Does the future success of the Internet of Things lie in the collaborations between companies joining their expertise together for a one-size-fits-all approach to IoT? IBM and Cisco think so. The two companies are joining forces to bring a cloud-based IoT-connected workplace kit available. IBM would be bringing their artificial intelligence supercomputer, Watson, to the table. Cisco would be bringing their connectivity equipment and data producing apps.
Cisco’s hardware will work alongside Watson software to produce IoT analytics data for industrial and other enterprise operations that will have real-time data ready for analysis. The companies say that the solution will bring new collaborative tools that will see employee efficiency increasing. Cisco’s Edge Analytics software ensures that data is shown in a virtualization that is easy to peruse so that engineers know exactly how efficiently a system is working, Using IBM’s Watson and connections APIs as well as Cisco Spark and WebEx APIs, the companies have produced a fully integrated IoT system.
“While we have a focus on Watson as a cloud-based system, for certain clients with remote or autonomous operations we need something else. Shipping, mining, and many factories all operate at the edge of the computer network, where bandwidth might be expensive or unreliable,” said Harriet Green, general manager at IBM’s Watson IoT, Commerce, and Education department. This means, offshore drilling facilities can now have an IoT-connected solution that exists in its own cloud network that can display analytics on demand without having to take that data back to the shore.
The companies say that their solution will take away repetitive tasks that employees usually get distracted by, by automating those processes. Mundane tasks can now be done with the cloud-based solution. Which means, scheduling, note-taking and meetings can also be done on an integrated online platform within an enterprise.
“With our combined technology strengths and understanding of how teams get work done, IBM and Cisco can deliver the next generation of collaboration tools needed to cultivate innovation and drive productivity. By incorporating analytics and cognitive technologies into these solutions, we expect them to be able to learn what is important, in context, and take the right actions on behalf of the user,” said Inhi Cho, the General Manager of IBM Collaboration Solutions.
Source: IBM
