Co-Creating Industrial IoT Successes with the Advantech WISE-IoT Ecosystem

Interview with Eric Kao, Director, WISE-Edge+ of Advantech; Robert Lo, Executive Assistant of Advantech

Advantech integrated numerous resources to develop its WISE-PaaS Industrial IoT Platform for partners to connect and develop microservices and I.Apps for industrial applications. In 2021, Advantech reorganized coordinated its five business units to establish WISE-IoT as a virtual organization with the purpose of integrating internal resources, promoting the WISE-PaaS platform, and build a WISE-IoT ecosystem. The purpose of this strategy is to include partners in realizing the integration of IT and OT and meeting the needs of AIoT applications from the edge to the cloud.

Developing comprehensive edge intelligence solutions

WISE-Edge+ is a business group within Advantech’s EIoT department. Eric Kao, Director of WISE-Edge+ at Advantech, explained that the group was established in response to edge intelligence trends and with two main strategies for developing edge-to-cloud solutions.

The first strategy was to identify software partners who carry best-in-class solutions and work with them to co-create new AIoT applications. This has involved becoming a cloud service provider (CSP) for Microsoft Azure, investing in IT service companies in the Greater China region (such as Freedom Systems), and inviting these companies to become Advantech’s WISE-IoT partners in order to drive Azure-based IoT deployments. Other efforts included the 2021 launch of a Ubuntu Linux bundle for Advantech’s x86/Arm™ platform in an effort to satisfy customer demands and expand into new AIoT ecosystems.

The second strategy is to develop IoT solutions that integrate software and hardware with information security, making it easier for enterprises to implement smart applications via WISE-PaaS. This has involved the development of WISE-DeviceOn and I.Apps for various IoT devices and AIoT applications. These solutions have enabled smart factories in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry to remotely manage devices.

As the growing momentum of AI and machine learning transforms nearly every industry, Advantech’s WISE-Edge+ team recently released the Edge AI Suite. This solution is designed to deliver an out-of-box usage experience with pre-trained object detection and facial recognition capabilities.

According to Mr. Kao, “These strategies mostly focus on edge devices that work with powerful industrial cloud services on the WISE-PaaS platform. They meet the requirements of AIoT applications from the edge to the cloud, which will ultimately accelerate the implementation of AIoT applications. Additionally, the integration of WISE-Edge+ into WISE-IoT is also expected to bring new software, cloud services, and information security solutions into Advantech’s IIoT and SIoT business units. This will enable Advantech to provide even more comprehensive solutions that facilitate the deployment of AIoT applications in various sectors.”

Consolidating resources to accelerate solution implementation

Robert Lo, Executive Assistant at Advantech, stated that because WISE-IoT integrates the company’s internal resources, Advantech can comfortably adopt two strategies for promoting its products and solutions to the global market.

Strategy 1: Build the WISE-IoT ecosystem

Advantech will collaborate with channel and service partners and adopt solution-ready packages (SRP) to accelerate the implementation of IoT applications. The company will also continue to co-create with DFSI partners, providing overall program planning and value-added services while strengthening core competitiveness through joint co-creation ventures that are mutually beneficial.

Strategy 2: Promote our partner and membership program

The objective is to leverage the WISE-Marketplace into driving the growth of the WISE-IoT ecosystem. To this end, Advantech has launched its Global Market Membership Program 2.0. The goals for this program include achieving price transparency, improving online transactions, and enabling small and medium-size enterprises to implement AIoT solutions despite resource limitations.

Consolidated with the WISE-PaaS team into one virtual group, WISE-Edge+ accelerates the adoption of various solutions, including third-party software such as Azure and Ubuntu, home-grown solutions such as WISE-DeviceOn and Edge AI Suite, and industry-leading comprehensive IT/OT security solutions (DeviceOn, M365, Azure, McAfee/Acronis) to address the ransomware cyberattacks occurring worldwide. Currently, Advantech is committed to promoting WISE-PaaS + DeviceOn in the smart factory, smart retail, and smart city sectors. Notably, the integration of WISE-Edge+ products with WISE-PaaS core services, such as WISE-InsightAPM, WISE-AIFS, WISE-DataInsight, and Dashboard, will be enhanced to provide added value to industrial customers.

Advantech has learned a lot from the difficulties of promoting its WISE-PaaS industrial IoT platform over the past few years. The experience empowered and inspired the company to address issues, integrate internal resources, and continue connecting with external partners in order to accelerate AIoT deployment.