available.
To ensure full compatibility between M2M hardware and the platform, Deutsche Telekom offers the M2M Device-to-Cloud Ready programme to module manufacturers and distributors. This certificate conveys decisive competitive advantages to manufacturers of M2M modules for remote monitoring: developers and designers of remotely monitored machines give preference to modules that can be integrated quickly and easily in cloud-based platforms. The certification process includes the development and acceptance of a software agent, which translates the specific device information into the platform’s pan-device data model – ensuring simple, seamless communication between the connected machines and the cloud.
