New class of cloud-connected wireless M2M solutions based on Intel architecture

Digi International and Wind River, have just announced a collaboration to deliver a new family of cloud-connected wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions. The M2M Solution Builder kits will include a combination of hardware, software, cloud connectivity and access to tailored M2M development services. This complete end-to-end solution, tailored for performance- and connectivity-driven applications, dramatically simplifies the creation of an M2M solution.

It is expected that by 2015, intelligent M2M systems will account for more than one-third of the volume of all embedded systems worldwide, according to IDC (Worldwide Intelligent Systems 2011-2015 Forecast: The Next Big Opportunity, September 2011) . From real-time traffic data communicated to a vehicle’s GPS, to remote health monitoring systems transmitting data to a doctor's computer, to smart meters transmitting data on utility usage, the spectrum of ways in which intelligence from remote machines can and will be used is vast. With these possibilities come opportunities for companies to use this data to become more efficient, cut operational costs, improve customer satisfaction and create new revenue streams.

“We are excited to work closely with Wind River and Intel to create differentiated smart device solutions,” said Larry Kraft, senior vice president of global sales and marketing at Digi International. “In addition, the close relationship with Wind River allows us to offer customers a complete and field-proven software solution for smart connected devices.”

“The M2M industry is in need of a complete end-to-end solution to accelerate market adoption,” said Jim Robinson, general manager of operations and marketing for intelligent systems at Intel. “Complete solutions from industry leaders like Digi and Wind River will allow developers and OEM’s to quickly build connected products and cloud-enabled services with confidence.”

“Wind River’s value proposition is built on streamlining and supporting the enablement of M2M services with our leading software and middleware, complemented by our extensive hardware and software M2M partner ecosystem,” said Roger Williams, vice president of alliances and business development at Wind River. “The integration of the iDigi Device Cloud will allow customers to build secure and cloud-enabled M2M solutions with Wind River software, adding cloud-based data analytics capabilities and remote device management to new and existing applications. The seamless integration of cloud-connected services and applications is a natural extension of Wind River’s proven software and services for smart connected devices.”

The M2M Solution Builder kit will integrate performance and connectivity in a fanless and compact form factor. It is suited for a wide variety of applications such as transportation, smart energy, building automation, access control, security/surveillance, m-health, digital signage, kiosks, and fixed/mobile asset tracking/management. The M2M Solution Builder kit will feature the following:

• Intel® Atom™ processor E6204.
• Wind River Linux environment with an M2M software development kit (SDK).
• iDigi Connector™ integration, which allows any device to integrate easily with the iDigi Device Cloud, a proven cloud infrastructure for remote device management and cloud-based information exchange providing “Any App, Anything, Anywhere™” capabilities to connected devices via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or cellular connectivity.
• Wind River Workbench, a collection of tools based on the Eclipse framework.
• A wide range of connectivity options, including certification to 2G/3G cellular, dual-stream 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.15.4, dual HDMI, audio, USB 2.0, internal MicroSD card slot, up to four internal PCI Express Mini Card slots, and an integrated low-power three-axis accelerometer.
• Future options are expected to include 4G/LTE cellular connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, ZigBee, and Solid State Disk (SSD) storage.

As part of the kit user experience, customers will be able to exercise complete iDigi Manager Pro remote management capabilities and cloud-based desktop and mobile web dashboard applications out of the box. In addition, through iDigi Application Development Services and Digi’s Spectrum Design Services, Digi offers custom iDigi web and mobile application development as well as full wireless and hardware design services, addressing needs from product customization to complete turnkey development.

New partner announced for technology event

Wind River is an ISA Automation Week partner
Wind River has become an ISA Automation Week 2010 Partner. ISA Automation Week 2010 will be held 4-7 October 2010 in Houston (TX US).

“ISA’s members and customers attend ISA Automation Week to immerse themselves in comprehensive technical information, and to see the latest trends in the design, deployment, and integration of complex manufacturing systems and processes,” said Jennifer Infantino, ISA Corporate Partnerships manager. “Our partners represent top companies in the industry, and through this program, they can engage in meaningful dialogue with current and future customers and offer solutions for the challenges they’re facing in their plants. Wind River is a key partner to ISA, and their innovations will greatly benefit ISA members and customers attending our upcoming show.”

Wind River is uniquely positioned within the embedded industry with its comprehensive software portfolio, which includes industry-leading operating systems, runtime technologies, development tools and an embedded test management solution, as well as industry-specific solutions. As the trends of machine-to-machine connectivity and tighter security regulations amplify across industries, their solutions enable companies to meet stringent real-time determinism requirements while taking advantage of the flexibility and cost benefits of open standards. For developers exploring technologies such as multi-core and embedded virtualization for the next generation of industrial devices, the company offers a broad set of integrated multi-core software solutions for multiple hardware architectures serving specific vertical industry needs. Additionally, Wind River’s solutions are supported by global support and services and a rich partner ecosystem.

“Understanding how to embrace rapidly evolving machine-to-machine connectivity as well as managing new safety and security requirements emerging globally are now critical elements to the control and process automation market segments,” said Jens Wiegand, general manager of industrial and medical solutions at Wind River. “Wind River is honored to engage with ISA Automation Week conference attendees in order to help them master the challenges of building secure, connected devices.”