SA’s IoT.nxt partners Dell for business digitisation
By Tom Jackson, 3 April 2018
South African Internet of Things (IoT) innovator IoT.nxt and global technology and computing hardware giant Dell have signed a strategic partnership that will allow companies to rapidly digitise their business operations and make IoT solutions a reality.
IoT.nxt has developed a unique technology stack that bridges the gap between all protocols in the industrial ecosystem, creating a single integration or translation point.
Its patented Raptor gateway allows organisations to retrofit all existing legacy systems with no rip and replace. The Raptor has now been combined with Dell Gateway technology, and through this will enable rapid digital transformation.
“We call it ‘IoT in a box’ and it provides an off-the-shelf solution suitable for any company in any industry. With this solution companies can quickly see a return on investment and achieve digital scalability. It will allow them to fast forward unlocking efficiencies and drive earnings,” said IoT.nxt chief executive officer (CEO) Nico Steyn.
It is the latest partnership for IoT.nxt, with has been expanding after securing ZAR100 million (US$7.7 million) in funding last year. The Dell arrangement combines the superior, robust Dell engineering with IoT.nxt’s innovation in IoT technology.
IoT.nxt anticipates its association with the trusted international Dell brand will drive rapid adoption as companies know that their implementation will be supported by the vast and established Dell support offering.
“This Raptor in a box solution gives companies the ability to scale quickly as the Dell Raptor is already configured to be rolled out, yet comes with the support of Dell’s global network which offers warranties and superior service,” Steyn said.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2Gya3Xa
www.disrupt-africa.com
IoT.nxt partners with hardware giant Dell
By Kgaogelo Letsebe, Portals Journalist 28 March 2018
auteng-based Internet of things (IOT) technology innovator IOT.nxt has announced a strategic partnership with computing hardware giant Dell in a deal that will see the launch of ‘IOT in a box’- a solution that aims to fast track businesses’ ability to deploy IOT solutions into their operations.
IOT.nxt chief executive officer Nico Steyn the partnership is one that is mutually beneficial, “IOT.nxt’s edge IOT gateway, the Raptor, has been combined with Dell Gateway technology to develop what we call ‘IOT in a box’. It provides an off-the-shelf solution suitable for any company in any industry. With this solution companies can quickly see a return on investment and achieve digital scalability. It will allow them to fast-forward unlocking efficiencies and drive earnings.
“Dell is extremely specialised around hardware technology they have developed at the gateway level. This tech is also supported by Dell globally which means we have worldwide access for our product and we can leverage off the global support footprint as well. What IOT.nxt brings to the table is technology that allows us to quickly enable the gateway, the hardware. Additionally through our software, we allow it to get intelligence at the edge and to deploy into verticals in multiple industries and also have that same Dell box perform multiple functions as a result of our technology.”
Steyn adds that the ‘plug-in-and-play’ solution will be available to the mass market. “The association with the trusted international brand like Dell is also likely to drive rapid adoption as companies know that their implementation will be supported by the company’s vast offering.”
Ben Vernooij, IOT and embedded computing solutions lead for Dell EMC, adds that Dell has developed partnerships to help customers rapidly implement IOT solutions, which is exactly what the Dell Raptor will deliver. “Customers can now speed up their IOT projects and make sense of the volumes of data produced at the edge.”
Read more: https://bit.ly/2q2YsIN
www.itweb.co.za
Is Centurion-based IoT.nxt Finally Ready to Take the World by Storm?
Gugu Lourie 27 March 2018
With a dedicated investor and a commitment to see a proudly South African firm conquer the world, IoT.nxt seems destined for greater things in the Internet of Everything market.
South African innovator in Internet of Things (IoT) technology, IoT.nxt has been trying to find its place in the global IoT space and CEO Nico Steyn says the company will remain proudly South African but “we are going to take our innovation to the world”.
Once an unknown business, it made headlines by getting R100 million from its dedicated investor and funding partner Talent Holdings, an investment holding company that has a philosophy based on partnering management, not dictating to them.
