Edge computing startup IOTech Systems Ltd. today announced a new service called Edge Connect to help organizations collect large amounts of data in complex, multiprotocol industrial environments.

The company is looking to cater to organizations that deploy industrial internet of things applications at facilities in the manufacturing, energy and other sectors. It says IoT apps, such as sensors in a car manufacturing plant, can provide tremendous value as they supply important data on the efficiency of plant operations.

However, many organizations struggle to connect these edge devices and collect the data they generate in a timely manner. That’s the challenge IOTech aims to solve with its new offering.

Edge Connect is a low-powered and connectivity platform that can be used by any kind of device or application at the industrial edge. That includes closed-loop control applications in manufacturing, real-time monitoring sensors in energy storage systems, or embedded applications in the automotive industry.

Compatible with a wide range of hardware and software systems, Edge Connect makes it simple for plant operators to connect various machines and equipment via protocols such as Modbus, BACnet, OPC Unified Architecture, EtherCAT and more. Edge Connect can read and write data from devices at rapid speed to support the highest volumes of data with low-latency, enabling businesses to tap the unique value generated by analyzing data in close to real time, IOTech said.

Edge Connect also comes with an open application programming interface for easy integration with third-party applications used by customers to explore and process their data. In addition, users have the option to stream data securely to cloud services via the MQTT and JavaScript Object Notation protocols, IOTech said.

The company explained organizations can use Edge Connect to integrate time-critical, real-time edge applications with higher-level enterprise and cloud systems.

“As a high performance connectivity solution that providers can easily embed in their own edge solutions then Edge Connect is unique,” said IOTech Product Director Andrew Foster. “It solves the problem of accessing an organization’s operational data that is typically locked away inside of their OT systems. In most cases, this is through simple configuration or via dynamic device discovery and without the need for custom code.”

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