Bosch’s IoT Rollouts service for cloud-based software updates is one of the IoT services now integrated with IBM Watson and Bluemix. (Image courtesy of Bosch).
One of the most exciting services that Bosch will bring to Watson and Bluemix is IoT Rollouts. IoT Rollouts is Bosch’s domain-independent device management service that allows IoT assets to receive cloud-based software updates, complete with built-in security and scalability to account for the increasing number of IoT devices. The collaboration will see Bosch’s IoT Rollouts accessible via the IBM Cloud, available to clients of both companies.
In a blog post about the collaboration, IBM described some of the applications and benefits of this service. For one, auto manufacturers will be able to schedule secure software updates across millions of vehicles, eliminating the need to bring them into the shop (a feature already appreciated by Tesla drivers). In a similar fashion, white goods such as washers and dryers could be remotely updated to offer the latest features and settings.
“Updating hardware and software securely might seem like an everyday occurrence, until you factor in millions of devices across an extensive ecosystem of partners, suppliers and customers,” reads the IBM blog. “The Bosch ‘IoT Rollouts’ service, now available on IBM Cloud and integrated with the Watson IoT Platform, provides IBM Watson IoT clients with access to Bosch’s industry-leading device and firmware management capabilities for managing and updating connected devices.”
Some of the additional services in the Bosch IoT Suite include IoT Analytics, IoT Hub, and IoT permissions, all of which will be integrated with Watson and Bluemix.
Success in Collaboration
IoT collaborations are nothing new to either IBM or Bosch. In fact, both companies seem to hold the opinion that collaboration with other IoT players is an essential strategy for success. “IoT is changing and transforming everything from business to life. The only companies that will succeed are those that are able to collaborate in ecosystems.”said Bosch CEO Dr. Rainer Kallenbach.
“IBM and Bosch share the vision that IoT will succeed through open standards and open source, and as such, the two companies will continue to work actively in the Eclipse Foundation and the IIC (Industrial Internet Consortium) to further adoption in key areas,” reads IBM’s blog post, “including IoT communications with MQTT, device management with LWM2M and visual tooling with Node-RED.”
IoT engineers on the lookout for an IoT platform should take IBM and Bosch’s message to heart. Make sure you’re aware of the partnerships and integrations that come with your platform of choice – the more the better. After all, you don’t want to get pigeonholed into a siloed and proprietary ecosystem.
Need some help choosing? Read 10 Questions to Ask an IoT Platform Provider.