The investment firm – which is chaired by erstwhile CEO of Exxaro Resources, Sipho Nkosi – has done exactly that with its investment in IoT.nxt.
Fittingly enough, Talent Holdings had put money into IoT.nxt, and is seeing firsthand how giving management space to operate without interference could yield results.
What has the R100 million investment by Talent Holdings done so far for IoT.nxt?
The Centurion-based start-up is slowly morphing into a global player through its IoT device known as the Raptor, which allows for the migration of analogue devices and inputs into a digital platform, serving as a filter for big data and delivering cost savings and efficiencies to the client’s IoT ecosystem.
IoT.nxt now partners with global technology and computing hardware giant Dell to allow companies to rapidly digitise their business operations and make IoT solutions a reality.
The company will use Raptor in a box solution to provide companies with the ability to scale quickly as the Dell Raptor is already configured to be rolled out, yet comes with the support of Dell’s global network which offers warranties and superior service.
The IoT in a box will be distributed by Axiz, an industry leading value added distribution business that serves eight countries in Southern and East Africa.
Read full story here: https://bit.ly/2DYn628
https://techfinancials.co.za
Plug-and-play IoT edge gateway launched for industry, mining
By Schalk Burger 27 March 2018
Information technology (IT) hardware multinational DellEMC and local Internet of Things (IoT) developer IoT.nxt have launched an edge computing device, called the Raptor, which enables businesses to deploy an IoT network in their operational environments to integrate existing sensors and industrial devices into a platform that businesses can immediately use.
Speaking at the launch of the device, in Midrand, on Monday, IoT.nxt CEO Nico Steyn said clients were able to achieve value from Raptor deployments within about a week, adding that the Raptor can manage any sensors and connected devices, whether wireless or wired, using industry standard protocols.
“Cloud computing in Africa is often hampered by poor connectivity, intermittent connectivity or a complete lack of connectivity. However, intelligent edge gateways, such as the Raptor, can manage the sensors and components of an IoT network without the need for the cloud and, in combination with the cloud, can provide an effective way for companies to conduct analytics on their operational data, regardless of the link to the site or sensor.
“The true value for industrial IoT will come from the edge [of the network],” Steyn noted.
IoT.nxt has conducted proof of value pilot trials with clients in the agriculture, manufacturing and mining sectors.
The launch was a live demonstration of setting up a Raptor, which involved the installation of the device, which functions as a network gateway and requires only power and network connectivity; the linking of a basic water sensor; and the creation of a visualisation field for the sensor’s output.
The intelligence of the “off-the-shelf” IoT edge device, a patented IoT.nxt technology called software-defined device integration (SDDI), is that it will auto-provision itself, will identify the components and sensors linked to it, even proprietary sensors and devices, and serve as a gateway to the rest of the industrial or business network.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2pOxZyj
www.engineeringnews.co.za
IoT.nxt pens strategic deal with Dell
26 March 2018
IoT.nxt and Dell have clinched a strategic partnership that aims to help companies rapidly digitalise their business operations and make IoT solutions a reality.
“IoT.nxt’s intelligent edge IoT gateway, the Raptor, has been combined with Dell Gateway technology and through this enable rapid digital transformation,” says Nico Steyn, CEO of IoT.nxt. “We call it ‘IoT in a box’ and it provides an off the shelf solution suitable for any company in any industry.
“With this solution, companies can quickly see a return on investment and achieve digital scalability. It will allow them to fast forward unlocking efficiencies and drive earnings.”
He explains that IoT is premised on the fact that almost limitless processing is available in the cloud – but, by necessity a lot of processing still has to happen at the edge, which is where Raptor comes in.
“Our first question was how can we take this technology to the mass market. Partnering with Dell and Axiz allows us to take the technology and scale.”
IoT.nxt has patented a technology called SDDI (software-defined device integration), that can extend the capability of gateway hardware to take complexity out of normalisation, security and maintenance.
“We are driving to put more intelligence to the edge; we put a fraction of the data created into the cloud. For an IoT operation, it is just not feasible to send all the data up.”
