Managing Automation - October 2008 - (Page 11)

Quote of the partment in a complex integration exercise that typically included a central database to consolidate and replicate all of the data, which then needed to be synchronized across all kinds of devices, such as the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile PDA, or the iPhone. “It was a big job. In fact, an almost insurmountable job, which explains why adoption of applications in the business mobile space has been limited,” said Benjamin Wesson, vice president of product management at Dexterra Inc., a provider of middleware and applications used to manage mobile workforces. In an effort to make mobility simple, Dexterra has developed what it claims is an innovative data abstraction layer. In August, the company was issued U.S. patent number 7,366,460 for its work on the abstraction technology. Although Dexterra has been using the technology in its Concert platform for a few years, the patent award, Wesson said, validates what Dexterra set out to do when it Benjamin Wesson started as a company eight years ago. The mission: Accelerate the adoption of mobile applications through a seamless integration framework. The now patented technology adds pre-built adapters that extract information from middleware, messaging systems, and databases. Even with the prevalence of Web services, to mobilize an SAP system, for example, an integrator would need to understand NetWeaver or specific APIs, such as BAPI or IDoc, in order to accomplish a data exchange. But Dexterra’s application adapter automatically abstracts native remote function calls (RFC) and has mapped out all of the operations required on a given process, the company said. This layer of abstraction, between multiple back-office systems and mobile applications, defines data as rules and objects, allowing the data to move seamlessly through the Dexterra Concert platform without being synchronized, staged, or replicated. For example, if you want to create, edit, or delete a service order, the technology automatically calls the BAPIs that will update the object, Wesson said. “We don’t want to trivialize it, but the point is, we’ve lowered the bar,” Wesson said. “We’ve taken this from insurmountable to possible, as long as you understand how to work with Web services. Our hope is that the people who might be on the fence as far as [weighing the] benefits of mobility, or who may have been scared off by cost or the ongoing effort of maintaining the applications, will take a closer look.” — Stephanie Neil MONTH “We wanted to get our hat in the ring ” — Randy, Littleson, Kinaxis VP of marketing, of the supply chain software company’s bid to win over rival i2’s customers. NEW GROUP AIMS AT MORE EFFICIENT SMART DEVICES For the Continued from page 8 Record T he wheel has already been built, says the new Internet Protocol Smart Objects (IPSO) Alliance. No use tinkering with an alternate design. The wheel, in this case, is the communications standard between smart objects — everything from temperature sensors, to electric meters, to vibration meters — and the networks that host them. The IPSO Alliance, launched in September with 25 member companies ranging from Emerson Electric, to Dust Networks, to SAP, advocates the use of the time-tested Internet Protocol (IP) standard for such devices. The alliance’s formation comes at a time when sensors are growing in sophistication, breadth, and number, as businesses warm to the possibilities of a more communicative world of devices. The organization is taking aim at the legions of proprietary standards that have been developed by individual technology providers. Under such a fragmented schema, a manufacturer that wants to feed its control system or business software with information from a motor’s vibration sensor and a temperature meter on a pipe, for example, must build digital gateways to get that data onto the main IT network, which, noted IPSO Chairman Geoff Mulligan, is almost invariably IP-based. And each protocol generally fits just one transmission type, such as an Ethernet line, while IP works across many types of wireless and hardwire transmission. “The beauty of using IP over other types of protocols is that if that sensor can reach, it doesn’t have to go back and make many hops in order to get to that single gateway that’s going to then translate [the data] into IP,” Mulligan said. The use of IP would also save end-user companies money on the IT resources they use to manage their networks. “Why have to bring in yet another really expensive engineer or train someone for weeks IBM is designing and implementing RFID technology for Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. in India. For Every Body is looking to increase productivity with Infor’s ERP modules, including CRM, financials, and time and attendance. IQS is providing risk and quality management software to NDI Medical to speed time to market and ensure FDA regulatory and ISO system standards compliance. ScottishPower, a U.K. utility, chose Ivara EXP Enterprise asset performance management software to ensure the availability of its generation equipment. FINANCIAL EnOcean GmbH received €4.5 million in venture capital money to fund expansion into new markets and continued development of its self-powered wireless technology for energy-efficient systems in the building sector. Progress Software Corp. reported thirdquarter income of $12.5 million on revenue of $127 million. M&AS AMETEK Inc. completed its acquisition of the programmable power business of Xantrex Technology, Inc. for $120 million in cash. Consona Corp. bought the Intuitive assets of TproSoft, an Intuitive value-added reseller in China. PA R T N E R S H I P S Business process management company Appian signed up Paris-based global distributor Anone to deliver BPM solutions and consulting across Europe. Enterprise applications consulting firm Astra joined IFS’ North American Business Partner Program. Cognex is collaborating with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. to develop Cognex InSight vision systems that will integrate with Mitsubishi’s factory automation products. SAS, a business intelligence and analytics provider, and Wipro Technologies, an IT service provider, signed a global partnership deal. 11 October 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - October 2008

Managing Automation - October 2008 Contents Take 1 Systems Integration Market Braces for a Wave of Consolidation Kinaxis Launches Program to Lure i2 Customers Patent May Give Mobility a Needed Shot in the Arm New Group Aims at More Efficient Smart Devices Solar, Life Sciences Will Be the Next Frontier For Robots Notes Cover Story:�2009 Companies to Watch Special Report:�Siemens plus UGS: Is the Merger Working? Transformation:�Driving Energy Efficiency Integration: How Clean is Your Data Industries:�Fed Raises Red Flag on Chemicals Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.