IoT Glue: IoT Platform

IoT Glue^® is an IoT integration framework. It allows businesses to quickly integrate devices and applications, define rules, and take actions. As it is built as a highly extensible framework, IoT Glue^® allows users to add adaptors to support more protocols and actions.

This IoT platform is built as a low code, easy-to-use framework, making it an ideal tool for both the business and the technical community. The ability to build custom dashboards and have macro- and micro-level reports helps users monitor their devices and systems efficiently.

IoT Glue^® is a framework on which enterprises can build their IoT cloud services. So, unlike most IoT platforms, IoT Glue^® comes with fewer limitations. It has out-of-the-box support for HTTP and MQTT protocols. However, supporting any industry standard or bespoke protocol is easy as the framework can have adaptors.

The product is architected to be extensible and scalable. As an IoT management platform, IoT Glue^® also follows a low code approach with easy-to-use user interfaces. The framework also consists of an API Gateway and service composition capabilities which allow not just devices, but also applications to be seamlessly integrated.

Yes. We believe this is an essential part of product delivery. Our product team is complemented by a delivery team that fits the product into the customer’s environment. Any customizations and support are also handled by our System Integration team.

Any IoT initiative needs to have an IoT Architect who understands the business objective and the technical/device landscape of the customer.

To use the IoT Glue^® out of the box, a basic understanding of JSON, XML, REST, devices, and protocols is sufficient. At this level, users can create rules, trigger actions, and visualize data.

If you want to extend the framework then you can do so using NodeJS, Java, and some database (SQL & NoSQL) skills.

Out of the box, IoT Glue^® currently supports HTTP and MQTT. This IoT platform is easily extensible with adaptors for any other protocol. The SDK provided allows you to build custom adaptors quickly. Using the adaptors, any data source can be registered on our IoT device management platform. The data source can be a device, an endpoint, an edge device, an IoT Gateway, etc.

The IoT cloud platforms and IoT cloud services can be logically configured with groups based on endpoints (IP Address & Protocol). These groups can be modeled by designing templates based on use-cases.

For example, in the use-case of remotely monitoring a server room, a template can be configured with details like the server room name, server room no, floor no, building name, server room manager details, etc. Once device/source groups are configured for this template, the data can be used for processing, creating visualizations, and even for triggering actions based on rules that are configured in RT-Builder.

IoT Glue^® supports Real-Time and Near to Real-Time Operations:

RT-Builder (Real-Time Builder) - It gives business users the ability to build business workflows based on their requirements. A business flow contains one or more data sources (aka Source in IoT Glue^®), Rules, Actions, Triggers, and Visualization Nodes. Based on the rules in the flow, actions will be triggered or analysis can be done on certain KPIs in real-time.

X-Builder (Experience Builder) - It is an API-driven module that allows you to configure widgets, build what-you-see-is-what-you-get dashboards (WYSIWYG), and publish them to particular user roles.

IoT Glue^® offers three choices in modules while purchasing the product:

• Commune and RT Builder: Useful if the user wishes to only build rules based on business scenarios which can help trigger real-time actions or analyze endpoints and not wish to visualize the data on a dashboard. Commune is used to register and configure users, data sources, and devices for these operations.
• Commune and X-Builder: Useful if the user wishes to build and generate what-you-see-is-what-you-get dashboards (WYSIWYG) using APIs from data streams generated external to IoT Glue^®. Commune is used to register and configure users, services, and APIs in this scenario.
• Commune with both RT Builder and X-builder: By using a combination of all three, the business user has an option to register Devices/Services on Commune, build business flows using RT-Builder from the data streams, and generate Dashboards with X-Builder.

IoT Glue^® offers two levels of dashboards: One at the product level and other at the use-case or operational level.

• Product level dashboard: View information with regards to IoT Glue^® modules and user activities.
  • Commune: Visualize the number of device groups created, number of active devices, and other information regarding services, devices, and user management.
  • RT-Builder: Details of approved flows, number of requests appearing for each flow, and more.
  • X-Builder: Information on the published dashboards, number of visualizations available for each dashboard, and much more.

Users can publish the above dashboards using APIs to a particular user role for each module.

• Use Case level – IoT Glue^® can be used for different business domains like fleet management, infrastructure management, crowd management, etc. Multiple dashboards with insights for every use case can be published by leveraging the X-Builder module where these are composed.

There are no pre-defined user roles with templates regarding access and permissions in our IoT development platform. Instead, an admin can add user roles in the Commune module of IoT Glue^® and configure permissions to each user role like create a source/device group, edit source group, create a flow, edit a flow, approve/publish a flow, and many more with regards to X-Builder and RT-Builder.