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Microsoft Azure

IIoT Solutions on Microsoft Azure

Manufacturing IoT Page

Developing a life cycle management strategy with Azure

Getting connected is the first step in any IoT Journey, and HMS makes the first step easy. Depending on the scale of the final solution systems, architects will need to define a life cycle management strategy for every device connected to Azure.

 

Considerations include:

  • Remote access strategy as a backup or primary strategy for software updates
  • Certificate renewal process
  • Expansion and scalability strategy
  • Software update process for the device firmware (Gateway firmware, PLC firmware, …)
  • Software update process for device applications (Gateway configuration, PLC program, ….)

 

Microsoft Azure supports both a traditional VM offering as well as several functional elements that can be combined to create a solution. These functional elements enable use cases in the industrial market including asset monitoring, predictive maintenance and remote service. Functional elements are grouped as follows:

Collect
Get the data from machines, data bases, and other software applications

 

Visualize 

Organize the data, customized for your specific needs

Analyze

Perform root cause analysis on the data set captured

Predict

Build a set of user defined or AI predicted limits to create alerts

Act

Define and execute actions to improve performance and/or limit downtime

Flexy to Azure

HMS Networks Gateway Solution

HMS Networks gateways and cloud platforms enable the “collect” functional group. HMS gateways are design to work with Microsoft Azure out of the box. After configuring just a few parameters, data can start flowing to Azure.
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Talk2M RESTful API

Talk2M offers two RESTful API interfaces. DMWeb API is designed to support historical logging of data. Data from the asset is buffered locally in the Flexy gateway before being sent to a buffer in Talk2M (data mailbox) where data can be stored for up to 10 days. A second REST interface on Talk2M M2Web API allows for real time reads and writes to tags on any Flexy device. Azure Event Hub or an application like the Canary Historian or Ignition running on an Azure VM can read data from either REST API.
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Flexy direct to Azure

The MQTT connector in Flexy is used to create a certificate-based SSL connection with Azure IoT Hub. Data from the asset is buffered locally in the Flexy gateway before being sent directly to the IoT Hub interface.This interface can be configured manually or the HMS Engineering Services Azure connector can be used to create a low touch, automated provisioning solution. 

Using the Power of Microsoft Azure to Build an End-to-End Solution

Once data collection has been enabled the next step is to take advantage Azure functions that exist to build a complete solution. Key functional blocks HMS has development experience with include:

Azure DB –
Azure supports a large number of data bases which can be populated from steam analytics.		Steam Analytics –
Allows real-time analysis of data flows including alarming based on complex data analysis. This function also acts as a data router in Azure.		Event Hub –
An easy way to ingest data from services outside of Azure.		AWS Blob Storage –
Cost effective way to store large chucks of data in the format it was originally received in.
Azure Functions –
Cost effective user defined code elements that are executed as needed. These functions are leverage like glue logic to fill in the gaps between different functional blocks or to eliminate a functional block for cost reasons when applicable.		IoT Hub –
Bi-direction communication channel between Azure and a device using a HMS Edge gateway. Write backs to the edge device are enabled leveraging the device twin functionality.		Active Directory –
Microsoft’s active directory system is the most common user management solution in the world. The solution can easily be merged with an on-site AD solution to extend corporate access rules from the enterprise to the cloud.		Power BI –
Visualizing data allows individuals and management to quickly understand complex status information. Resulting in more alignment across the organization and faster response times when there are issues in the field.

 

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At HMS, we believe that working together creates the best results. That's why we are passionate about partnering with other innovative companies within industrial communication and IIoT.

In the HMS Solution Partner Program, IIoT becomes reality. Our Solution Partners develop innovative IoT software solutions for their customers using our proven hardware for industrial communication.

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