This week’s Smart DevOps roundup features how ThingWorx is powering the connected world, why a unifying Internet of Things (IoT) platform may not be needed and the easiest way to connect things to the Internet.

Why IoT doesn’t need a unified platform

There is a push to create a unified platform for the Internet of Things. This is in the hopes of making all the connected devices be able to connect and seamlessly work together. An example of this is General Electric Corp.’s partnership with Intel Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., and Verizon Wireless last year, which set out to connect the GE’s Predix software platform to millions of new machines and sensors, regardless of manufacturer. But Steve Gallagher, CEO of Vix Technology, a provider of smart booking, ticketing, data management and payment systems, believes that the Internet of Things doesn’t really need a unifying platform.

He stated that there are dozens of IoT systems employed across the globe that have “resulted in pockets of connected communities operating successfully” despite the lack of standard issues, but in isolation. He went on to say that the challenge lies in connecting these pockets or independent systems to create a smart city.

“I think our cities are getting smarter organically and don’t require a top down, government or big business orchestrated approach that determines standards, protocols and the rules of connectivity,” Gallagher stated.

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Scriptr.io

JavaScript is one of the oldest programming languages used and for some, it is one of the easiest to learn. Now, there’s a platform that allows you to connect things to the Internet using JavaScript, something that beginner coders might greatly enjoy.

Called Scriptr.io, or simply Scriptr, is described as an elegant and powerful scripting engine that combines the scalability of cloud with the simplicity of JavaScript. This allows devices to be connected to the Internet rapidly as well as build projects without having to deal with the usual hassles and limitations such as limited processing capability and memory as it is cloud-based. Scriptr is seen as a solution for the unique challenges presented by developing for IoT.

“At the end, it is all about making the lives of consumer and industrial IoT device and platform makers easier by boosting their productivity, reducing their time to market and cost!” says Rabih Nassar, CEO of Scriptr.

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Infobright joins ThingWorx’s IoT Ecosystem

Database analytics platform for IoT company Infobright has joined the ThingWorx Ready Partner program, enabling its integration with  products in the ThingWorx IoT platform, ultimately simplifying the creation and deployment of IoT solutions.

As part of the partner program, Infobright will provide IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) application developers with scalable and efficient analytic database which can be used by apps built from the ThingWorx IoT platform. This will allows developers to adequately store, manage and analyze large volumes of machine data generated by connected applications.

“ThingWorx is rapidly expanding their IoT platform ecosystem. Infobright brings unique, value added capabilities, such as in-stream creation and exploitation of metadata. This allows for scalable and cost effective storage of massive amounts of IoT and M2M data. There are no brute force hardware and administrative requirements that you see with more general purpose solutions, giving solution developers and data scientists the ability to take the Internet of Things from the possible to the practical,” Don DeLoach, president and CEO of Infobright, stated.

The ThingWorx IoT platform has also been chosen by Smoove, a French bike-sharing system, to power its service around the world. Denis Mercat, chief technical officer of Smoove stated that they have chosen ThingWorx’s IoT platform for its flexibility and versatility as well as the opportunities it brings in the diversification of the service.

photo credit: Robby Ryke via photopin cc