Hosting its industrial IoT platforms with AWS supports scale, security and rapid development of industrial IoT services
To fully unlock new levels of efficiency and business value, the industrial IoT requires many things–robust security, ability to integrate with legacy IT systems, realignment of the workforce and the ability to scale globally among them. Industrial manufacturer Siemens, which also sells solutions and services in support of digitalization for other industrial interests, recently announced a partnership meant to improve the reach and functionality of its cloud-based IoT operating system MindSphere.
The company is now using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host MindSphere, which enables enhanced security and shorter development timeline for customers. Siemens specifically called out the aerospace, defense, energy and utilities sectors. Siemens offers MindSphere under a platform-as-a-service model that includes connectivity management, applications, analytics and a development environment.
Steve Bashada, EVP of Siemens Cloud Application Services, said the move comes in response to “customer’s demand for high availability and global scale.” With the collaboration,” Siemens customers and partners will have access to one of the best industrial IoT application programming interfaces [APIs] coupled with direct access to AWS services for faster application development.”
The AWS partnership is just one of the recent improvements to MindSphere. Earlier this month Siemens entered an agreement with German firm Software AG to combine elements of the latter’s digital business platform with the former’s MindSphere.
“Working hand in hand with partners like Software AG, we are continuing to drive forward the expansion of our IoT operating system MindSphere, creating an ever more extensive global ecosystem. With MindSphere as a key component of our digital enterprise suite we provide optimum support for manufacturing customers undergoing the digital transformation,” said Jan Mrosik, CEO Digital Factory Division, Siemens AG.
To give an hypothetical example, a manufacturer could use MindSphere APIs and AWS tools to quickly develop and bring live industrial IoT applications that perform predictive maintenance on factory machines or help track products as they are assembled, for example.
“Siemens’ open PaaS approach through rich industrial IoT APIs, while enabling partners like Atos to extend the functionality of MindSphere through integration services and application development, is a unique, powerful approach,” Philippe Miltin, Atos senior vice president, global head of manufacturing, Retail & Transportation said. “We are already delivering solutions and services using MindSphere in multiple industries.”
