Making the Smart Factory a Reality with Private 5G

What happens when too many devices log on to a Wi-Fi network? Everything slows down. This can be frustrating if you are working remotely or trying to stream a television show. But imagine what this means for the smart manufacturing industry. Multiple devices, vehicles, and equipment need to connect to a factory’s wireless LAN to keep operations running, and they can’t compromise on performance.

As manufacturers deploy more intelligent, automated systems at the edge to drive efficiencies, the demand for internet and wireless connections soars even more. And these smart manufacturing systems are capturing and transmitting massive volumes of data on just about everything happening on the factory floor—equipment health, drive systems and motor performance, room temperature, humidity, and energy consumption, just to name a few.

Adding to the problem, regular Wi-Fi networks cannot handle all the data coming in from these systems. Nor can it meet the low-latency requirements to process data in real time, which is critical for operators to make informed decisions that prevent equipment and operation failures.

As a result, 5G in manufacturing has emerged as a go-to connectivity solution—but public 5G networks come with their own set of challenges. For instance, using public 5G networks means manufacturers rely on a provider and abide by their own restrictions and conditions.

Luckily, there is another answer.

Enter Private 5G Networks

Over the past couple of years, government and telecom regulators have allocated more spectrum for mission-critical and industrial use cases—making private 5G an option for manufacturers.

This enables the factory to take advantage of the significant performance gains in speed, capacity, and latency reduction that 5G offers, but without the constraints of public 5G.

“Private 5G provides flexible, reliable, and secure on-premises data usage without relying on public service providers,” says Will Huang, Global Business Development Director at Wave-In Communication, an end-to-end 5G AIoT system integrator. “As smart manufacturers continue to invest heavily in sensor-based technologies and industrial robotics to achieve superior operational efficiency and productivity, these technologies will absolutely require the high bandwidth and low latency that private 5G networks provide.”

Addressing 5G’s High Cost

Traditionally, private 5G deployment has been limited to larger companies because of the expense associated with implementing it.

“For small and medium enterprises, they’d probably go for public networks. It’s a tradeoff between costs and performance, and security,” says Huang.

But with new technology advancements, there has been a recent trend toward cloud-based private 5G. With this approach, most of the network functionality takes place in the cloud, reducing infrastructure, and making private 5G more affordable, Huang explains.

Private #5G networks provide the foundation for enterprise #DigitalTransformation, enabling technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous mobile robots, and AOI. @WaveInComm via @insightdottech

He expects to see cloud-based 5G solutions become more and more common in the next two years—meaning companies of all sizes can start including 5G technology in their digital transformation plans. And with companies like Wave-In, implementation and deployment are as easy as Wi-Fi.

For example, Wave-In recently worked with the Taiwanese computer manufacturer Inventec to deploy private 5G inside its Taoyuan factory for automated optical inspection (AOI). The company was able to send massive amounts of data and high-definition images to the cloud for inspection. AI and deep learning were then used to reduce false positives coming from the automated optical inspection, and the company was able to improve its production efficiency by 15 percent.

Implementing Indoor 5G

When it comes to indoor communication, Wi-Fi networks are the first solution people think of. However, there are many problems directly associated with Wi-Fi networks, which are susceptible to signal interference as well as connectivity and security problems. This makes them less than ideal or feasible for industrial upgrades and automated processes, says Huang.

5G supports the “on-the-move” nature of smart applications in manufacturing and transportation, making it possible to seamlessly link and track materials as they move through manufacturing and logistics processes, according to Huang.

The next hurdle manufacturers have to jump over is getting proper indoor 5G coverage. Huang explains that while most real-time applications take place indoors, it is difficult to implement. 5G uses high frequencies—compared to 3G and 4G/LTE—which have low indoor signal penetration. “The higher the frequency, the higher the loss through coaxial cables because of its physical characteristics,” says Huang.