Ben Vernooij, IoT and embedded computing solutions lead at Dell EMC, says Dell has developed partnerships to help customers rapidly implement IoT solutions, and this what the Dell Raptor will deliver.
“Customers can now speed up their IoT projects and make sense of the volumes of data produced at the edge,” he says.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2IX4bIv
Rapid digitisation now a reality
26 March 2018
MEDIA STATEMENT
A strategic partnership between South African innovator in Internet of Things (IoT) technology, IoT.nxt, and global technology and computing hardware giant Dell will allow companies to rapidly digitise their business operations and make IoT solutions a reality.
“IoT.nxt’s intelligent edge IoT gateway, the Raptor™, has been combined with Dell Gateway technology and through this will enable rapid digital transformation. We call it ‘IoT in a box’ and it provides an off the shelf solution suitable for any company in any industry. With this solution companies can quickly see a return on investment and achieve digital scalability. It will allow them to fast forward unlocking efficiencies and drive earnings,” says IoT.nxt CEO Nico Steyn.
According to Ben Vernooij, IoT and Embedded Computing Solutions Lead for Dell EMC, Dell has developed partnerships to help customers rapidly implement IoT solutions, which is exactly what the Dell Raptor™ will deliver. “Customers can now speed up their IoT projects and make sense of the volumes of data produced at the edge,” he says.
This partnership combines the superior, robust Dell engineering with IoT.nxt’s world-leading innovation in IoT technology – known for its exceptional interoperability features – and is expected to become the new standard at the edge.
“This Raptor™ in a box solution gives companies the ability to scale quickly as the Dell Raptor™ is already configured to be rolled out, yet comes with the support of Dell’s global network which offers warranties and superior service,” Steyn adds.
The association with the trusted international Dell brand is likely to drive rapid adoption as companies know that their implementation will be supported by the vast and established Dell support offering.
The ‘IoT in a box’ offering will be distributed by Axiz, an industry leading value added distribution business that serves eight countries in Southern and East Africa. “This is an innovative offering for industry and we expect strong demand in our distribution networks,” says Axiz Executive Terence Barter.
IoT.nxt is the winner of the 2017 MTN Business IoT Award, a Microsoft Gold Partner for Data Platform and was selected as one of six aspiring innovators in SA ahead of the 2016 Gartner ITXpo and Symposium hosted in Cape Town. The company opened the office in The Hague in September last year and executives explored expansion to the USA last year; expected to go ahead in the second half of this year.
ISSUED BY: IoT.nxt
For further information please contact:
Daleen van Wyk
Media Liaison
Tel: 083 302 0827
Email: daleen.vanwyk@iotnxt.com
Companies need to understand megatrends to serve customers in the future
19 February 2018
Internet of Things technology will be one of the key catalysts to how we shape our future world, especially in the automotive industry.
This is the view of Michael Frans, Head of Business Development and Strategy for Automotive and Manufacturing Industries at T-Systems, in conversation with IoT.nxt about what new technologies will mean for business.
“To serve enterprise customers it is important to understand the megatrends in technology, in order to assist them in being ready for the new wave of technology. This includes cloud technologies and IoT. We believe that the automotive industry will become of the biggest digitalised industries in the world. It is therefore critical that a company like T-Systems understands these technologies and build competencies around where we can add the biggest value,” he says.
He notes, however, that companies cannot be anything and everything to customers. “This new world, especially in the Internet of Things, requires deep competencies. It absolutely requires expertise at every stage through the cycle. A company such as ourselves cannot provide every element required, which is why partnerships are critical. We need an eco-system of partners in order to serve our customers. Although T-Systems is a huge global business, we cannot specialise in everything.”
T-Systems spends a lot of time to investigate and interrogate what is available in the market place, especially as so many new entrants are entering the sector claiming to have new technologies and in some cases, companies have a wide offering trying to cover many different aspects. Which Frans says is unrealistic.
T-Systems first engaged IoT.nxt at the Gartner Symposium ITXpo of 2016, hosted in Cape Town, and took due consideration to get to know the company, its offering and its team members.
