Intel Unveils Its Plan To Simplify The Internet Of Things

Intel has announced its Internet of Things (IoT) platform as the company looks to move further away from its traditional computing focus.

The company hopes that the new platform will help organisations looking to move wholesale to the IoT, allowing easier ways to test, deploy and secure devices, and has signed up a range of partners, including the likes of Dell, Accenture, SAP and Capgemini, to help test the network and begin rolling out devices.

“With this platform we are continuing to expand our IoT product family beyond silicon with enhancements to our pre-integrated solutions that make IoT more accessible to solution providers,” said Doug Davis, vice president and general manager, Internet of Things Group, Intel.

“IoT is a rapidly growing market, but faces scalability hurdles. By simplifying the development process and making it easier to deploy new solutions that address market needs, we can help accelerate innovation.”

Expansive

Intel’s platform looks to cover the whole range of technological infrastructure, covering not just device connectivity, but also the cloud, with the company announcing a range of new hardware and software to support the launch.

New products from Wind River Edge Management Systems will provide the cloud connectivity, allowing fast deployment and connections for organisations looking to join the IoT by letting them quickly create industry-specific solutions.

Intel’s IoT Gateway will also include tools from Wind River, allowing quick deployment and easy management of gateways alongside performance improvements and wider communication support.

Security for the platform will be provided from both the company’s internal Intel Security group and McAfee, with the former now providing its Enhanced Privacy Identity (EPID) technology to other silicon vendors, and the latter announcing Enhanced Security for Intel IoT Gateways, which provides advanced security management for gateway devices.

Shifting horizons

Intel has been keenly focusing towards the IoT market in recent times as it looks to broaden its horizons away from its traditional strengths in computing.

The company launched an IoT-dedicated business unit in 2013, reporting directly to CEO Brian Krzanich, and has opened four dedicated innovation centres in the EMEA region, the most recent of which was Swindon in June. Earlier this year, Krzanich unveiled a new family of ‘gateway’ solutions for IoT devices based on the Quark System-on-a-Chip and Atom processors.

This also includes a major push on wearable technology, showing off a range of fashionable clothes and accessories featuring smart technology earlier this year.

The company is also rumoured to be providing the hardware for the second generation of Google Glass, taking over from Texas Instruments in an attempt to boost the power of wearable devices.

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