Mr. Remont, what is behind 'Susietec'?

Laurent Remont: With our IoT software framework, we manage the data generated from its creation to its storage for long-term historical analyses in the cloud. Susietec also handles the processing, filtering and storage of sensitive and time-critical data on site as well as its forwarding. This pre-processing reduces the amount of data that needs to be forwarded to the public cloud.

The solution is to be understood as a framework with many in-house and 3rd party components, whereby the required elements are put together individually for each user.

What does the collaboration with Microsoft look like?

Laurent Remont: Susietec works seamlessly with Microsoft IoT Edge, which enables the use of Microsoft Azure as a public cloud solution. Ideally, Microsoft Azure-certified products from Kontron for the IoT also play a role here, as do the data centers of our parent company S&T, for example if customers want a private cloud solution in whole or in part.

In the IoT and Industry 4.0 world, there is actually no longer a single company that has the sole solution expertise. Partnerships and collaboration are therefore extremely important; there will also no longer be a single cloud, the trend is clearly moving towards multi-clouds.

What distinguishes the edge solution from conventional cloud solutions?

Laurent Remont: A public cloud solution requires a constant online connection and high bandwidths. Even a private cloud in your own data center has this shortcoming, albeit not to the same extent. Current cloud concepts, especially when it comes to controlling machines, therefore do not involve transporting all the data to a distant cloud, processing it there and then transferring the determined parameters back again. Instead, the data should be processed where it is needed and only be sent to the cloud later and not in full.

At the edge of the network, i.e. at the transition to the machines, these are the so-called edge computers. They now have so much processor power and storage capacity that they are suitable for standardized, fast evaluations of machine data. Susietec is then used to forward only the data that is required to an embedded, public or private cloud.

What is your experience with 'Susietec' projects so far?

Laurent Remont : The software platform has been productively available since Q2 2018 and is already in pilot operation with numerous industrial users. The different requirements of IoT and Industry 4.0 projects mean that a lot of preparatory work, consulting and implementation work is required. In addition to the technological change, there are other change tasks to be carried out in organizations.

What are the other highlights of this year's Kontron stand?

Laurent Remont: These include a SMARC module with the latest NXP Layerscape LS1028 multicore processor and up to five GB Ethernet ports for Time Sensitive Networking - TSN for short. Kontron is also presenting an SBC development board with Raspberry Pi and numerous interfaces for typical industrial applications.