ICYMI: Your 'IoT TGIF' News Recap as Smart Solutions Continue Expanding

We’ve said it before, and we’ll gladly say it again: It’s 2024, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is – without a morsel of doubt – modernizing how we interact with technology at home and in professional spaces via the creation of far-reaching networks of interconnected devices and services. The “things” comprising today’s IoT range from healthcare-tracking wearables and software-defined vehicle (SDV) integrations, to sensors deployed for monitoring everything from industrial machines to livestock spread out over massive areas of farmland.

This inter-device communication and data exchange paves the way for more reliable automation, production efficiencies, and enhanced operations that enable teams to focus on higher-priority initiatives. From optimizing energy consumption for smart city power grids to commercial robotics, connectivity – the lifeblood of IoT – opens the door to a truly intelligent future we can actually reach (rather than reserve it for the likes of sci-fi and would-be wishes in tech).

This is IoT, readers. It’s an ever-in-motion industry that’s growing more interesting as it expands.

So for this week’s IoT, let’s talk about announcements reshaping various parts of what make up “of Things”-focused industries:

• Avidbots – renowned for its autonomous robotic cleaning solutions – launched Kas. In short, Kas was purpose-built for worry-free cleaning in commercial spaces so teams can focus on handling more customer-focused (and revenue-generating) tasks, rather than to clean messes. Great for commercial spaces (rather than IIoT-specific ones, à la Avidbots’ Neo 2W), Kas can clean up and down often-used aisles and even safely around active customers. Read the full story on Kas here.

• The AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) and machine perception experts at Hikvision have showcased their new suite of transportation and parking management solutions designed for what it describes as “redefined urban mobility,” all powered by AIoT. These include radar-video fusion cameras, traffic spotters, and radar-linked PTZ cameras. More here.

• Spirent, a global provider of automated test and assurance solutions for smarter networks, positioning and cybersecurity, recently announced PNT X. This next-gen positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) simulation system was designed to deliver more reliable performance and flexibility in PNT sim environments. Built with “the future always in mind” as Adam Price, Vice President of PNT Simulation at Spirent (News - Alert) described, PNT X “ensures our customers can achieve deterministic testing at every stage of the development cycle, while saving money and reducing lab footprint.”

• OneLayer – its teams providing ironically (due to their company’s name) multilayered zero trust security and asset management solutions for private cellular/5G/LTE (News - Alert) devices in enterprise IoT – was able to successfully integrate said solutions with a major U.S. MNO’s public network and respective IoT platform. (Also involved here was Ericsson (News - Alert) and its 5G Core technology.) This addresses growing demands for unified orchestration solutions, thus integrating OneLayer Bridge with this MNO’s network and platform will serve a wide range of use cases, “particularly for utilities looking to leverage the real potential of private cellular securely and efficiently,” added Dave Mor, OneLayer’s CEO.

• Then we have Tata Communications, a global player in the commtech and space and a digital ecosystem enabler. Tata Communications (News - Alert) delivers “the next level of intelligence powered by cloud, mobility, IoT” and more, which is why the company last month unveiled its CloudLyte fully automated edge computing platform. CloudLyte provides organizations with the infrastructure, network, and managed services required for creating “Solutions in a Box (News - Alert)” that enable swift IoT deployments within minutes, plus future-proofed scaling strategies. Neelakantan Venkataraman, Vice President and Global Head of Cloud and Edge Business at Tata, explained how “In our hyperconnected world, businesses rely on resilient, performant and secure edge computing capabilities. These are essential for managing the immense volumes of raw data generated, and for processing them efficiently to enable rapid decision-making. By bringing the cloud experience to edge, Tata Communications CloudLyte allows global enterprises to harness the full potential of cloud through a well-integrated cloud fabric.”

• Lastly for today, a reminder about a fast-approaching (and wouldn’t-want-to-miss-it) event – Viasat, a high-speed communications and IoT connectivity solutions provider, is hosting its ELEVATE global partner event from June 18-19! Event attendees will be able to leverage the best from Viasat and its remarkable global presence, and they’ll be learning all about Viasat’s direct-to-device technology roadmap, its Enterprise and Land Mobile (ELM) product portfolio updates (and market insights therein), and more regarding how the ELEVATE program can support businesses’ long-term IoT growth ambitions. Those interested should learn more and register by clicking this link.

For more news outside the realm of IoT, we encourage visiting our other sites like GenAI News, Future of Work News, Smart City Sentinel and MSP Today.

TGIF, readers. Until the next ICYMI, take good care, as always.