Wave-In’s indoor 5G coverage, slim Distributed Antenna System (sDAS), solves this problem by replacing coaxial cables with fiber, which reduces mobile signal dead spots caused by insufficient base station coverage, buildings, and electromagnetic signal interference, Huang explains.

For instance, Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) worked with Wave-In to deploy sDAS along train routes to provide private 5G signals, driving efficiencies and enabling real-time video public safety monitoring.

4G or Wi-Fi would not be able to deliver the real-time streaming that this smart transportation project demands, according to Huang. The Wave-In solution allowed Taipei MRT to implement AI-based applications for “detection of abnormal behaviors, carriage crowd density, and foreign objects detection on the rails.”

Security also plays a big role in implementing private networks. 5G delivers a higher level of security compared to other wireless protocols, enabling operators to quickly deploy and adjust production lines, and reduce machine idle time.

“What is more, 5G private networks provide standalone networks for enterprises to enable full control over their operation and maintenance, significantly reducing dependency on third-party operators,” Huang says.

5G Foundation for Digital Transformation

Another advantage of private 5G networks is that enterprises can run their core networks and RANs (Radio Access Networks) on off-the-shelf Intel® x86 servers and switches. This frees not only operators but enterprises in all sizes from restrictions imposed by telecom equipment providers, and helps reduce CAPEX and OPEX, according to Huang.

With Intel as a key technology partner, Wave-In has big plans for the future. Huang says private 5G networks provide the foundation for enterprise digital transformation, enabling technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous mobile robots, and AOI.

Use cases won’t be confined to manufacturing and transportation, either. Wherever enterprises need secure, high-bandwidth connections with low latency, private 5G networks may be the answer to their connectivity challenges, says Huang.

 

This article was edited by Christina Cardoza, Senior Editor for insight.tech.

The Versatility of Interactive Touchscreens

The interactive touchscreen is a remarkably adaptable technology. It’s been used in every conceivable setting: from movie theaters and restaurants to healthcare and manufacturing—and even in outer space.

They are ubiquitous for a simple reason: They make life easier. As Rick Smith, Director of Business Development at Elo, a leading touchscreen manufacturer, says, “Interactive touchscreens help people in almost any industry do their job better and spend less time doing it.”

This is critical in an age of digital transformation—when all industries are looking to optimize workflows with technology, and customers value speed and convenience more than ever before. Even though touchscreens are universal, their versatility means that system integrators and integrated software vendors (ISVs) continue to find new uses for them. It also means that they have a bright future, as manufacturers look to integrate them with next-generation technologies like computer vision, voice recognition, and AI.

Digital Transformation on the Shop Floor

In industries with traditional workflows, interactive touchscreens can offer significant opportunities for optimization.

This was the experience of the manufacturer Magnum Piering. The company has been very successful—and its success means taking on larger orders. But in a production facility where space was already limited, that wasn’t easy.

Its operations had a standard machining process, but not optimized for space savings. Design and configuration were handled in one area of the building, and then loaded into a machine on the shop floor. The company wanted to consolidate these functions into a single system so its machinists could do everything in one place.

To accomplish this, it invested in a Hypertherm plasma cutting system, which can be controlled by direct human interaction. But in a harsh manufacturing environment, it comes with safety risks. There are sparks, dust, and metal fragments in the air, and workers wear heavy protective gloves. To solve these problems, Elo deployed open-frame interactive touchscreens as the input device for the Hypertherm machines. Since the platform allows for a high degree of customization, Elo’s engineers were able to optimize the device drivers and input settings so the system could be used with gloves on.

The result is a turnkey solution that dramatically improves Magnum Piering’s machining workflow. With more than 6,000 Elo touchscreens installed throughout its facilities, the company can process orders of up to 500 tons—more than double its previous capacity (Video 1).

