Remote monitoring with Cumulocity IoT

Historically, equipment makers have had little information about how their products are being used in the field. Instead, they have relied on users to inform them of failures, using inefficient manual processes to manage equipment. IoT-enabled remote monitoring allows internal field service and product development teams to incorporate live data into their service management and product evolution processes.

IoT connected products provide key insights to product managers and product developers, promoting a data-driven product development culture. With data on product use, they can develop new features faster, and also streamline product features to maximize value for customers.

To monitor and identify faults in equipment, remote monitoring generally involves the monitoring of a parameter, such as vibration or temperature. A change in the parameter indicates that a failure is developing. Left unchecked, anomalies can lead to equipment breakdown, incurring substantial costs in repairs and lost productivity.

IoT remote monitoring has two main benefits.

First, remote monitoring enables equipment makers to better understand how customers use their product to develop better, and more value adding features faster—allowing them to:

• Shift from creating “traditional products” to creating “smart products”
• Understand product usage
• Understand which breakdowns have occurred, and why
• Determing whether the current design of the product and sizing is optimal
• Accelerate functional improvements and product releases
• Achieve the same or higher product reliability while reducing costs for parts and components

Second, remote monitoring keeps equipment manufacturers connected to their machines in the field—allowing them to: 

• Detect and anticipate operational problems before they cause production issues
• Reduce the number of hours spent assessing equipment status on customer sites
• Deliver an in depth overview of equipment condition to customers
• Leverage IoT remote management to ensure that devices are operating on the latest firmware release, and push software and firmware updates for performance and security