German software giant SAP has unveiled a new Internet of Things application enablement tool in a bid to help companies and individuals with IoT development.
The SAP Hana Cloud platform offers customers Big Data management and consumption services, although there isn’t a need for underlying data storage.
This, the company believes, will let users create virtual representations of products, services and processes while combining sensor, business and contextual data.
Changing IoT development
For businesses to make use of IoT solutions, they often need access to a powerful digital core, which can be costly and timely to set up. SAP HANA changes this dramatically.
It lets them change the way they use and implement connected technology easily, while also offering capabilities so they can predict, control and optimise data and changes in real-time.
SAP is confident that its 40 years’ of experience in this area will encourage companies to take a leap of faith with the solution and IoT tech in general.
Related: Companies want to increase operational productivity and efficiency via IoT
Digital twin approach
Using the IoT application enablement solution, SAP customers can combine valuable sensor data with business and contextual information. This bodes for improved visibility and control.
The new product has three key focus areas. These include development development tools, smart data storage and integration to key business processes and applications.
SAP describes the tool as a “digital twin”, something that Gartner predicts will become mainstream in the IoT development space within the next three to five years. It’s a type of software model for physical technologies and systems, and already being adopted by GE Digital and others.
Essentially, this type of technology connects the dots of how technologies work virtually and real-time data collected by a range of sensors. Experts believe that this gives companies detailed and realistic digital representations of products.
Other key elements
SAP has kitted out the technology with other key features as well. For starters, customers benefit from microservices that allow them to retrieve digital twin data, such as product master data, customer contract documentation and business semantics.
Companies needn’t be experienced technologists, though. SAP provides a software development kit to customers, including code-generating templates. These help developers focus on design instead of coding.
Tanja Rueckert, executive vice president of digital assets and IoT at SAP, said: “SAP IoT Application Enablement provides a powerful virtual model that shows how a thing will operate with real time data over its lifetime.
“It also delivers an IoT tailored development environment that promotes development efficiencies and provides a common foundation across all apps. Customers are now able to develop IoT solutions efficiently, with a reduction in errors and ultimately an increased time to market.”
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