Video 1. Interactive touchscreens double order size capacity at a manufacturing facility. (Source: Elo Touch)

Self-Service Shines at the Cinema

Touchscreens also help businesses respond to changes driven by customer preferences. The Kerasotes Showplace Icon Theatre is a prime example. Kerasotes Theatres has been in business since 1909, but like many companies in the hospitality and entertainment sector today, it’s having to adapt to new customer expectations.

“In the ‘new normal,’ customers are demanding convenience above all else,” Smith explains. “There’s a lot of research about what makes customers decide to remain at a site and make a purchase or not. Overwhelmingly, we’re now seeing that customers will leave if the ordering process becomes inconvenient to them.”

At the movies, this means that if customers are running late, or if it’s a busy night, they may decide to skip the candy and popcorn altogether: an unacceptable loss for a business that makes so much of its profits from concessions.

Working with Kerasotes, Elo set up self-service ticketing and concession kiosks based on their all-in-one I-Series interactive touchscreens. Now moviegoers enter the theater and buy tickets and concessions from one of the many available kiosks in the lobby—each unit capable of serving up to 350 customers per day.

The result has been an improvement across the board. Wait times are down and customer satisfaction is up—as are concession sales (Video 2).

Video 2. Interactive touchscreens put control in the hands of customers at a movie theater. (Source: Elo Touch) 

Modular Design: The Key to Versatility

It’s pretty clear why businesses want to use touchscreens. But the main reason they can be deployed in so many different settings is their inherently modular design.

To begin with, the touchscreens are diverse. The Elo Touch solution, for example, ranges from handheld models with the form factor of a smartphone all the way up to large-format models with 65-inch displays.

A touchscreen unit with Elo Edge Connect built in can be customized with peripherals: barcode scanners, webcams, NFC and RFID readers, status lights, biometric scanners, and so on. Touchscreen providers also enhance this basic modularity with compute devices to help with controlling complex solutions. Elo, for example, offers EloPOS Pack, a controller for point-of-sale applications thatsupports custom configurations involving up to 15 different peripherals.

Intel® technology makes this modular design possible: “Intel processors give us an extraordinary, flexible, and stable platform for building custom touchscreen solutions,” says Smith. “They provide the high performance required for intensive workloads for advanced applications.”

The changes coming to #interactive touchscreens are really a way of fulfilling their original purpose: to put control back in the customer’s hands. @elotouch via @insightdottech

The Future of Interactive Touchscreens

The evolution of interactive touchscreens that Smith refers to is inevitable. One clear opportunity for transformation lies in self-service applications that are currently handled through touchscreens alone. Computer vision, for instance, could be used to identify products that a customer intends to purchase and speed up self-checkouts.

As Smith sees it, this integration of technologies will be a good thing for both businesses and customers: “People want to make their own choices. Your customers want to choose their own journey. The perfect system will be the one that offers touch, voice recognition, computer vision, and AI in combination—and lets the user drive the interaction.”

In a sense, then, the changes coming to interactive touchscreens are really a way of fulfilling their original purpose: to put control back in the customer’s hands.

 

This article was edited by Georganne Benesch, Associate Editorial Director for insight.tech.

Smart Retail Data Analytics Enhance Customer Experience

Knowing what your customers like, what they don’t like, and what piques their interest in real time could be invaluable for retailers, helping inform campaigns, displays, and content. But it seems like you’d need to be a mind reader to gather this information. While loyalty programs provide some information, brick-and-mortar retailers have had to rely on intuition alone when selling to customers.

For years, online retailers have had an advantage over physical stores because they can gather analytics from visitors’ browsing activity. But AI technology levels the playing field. With the help of systems integrators, luxury brands use edge technology to gather and leverage analytics inside physical stores. These valuable insights are used to tell stories that help improve the customer experience, adapt to the changing market, and grow sales. And the timing is perfect, as shoppers return to stores after the pandemic had sent many online.

