Ann: Location Data Analytics partnership, page-7

Nanotron chooses ClearBlade’s IoT edge capabilities

• June 27, 2018

• by Steve Hilton

In January, 2018, we rated ClearBlade as an Application Enablement Platform (AEP) vendor to watch on account of its particularly strong IoT edge computing capabilities. Now the company’s capabilities have secured it a deal with Nanotron Technologies, a German location awareness systems developer.
Austin, Texas-based ClearBlade’s AEP middleware will be integrated into Nanotron’s advanced tracking software, according to a recent announcement. Nanotron is looking for ClearBlade’s platform to carry out IoT device maintenance and security duties so that Nanotron’s systems can focus on their core function, which is location data analytics.
By providing a combination of IoT edge and cloud platforms, ClearBlade’s software will enable Nanotron’s customers to seamlessly roll out large projects in multiple locations worldwide, ClearBlade said. It cited real-time processing, modularity, security, remote provisioning, extensive databases, and tight software integration as features that helped seal the agreement with Nanotron, a wholly-owned Berlin-based subsidiary of the sensor maker Sensera.
The partnership will first be put to the test in a hospital environment, for patient tracking across multiple operating wards. Nanotron will be supplying chirp spread spectrum and ultra-wideband location technologies, using additional information from sensors and building maps. The system will automatically detect pre-defined treatment events, display them in real time, and log them for further analysis in a database.
Nanotron’s partnership with ClearBlade further underscores the fact that many IoT services providers may find it easier to collaborate with an AEP specialist instead of trying to create middleware in house. MachNation has recently launched an IoT platform TCO calculator to help enterprises determine the total costs of building their own IoT platform versus buying IoT platform services from an AEP like ClearBlade.
At the moment there is significant choice in the market, with 21 vendors listed in MachNation’s 2018 Application Enablement Platform ScoreCard. We expect this field to narrow in future as the market begins to pick out technology winners.