autosen
            

autosen was founded in 2011 as an online sales platform for sensor and automations olutions. As a driver of digitalization in SMEs and the industrial sector, autosen now develops and provides all-in-one solutions for Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

In 2018, autosen launched its io-key on the market, the world's first plug-and-play IIoT gateway. As an initiator and founding partner, autosen relies on its own resourcesin ongoing development activities and opening up new fields of application as well as on the capacities of leading IIoT specialists—including Software AG—in the io-key ecosystem. autosen currently has around 20 employees.

The full potential of the Industrial Internet of Things in one box: That's the idea behind autosen’s io-key, which offers customers a very fast and absolutely uncomplicated path to the cloud—with all of the opportunities that this brings. The io-key delivers reliable real-time data analysis and control with numerous innovative functionalities specifically tailored to suit sensor technology. Software AG's Cumulocity IoT platform makes that possible.

autosen knows its way around sensors and automation components. The company currently provides more than 10,000 customers with its own products and solutions. Sensors are the invisible heroes of all industrial processes: As precise as they are durable, they deliver reliable, important information on fill levels, temperatures and humidity, or about the condition and service needs of machines. This data needs to be accessible and analyzable at all times because it often provides critical evidence that systems are operating properly. The cloud is the ideal platform for location-independent data monitoring and analysis. In the past, traditional methods of transferring sensor data into the cloud involved high cost and extensive technical effort—a dilemma for many industrial companies.

autosen recognized its customers’ dilemma and their needs, and developed the io-key—an easy-to-use, all-in-one solution—together with Software AG as its partner. The solution consists of an IIoT gateway with integrated SIM card to transfer the data that is made available in the io-key cloud.

This cloud is based on Software AG's state-of-the-art Cumulocity IoT platform. As a plug-and-play solution, the io-key automatically recognizes sensors connected via the IO-Link and generates—automatically as well—the corresponding dashboard.

The initial setup itself takes less than a minute for the complete process. No expert knowledge is necessary. You simply connect the box to the sensor with the cable, and that's it. "No intervention in the IT infrastructure and no further programming. The io-key delivers maximum integration with minimum effort," says Rainer Schniedergers, Head of products and technology at autosen.

Cloud on demand

In light of the wide array of different industries, the uncomplicated ease-of-use is an unbeatable unique selling proposition—whether it's about sensors in greenhouses that measure humidity, or those that measure temperatures in refrigerated storage for food processing plants, or ones that measure fill levels in agricultural silos. Sensor data is called up, analyzed and presented through the io-key with Cumulocity IoT in the background.

Likewise, machine processes in manufacturing can be monitored in real time and an alarm function can trigger maintenance and service orders from the cloud—without ever needing to access the company's closed IT system. Customers use the cloud on demand; the io-key is completely self-contained—and all that comes at a manageable cost. An io-key costs €249 with an additional monthly fee from €5 to €20, depending on the selected package. This means approximately tenfold cost savings compared to traditional external monitoring solutions that are far more complicated and expensive.

"For customers searching for a pragmatic monitoring solution for their sensors, we solve the problem from end to end," says Schniedergers. As needed, customers can use the innovative analytics opportunities of Cumulocity IoT through the platform's Apama Analytics Builder, book optional services such as alarms via text messaging or display the location of the io-key on a map.

Cumulocity IoT as a marketing multiplier

autosen specifically sought out Software AG as a partner because the Cumulocity IoT platform met their exact needs for stability, flexibility and speed—and lived up to their requirements in the implementation as well. The collaboration went smoothly right from the start, with a brief development period of about a year prior to market launch.

The end result is a flexible, customer-specific solution with potential. With a range of more than 12,000 sensor types and over 300 manufacturers of IO-Link sensors that can use the io-key, the marketing opportunities are vast. In addition, autosen also offers the io-key as a white label product, not just in direct sales.

This enables the company to focus in particular on customers who already work with Cumulocity IoT, such as telecommunication providers like Deutsche Telekom. Deutsche Telekom's sales team can offer their customers the io-key as a complete solution, which opens up the sensor technology market even further—a win-win situation for everyone involved, and one which autosen wants to intensify by expanding the io-key ecosystem in the future.

The Cumulocity IoT platform is especially well-suited for building new digital business models and offers all the prerequisites to serve major customers. With the recent introduction of an io-key that is available worldwide, autosen has reached a new milestone in positioning itself in the global market. Software AG and autosen are a successful team—to be continued.