“Despite one-click shopping, 90% of sales are still transacted in stores,” says Luigi Crudele, CEO of Wonderstore, a manufacturer of AI solutions for the retail industry. “That means retailers have plenty of information to gather about visitors to their locations. Stores are the main place to create high-level relationships with the consumer based on involvement.”

Retail Data Analytics Helps Retailers

For example, one fashion brand used the insights collected by Wonderstore to pinpoint the best day and time to launch its new accessory line. By understanding its customers’ behavior, it was able to increase accessory revenue by 30% the day the merchandise was available in the store.

Another luxury fashion brand uses Wonderstore data analytics to uncover an average of 20% transaction variation between stores. It also found there was a 15% difference in conversion rates between its highest- and lowest-performing locations. Managers used this information to better understand regional customer profiles and the success rate of sales tactics.

By leveraging #data, Wonderstore helps create #smart stores that can adapt to the customer and understand their needs from the moment they enter the store—not just at checkout. via @insightdottech

AI Retail Technology Creates a Smart Store

To create Wonderstore’s IoT retail analytics solution, Crudele drew upon his wealth of experience in storytelling and branding. His first company created 3D computer animation for video games, and he later launched an agency for developing interactive digital brand experiences, working with Italian brands like Tiscali.

“Brands spend millions of dollars in advertising campaigns and super shop windows,” says Crudele. “We measure the effectiveness of those messages. With our solution, retailers can measure performance, understand conversion rates, and improve their investments.”

Computer Vision and Machine Learning Ease Data Collection Process

Wonderstore uses sensor technology to collect data about the in-store customer journey. Using computer vision technology, the solution can count, track, and analyze customers, collecting data that includes gender, age, and even emotions. It can measure dwell time, visitor flows, browsing patterns. The data can be very granular to offer more personalized customer service, measuring performance of every single point of interest in the store, such as shop windows, entrances, shelves, fitting rooms, mirrors, and the point of sale.

The company relies on the latest computer vision storytelling technology, with best-in-class IoT sensors from Intel®. Meeting GDPR regulations, sensors collect anonymous data that is sent to the cloud to be analyzed and transformed into actionable information. The solution is fully developed on Microsoft Azure architecture and cloud services. Using a storytelling data visualization platform, data is immediately readable, allowing the retailer to make decisions in near-real time.

Retail Technology Partnerships Provide Scale

“Partnerships help create awareness and trust in the marketplace. Wonderstore chose Microsoft and Intel to align with their vision of the cloud and IoT services,” says Crudele.

“Through these relationships, Wonderstore was able to quickly enter the market with a prototype, show the product to the customer, and build a business with the top luxury brands,” he says.

Wonderstore also partnered with Tech Data, which provided immediate scale to its business as well as awareness and trust in the marketplace.

“We are a startup and Tech Data is an international IT distributor,” says Crudele. “Tech Data transformed our team from two people selling our product to thousands of resellers across Europe. The company is helping us change our business model from delivering technology to a solution. Our customers are no longer the retail brand but the partner. This paradigm is allowing us to scale up our business more easily and faster.”

By leveraging data, Wonderstore helps create smart stores that can adapt to the customer and understand their needs from the moment they enter the store—not just at checkout.

“The store of the future will be a place where customer will have personalized services with creative brand experiences that entice them to buy,” says Crudele. “And it’s important for retailers to move from a sales model to service model. Recognizing and understanding their customers with the same precision as Google Analytics helps create an experience that’s more than just a mere transaction.”

 

This article was originally published on June 16, 2022.

This article was edited by Christina Cardoza, Editorial Director for insight.tech.

embedded world 2022: COM-HPC to Take Center Stage

For the first time in more than two years, the summer of 2022 is packed with live, in-person technology events. And one of them happens to be the biggest event of the year for techies who like to get their hands dirty—the embedded world Exhibition & Conference taking place in Nuremberg, Germany from June 21 to 23.