“IoT.nxt has found a niche to form a critical part of that eco-system to deliver value add to customers. As a fast developing start-up IoT.nxt is innovate, agile and enthusiastic. From their perspective dealing with a large multi-national company takes patience as the processes are so different. Yet, we formed a relationship over time and now consider them a key partner for IoT solutions,” he says.
“We want the solutions for our customers that IoT.nxt can deliver and value their agility, sense of excitement and the speed of delivery,” he added.
He highlighted IoT.nxt’s Raptor™ technology and says it is ‘the best of breed’ T-Systems has come across for months. “This technology differentiates IoT.nxt beyond most players in the market. Therein lies the value. So called ‘cool’ hardware that cannot add value is not what we are looking for, the Raptor adds significant value to the entire solution.”
He concluded to say that as the partnership develops over time, he foresees that there will be little distinction between where T-Systems starts and ends and where IoT.nxt starts and end. “I look forward to reaching that stage.”
Meet the newest member of the R100m club
IoT.nxt has had a blistering year, with overseas expansion and a big dose of investment.
Matthew Burbidge 2 May 2017
Anyone who is still wondering whether or not South African startups can hit the same levels of exponential growth and funding as their Silicon Valley peers need only take a look at Centurion-based company IoT.nxt. It’s just over a year since the company formed, and it recently announced that it has opened an international office, in London, and secured a massive R100-million investment to expand its research and development work.
Since the beginning of 2016, says CEO Nico Steyn, the firm has increased its headcount fivefold. Even so, he says, the demand for IoT.nxt’s Raptor platform has been so overwhelming that the company has found its R&D team is often pulled into active customer support. The main purpose of the funding will be to allow the team to work on new products and solutions in a more focussed way.
The backing comes via Talent 10 Holdings, a Midrand-based asset management company that has been critical to IoT.nxt’s success, says Steyn.
IoT.nxt’s core product is Raptor, a data-clearing platform that taps into the multibillion-dollar market for Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. It’s specifically designed to connect multi-vendor systems into a unified dashboard environment, allowing companies to visualise and analyse complex data in real-time. Steyn says Raptor grew out of challenges that the company faced when trying to implement conventional IoT solutions.
What we found was that no one had the ability to take data from legacy systems and industrial equipment and put it into a platform that is independent from the technology.Nico Steyn
Rip and replace
“We set out to create a platform for connecting subsystems for analytics,” Steyn says, adding that early customers included companies in the mining sector. “What we found was that no one had the ability to take data from legacy systems and industrial equipment and put it into a platform that is independent from the technology.”
Steyn says that many IoT solutions are sold on the basis of rip and replace, and there was a gap in the market for a platform that leveraged existing systems. Some of these, he says, have been in use for 20 to 50 years, but can still be digitised using Raptor.
Over the last 12 months, IoT.nxt has worked with customers in industries as varied as mining, automotive, manufacturing and telecoms, where it has developed remote site management solutions for monitoring. It’s also developed a close relationship with Deloitte – a partnership Steyn says has boosted growth. Together, the firms have worked on Transnet’s IntelliPort concept for automatic port terminals.
Steyn is bullish on future growth, and while he admits that part of the interest in IoT.nxt’s work is down to being in the ‘right place at the right time’, he says that there are plenty of opportunities for local tech firms to succeed.
“I believe that from a South African perspective, we often sell ourselves short and don’t give ourselves the credit we deserve,” Steyn says. “We have unbelievable people at IoT.nxt, and that’s what makes our business – it’s the calibre of people we have. I’m a firm believer in investing in people and following our own way of thinking.”
The current business climate creates big opportunities for IT firms, he continues.
“Even the local market is looking good because it’s under pressure,” he says, “And this type of technology helps people drive efficiencies in the business in ways they weren’t able to before. Look at the mining firms that have upgraded their credit rating, despite concerns around commodity prices and the economy, because they’ve become more productive. They’ve cut the fat, and digitisation is what makes that possible, and at the forefront of that is IoT.”
http://www.brainstormmag.co.za/technology/iot/