The Oracle IoT Platform

Oracle has demonstrated new capabilities for its Internet of Things technology, which businesses can use to better manage their field equipment and assets as well as improve customer service performed by field technicians. Customers using the new capabilities have reported being able to deploy IoT into their workflows two to three times faster than before, according to Oracle executives who presented to a roomful of journalists at company headquarters in Redwood City, California.

New Oracle Tech Simplifies Internet of Things Deployments in the Field

Oracle is embedding IoT and data analytics technology into specific business applications running business operation workflows, such as those of Oracle CX Cloud (which includes sales, marketing, and customer service applications) and Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud (which addresses issues in factory maintenance).

Oracle’s IoT applications portfolio includes Oracle Cloud-based IoT asset monitoring, production monitoring, connected workers, and fleet monitoring applications.

The IoT applications let plant and operations managers remotely monitor production lines for potential outages and have them serviced before they go down. They also include support for augmented reality software that both plant managers and field technicians can use to review metadata about different assets, as well as real-time instructions on how to take them apart, execute fixes, and put the equipment back together. They also can use virtual reality to “walk” the factory floor.

“While IoT technology isn’t new, the inclusion in Oracle’s IoT platform of prebuilt machine learning algorithms for specific use cases represents a significant step forward for business customers,” said Bhagat Nainani, Oracle IoT group vice president. “Having the right algorithms with the right level of sophistication, with the right analytics and predictions, is where the real IP is, and where the core value is for the customer,” Nainani said.

By embedding this IoT technology into existing business applications running existing workflows, “we’ve significantly simplified the ability for customers to deploy a solution going from the device to the platform to the IT application to whatever coupled application that is on top of it,” said Lionel Chocron, vice president for Oracle industry IoT solutions. “Also, the data flow integrates active intelligence algorithms both at the platform level and at the application level.”

Understanding the Oracle Internet of Things Cloud Service Gateway

The Oracle IoT Gateway
Figure 1: The Oracle IoT Gateway

What-If Scenarios

Oracle’s IoT application portfolio lets managers create a digital twin of a physical asset, so they can troubleshoot a failing piece of machinery without first having to take it offline. That capability also allows them to run what-if scenarios and other tests to ensure that they don’t create a new problem when they apply a fix to the physical device.

Because the new capabilities are based on specific use cases and implemented within existing business applications, managers can implement the technology quickly, without having to hire programmers or data scientists. “It’s all done declaratively through point-and-click—there’s no coding at all,” Nainani said.

In modern business settings, just keeping track of equipment can be challenging. For example, on a typical 10-hour shift in US hospitals, nurses can spend a lot of time looking for misplaced equipment. What’s more, even when they find it, too often it’s inoperative.

In an industrial setting, a crane used for unloading containers might have been left at the opposite end from where the next shift of workers who need it are coming in, noted Atul Mahamuni, Oracle vice president of IoT applications. “Where are my assets? Are they working? What is utilization like? These are real problems. We can solve these with IoT,” he said.

Mitsubishi Electric, SoftBank, Noble Plastics, and building management company Vinci were early customers of Oracle IoT Cloud Service.

Keeping Up with the Hype

IoT has been a buzzword for years; however, “the number of deployments hasn’t kept up with the hype,” Nainani said. The complexity of having to integrate new code into existing workflows—or worse, having to develop new workflows to integrate with new IoT algorithms—has slowed adoption. So, too, has the expense of hiring data scientists and programmers.

“That’s why Oracle has made business outcomes and ‘making things easy’ a point of emphasis,” he said.

“IoT is about more than connecting myriad devices to the Internet,” Nainani said. “It’s about using data from the devices to improve efficiency and other business outcomes. We help you get there in simple steps.”

Oracle Broadens Its IoT Cloud Offering with Four New Solutions

Oracle is expanding its Internet of Things (IoT) offering with four new Cloud-based services designed to help businesses incorporate connected devices and make the most of digital supply chains.

Oracle’s new Cloud applications will help businesses monitor productivity, assets, fleets and individuals, and the announcement comes just a week after the software giant agreed on a “Power IoT Ecosystem Partnership” with telecoms equipment company Huawei.

Sensors, Workers, Fleets and Equipment

The new Cloud applications integrate with Oracle’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) Cloud applications and include the following products:

  • IoT Asset Monitoring Cloud: Monitors assets, utilization, availability, and data from connected sensors and creates incidents in the back-end SCM, ERP, or Service Clouds to automate workflows
  • IoT Connected Worker Cloud: Tracks employees to support safety, service, and regulatory compliance initiatives
  • IoT Fleet Monitoring Cloud: Monitors position and progress of passenger, service, and delivery vehicles and driver behavior
  • IoT Production Monitoring Cloud: Monitors production equipment to assess and predict manufacturing issues

These applications share three common goals, according to Oracle executives. First comes device registration and the collection of data. Second is data processing; the point at which information becomes insight. Also, third is the connection of these insights to specific business processes. Advanced and predictive analytics can mold data into real-life insights, including predictive maintenance, diagnostic dashboards, and increased real-time visibility.

Oracle Seeks to Modernize the Digital Supply Chain

Bhagat Nainani, group vice president of IoT applications development at Oracle, outlined the company’s vision on Cloud applications for the IoT. “The world is becoming ever-more digital and IoT is the next step on that journey, delivering better customer experiences and helping organizations achieve a competitive advantage,” he said.

“Oracle IoT Applications enable businesses to leverage connected devices and equipment to modernize the digital supply chain.”

A statement from Oracle announcing the new Cloud applications warns that businesses shying away from the latest developments could fall behind competitors:

“Organizations with the tools to integrate device data into business processes and applications can gain critical predictive insights and drive cost-effective actions. IoT solutions enable businesses to deliver innovative new services faster and with less risk to their customers.”

Conclusion: Competition in IoT Cloud Services

The market for IoT Cloud services is becoming increasingly competitive. Cisco bought IoT cloud provider Jasper last year, while Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM and Google all have strong Cloud offerings.

Last week, Oracle executive chairman and chief technology officer Larry Ellison released data that he claims show that the company’s Cloud databases are “decades ahead” of those offered by Amazon.

“Oracle’s new technologies will drive the Cloud databases and infrastructure of the future,” said Ellison. “Amazon is decades behind in every database area that matters, and their systems are more closed than mainframe computers.”

The Oracle IoT Platform is one of several platforms to make our list. You can find the others in the IoT area of Codeguru!

Robert Gravelle
Robert Gravelle
Rob Gravelle resides in Ottawa, Canada, and has been an IT guru for over 20 years. In that time, Rob has built systems for intelligence-related organizations such as Canada Border Services and various commercial businesses. In his spare time, Rob has become an accomplished music artist with several CDs and digital releases to his credit.

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