If you expect exhibitors and presenters to ease back into face-to-face events like embedded world, you’re in for a surprise. Intel® partners will be out in force at the show, in many cases unveiling the solutions they worked on throughout COVID-19 quarantines for the first time in person. Attendees can expect to find products based on the OpenVINO toolkit, previews of 12th Gen Intel® Core processor solutions, and other Intel technologies all over the exhibition floor.

But perhaps the most anticipated solution that will be on display isn’t from a single vendor at all. PICMG’s COM-HPC standard will be featured at booths around the show and in a panel session with leaders from the technical working group at the Embedded Computing Design booth (Hall 1, Booth 121) on Wednesday, June 22 at 12:00 PM CEST.

The session is free to attendees, but space will be limited. You can preregister now to reserve a seat in the panel audience.

COM-HPC: Next-Gen Embedded Technology Is Modular

Officially ratified in January 2021, PICMG COM-HPC is a next-generation computer-on-module standard that builds on, but does not replace, the popular COM Express family of specifications. It defines a series of higher-speed, higher-performance, and higher-power client- and server-size modules designed for next-generation edge workloads like 5G networking, AI & machine learning, IoT analytics, and more.

The fingerprints of @intel technology will be all over @embedded_world conference presentations and solutions exhibited at countless tradeshow booths. via @insightdottech

During the embedded world panel session, experts from the COM-HPC technical subcommittee will discuss new state-of-the-art capabilities like support for heterogeneous processors with TDPs as high as 150W, interconnects that scale up to 32 GTps PCIe Gen 5 and 100 Gbps Ethernet, and 800 expansion pins.

Attendees can expect to hear from:

The panelists will also offer a sneak peek at efforts currently underway in the COM-HPC working group, including:

  • The planned addition of native functional safety (FuSa) for the first time in an industry-standard module in COM-HPC revision 1.1
  • A proposed “mini” form factor that at 95 mm x 60 mm would be half the size of COM-HPC’s smallest form factor to date, Size A

To round out the hourlong session, the panelists will field audience questions. Networking will also be possible after the session, which is one you won’t want to miss if you can help it.

Around the (Embedded) World

Of course, that’s not all Intel and its partners have in store for embedded world attendees. An Intel Demo Showcase will display 5G and time-sensitive network (TSN) video walkthroughs, developer tool tutorials, and actual COM-HPC products from the panel participants’ companies, edge computing leader ADLINK, embedded systems and solutions provider Prodrive, and more.

And, as mentioned, the fingerprints of Intel technology will be all over embedded world conference presentations and solutions exhibited at countless tradeshow booths. There are too many to list here, so you’ll have to visit them for yourself.

Will we see you there?

Order a ticket or redeem a voucher for the 2022 embedded world Conference and Exhibition today. (Pro tip: Use this complimentary voucher code—ew22489466—for a free pass to connect with the partners.) 

 

This article was edited by Christina Cardoza, Associate Editorial Director for insight.tech.

Edge Computing Makes Smart Decisions on the Fly

Picture a tractor driving through thousands of acres of cornfields. As it turns down one row, a small computer vision camera calculates that last season’s yield in this particular spot was 20% below normal. In the blink of an eye, the camera’s computer sends a message to a spray nozzle, which adjusts the fertilizer mix to boost deficient nutrients. At the same time, another camera spots a weed on the ground below, activating a nozzle to zap it without flooding the entire row with herbicide.

The same process is repeated in fields throughout the day, and because this tractor is an automated vehicle, it continues into the night, saving countless hours of human labor and delivering precision care farmers could only dream about a few years ago.

That’s the value of edge computing, which enables companies in agriculture, telecommunications, finance, healthcare, and many other industries to boost productivity and make better real-time decisions based on reams of past data and ongoing conditions. But making edge solutions work involves more than simply attaching smart cameras and sensors to machinery.

