Tech giants Cisco and IBM are partnering in a bid to deliver intelligent data analytics by combining their respective IoT capabilities.
IBM is merging the strength of artificial intelligence (AI) platform Watson IoT with Cisco’s edge analytics to create a new way of producing insight from data collection.
Targeting remote businesses
The approach they’re taking is designed to target company assets such as oil rigs, factories and mines, which operate on the edge and where bandwidth may be lacking.
The aim here is to help businesses and organisations operating in remote locations tap into the power of IoT analytics, using IBM Watson and Cisco’s edge technologies.
Big for maintenance
For instance, employers can use the platforms as a way to better monitor and understand the health and behaviour of machinery, and gain data that can help them plan needed maintenance and replacements.
The firms say that by using IBM Watson and Cisco edge analytics, customers will be able to adopt new, improved approaches to maintenance by monitoring equipment in real-time. They claim companies could reduce maintenance costs by 50 percent.
Related: Tele2 teams up with IBM on Internet of Things networks
Data for improved 4G
Cisco and IBM have already begun working with Canadian communications company Bell Canada, using the analytics platforms over Canada’s biggest, fastest 4G network. Bell customers will be able to collect data in real-time.
Stephen Howe, CTO at Bell, said: “This powerful IoT technology from Cisco and IBM, combined with Bell’s world leading network technology, enables customers to tap into innovative real-time analytics options to maximize performance across their operations, no matter where they are.
“Many of our largest customers operate remote systems, requiring continuous availability and access to data to monitor critical performance factors and avoid downtime.
“Deploying the unmatched analytics capabilities of IBM Watson Internet of Things and Cisco networking intelligence with streaming edge analytics will help to further accelerate Bell’s leadership in Canadian IoT.”
Related: Cisco survey highlights familiar barriers for digital
IoT changing everything
Harriet Green, who leads Watson IoT at IBM, said: “The way we experience and interact with the physical world is being transformed by the power of cloud computing and the Internet of Things.
“For an oil rig in a remote location or a factory where critical decisions have to be taken immediately, uploading all data to the cloud is not always the best option.
“By coming together, IBM and Cisco are taking these powerful IoT technologies the last mile, extending Watson IoT from the cloud to the edge of computer networks, helping to make these strong analytics capabilities available virtually everywhere, always.”
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