“Edge computing introduces many unknown variables,” says Yazz Krdzalic, Vice President of Marketing for Trenton Systems, which builds high-performance, ruggedized computing solutions and critical infrastructure.

Spotty connections and data lags can foul up results, and equipment unsuitable for harsh conditions can break down. The constant transmission of data introduces cybersecurity risks. An effective edge computing solution must solve all of these problems while providing up-to-date information tailored to suit an organization’s specific needs in the field, factory, or hospital.

Solving challenges of #edge computing for today’s industries will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s connected societies. @TrentonSystems via @insightdottech

Building for the Edge

To develop custom edge solutions for its clients, Trenton works with Intel® engineers to assemble computers using Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, which support AI capabilities, and Intel® Xeon® D processors, which optimize performance in the constrained environment of field equipment.

Working closely with Intel allows Trenton to incorporate new advanced computing features into its products before they are released to the public. “That’s a huge benefit to our customers. We’re future-proofing our technology, so they don’t have to worry about having an outdated system,” says Krdzalic.

Advanced edge deployments include capabilities such as predictive AI. For example, if a hospital analyzes all the vital data it collects from patients—blood pressure, respiration, oxygen levels, etc.—AI algorithms can predict at a glance when patients will be released and how many new beds will become available at a given time. “The hospital can decide which actions to take based on constantly updated information,” Krdzalic says.

Computer vision systems can also make real-time predictions. For example, smart cameras placed by railroad tracks can snap dozens of photos of the upper, middle, and lower parts of a train as it nears the station. They analyze the data to detect defects and determine the probability that they warrant an immediate fix. Often, the chance of serious problems is extremely low, allowing the train to continue on its journey without stopping while meeting the railroad’s requirement for passing a physical inspection every four hours.

Securing Every Portal

In addition to facilitating high-performance computing, edge devices must secure terabytes of data flying back and forth. Trenton builds all its products to the strictest U.S. government top-secret cybersecurity standards. “If it meets U.S. government standards, it usually meets everybody else’s, too,” he says.

Intel’s processors provide built-in security, and Trenton supplements it by encrypting data at rest, in transit, and in use. “We protect every door you have, greatly reducing the attack surface for hackers,” Krdzalic says. The company also ensures that all critical systems have one or multiple secure backups in case of network failure.

Ruggedized Field Equipment

No matter how secure an edge device is or how lightning-fast it performs computations, in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and transportation, it’s useless unless it can hold up in the field. Those computer vision cameras lying just feet away from railroad tracks must be able to withstand the vibrations of trains whizzing by at 120 miles per hour. Earth-moving machinery in the desert must continue to operate in harsh environments like sandstorms and extreme temperatures.

For that reason, Trenton stress-tests every piece of equipment it builds, Krdzalic says: “Our engineers really beat up the systems before they leave our facility. We subject them to shock vibrations, humidity, temperature fluctuations, sand, dust, fog, debris, and other tough conditions simulating field use.”

The Future: Edge Computing Everywhere

As connected devices proliferate and 5G unleashes new capabilities, Krdzalic believes the demand for edge computing is bound to increase: “Imagine a smart city. You’ve got every IoT device talking to every other IoT device. Your phone may be unlocking your house or your car. Your refrigerator may tell you which goods are running low. How do we deal with the influx of all this data and make sense of it? How do we keep it from getting into the wrong hands?”

These are the challenges of edge computing. Solving them for today’s industries will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s connected societies.

Listen to a conversation with Krdzalic on the insight.tech IoT Chat Podcast on AI, Security, 5G: New Intel® Xeon® Processors for IoT.

Create Frictionless Retail Omnichannel Experiences with AI

It’s an exciting time to be an end user. The customer experience—of retail, hospitality, banking, dining, entertainment—is evolving before our very eyes. And the past couple of years have only accelerated changes already in the works. But what about businesses that provide those customer experiences? Many of them have had to make changes on the fly to stay competitive and been forced into digital transformations they weren’t always prepared for.

Fortunately, the goal of AI technology company meldCX is to help customers blend legacy systems with the latest technology to create an omnichannel experience, and get the most out of their data.

We talk with Co-Founder and CEO of meldCX Stephen Borg, and Chris O’Malley, Director of Marketing for the Internet of Things Group at Intel®. They discuss the challenges of digital transformation, the demand for frictionless interactions, and how the power of computer vision can serve both the omnichannel experience and human engagement.

How are customer experiences evolving across different industries?

Stephen Borg: The whole COVID situation has really accelerated the curve of change. Our customers need to increase the level of service for their customers, without having as many resources—either budgetary or staff—to do it with. But when their customers venture out, they expect a higher degree of service; they expect a demonstration of cleanliness; they expect a higher degree of engagement.

So how do you do that while either reducing costs or using fewer resources? Businesses are starting to turn to technology for the elements that are not customer facing and redirecting those resources towards creating great experiences. They’re asking: “What are the opportunities to reduce friction, create automation, but increase engagement?”

How well are businesses adapting to these changes?

Chris O’Malley: All the trends and challenges that retail was facing prior to COVID still exist. Three years ago people were talking about frictionless; millennials and other digital natives are used to engaging with technology as opposed to humans. There were also inventory and supply challenges before COVID. But the level of growth towards frictionless was slow; it was nice to have this technology, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

What we’re finding now is that the companies that started to invest in this type of technology prior to COVID, now that COVID has hit us, are the ones that are doing really well. But many companies went in to COVID with almost no one-to-one digital contact with their customers. Now they have this massive digital relationship with them, but if they don’t know how to deal with that data, if they don’t know how to personalize with that data, they’re really struggling.

How are tools and technologies helping customers deal with challenges?

Stephen Borg: When we started out with meldCX, we wanted to create a solution out of the box, one where you could simply plug and play. No need for data scientists, no need for a massive team to stand up the most common aspects of computer vision—analytics, tracking, inventory.

Secondly, we found a lot of customers that were, say, three-quarters through a project where they had existing investment in some models. Now they can pump those models through meldCX, using OpenVINO, and mix them with other, complementary models that we have. Or, thirdly, we can create a model for a customer that has a specific use case or a specific problem to solve.

“Businesses are starting to turn to #technology for the elements that are not customer facing and redirecting those resources towards creating great experiences.” – Stephen Borg, meldCX via @insightdottech

And now we’re finding that the level of engagement is cross-business. Unlike the past, where we might have had an IT stakeholder or a marketing stakeholder, now we have everyone at the table. We advise customers to start with computer vision, to start with out-of-the-box modules, and then go from there. We want them to understand that it’s really an amplification of their existing capability. Then our team works with them to really drill down into that problem-solving phase for future growth.

Chris O’Malley: Another big thing is right in the name, meldCX—melding the old technology with the new. Say a customer doesn’t want to do the full investment into a new camera setup right now—they might have security cameras already in place. So, meldCX can take those feeds right away, load some models on them, and get basic data right from the get-go. That way, the customer doesn’t have to do a massive investment to start getting data. And we find that once customers start to see what computer vision can provide, then they’re interested in investing further. They see the power of it.

And we’re right at the beginning at this point. The corollary to Moore’s law is that technology also becomes cheaper every single year. But when you start adding compute to everything, there’s going to be an immense amount of data. So you need technology like this to get started making those valuable, actionable insights for your company. 

When we talk about a retail omnichannel experience, what does that mean?

Stephen Borg: There’s been a lot of focus on mobile and a lot of focus on web, but we haven’t seen a lot of connecting mobile to web in a single, seamless experience at the in-store or physical contact point.

It could be connecting the computer vision to a locally occurring event. For example, if you go to a self-service device and it knows you’ve used it multiple times, it won’t go through all the instructions again. It’s little, subtle things done anonymously that create convenience and context.

How would you suggest that businesses get started on this omnichannel journey?

Chris O’Malley: In the last 10 to 15 years, online advertisement has really eaten up a lot of the market share—largely because behavior could be tracked that way. But when someone goes in-store, there’s none of that information. With the technology that meldCX is offering, that computer vision is offering, you now have that ability to figure out: Is my campaign working? Did it actually influence people? Were they engaged with it? And you can make changes. Before the advent of computer vision, that option didn’t really exist.

That’s pretty powerful. And now that information can start to be monetized. But the retailer or the business can also figure out how it might change a display, for example. Or how it might change associate activities. I’m in marketing, and we always say that 50% of the money we spend is useless, 50% is valuable. We just don’t know which one is which. With the technology that meldCX has, we’re starting to be able to figure that out in-store. What’s valuable? What’s not.

Stephen Borg: For example, we work with a retailer that has started monitoring the bay you see when you first walk in the store, and monetizing that based on the customer touching a product that’s on the shelf there. So instead of vendors paying to be displayed in that front-of-store bay, they pay for every touch of an individual product that’s located there. And then monetizing it like a website.

What’s the best way to analyze and process data to make more-informed decisions?

Chris O’Malley: There’s a huge amount of very valuable data out there that goes unused. One reason for that is that a lot of retailers—legacy retailers in particular—have very siloed data. The POS data is in one place, the kiosk data in-store is over here, mobile data is over here, there’s online data over here. And the data is never shared between them.

When you move to an edge-based or microservices-based architecture, you can have shared data, or a data lake—that’s when you can start to make sense of all of it. But you’ve also got to make sure that the data is standardized.

The other thing is big data analytics. You might look at pieces of data and think there’s no correlation, no relation. But if you see them over and over on big data, you might figure out that actually, yes—product A does influence product B. It all comes down to making sure that data is shared by all the different apps.

How do you team up with partners to make all this possible for businesses?

Stephen Borg: There are multiple types of data, and some of it is immediately actionable. For example, we work with a large hotel chain, and when data points to the fact that the front desk has hit a threshold and needs to be cleaned, we push that data through an intermediate alert; the hotel uses a Salesforce communication app to notify the staff. At meldCX we don’t necessarily store that data; it’s immediately actionable.

There’s also historical data or multisource data that we’re trying to get insights out of. We work with Intel from an OpenVINO perspective to make sure our models are optimized. That means less heavy infrastructure at the edge, which significantly reduces cost, and that’s great.

We also work with partners such as Microsoft, Google, and Snowflake to provide customers the data set in the way they want to consume it. We have a suite of dashboards that can be used depending on the person’s role in retail: you sign on, which pulls your persona, and we’ll give you the data that’s relevant to your role.

Chris O’Malley: Another thing is that with a lot of activities in a retail store, that information may be wanted in absolute real time, and so it needs to happen at the edge. We mentioned earlier that compute is getting so cheap that companies are adding more and more of it. But their data is growing significantly faster than the cost of connectivity to the cloud is reducing. So this type of thing has to be done at the edge. And Intel with OpenVINO is very much optimized for using edge capability to do the inference and get those real-time analytics that are needed.

Stephen Borg: We don’t send any video to the cloud. We strip out everything we need at the edge to reduce the cost, and, more importantly, for privacy reasons. That way there’s no instance of any private data going into the cloud or going through our system. It’s all stripped out by that edge device and OpenVINO.

What do the end customers think about all these changes?

Stephen Borg: If it’s all done with privacy in mind, customers respond to it quite well. They’re getting through checkout more quickly, or staff members have information that’s relevant to them, maybe even tailored to them. And we’re finding that if you’re providing a frictionless experience, staff members can focus beyond just the transaction—on a conversation, or on some type of real engagement. We’ve found that, particularly in some countries with strict lockdown conditions, in some cases shopping has become even more social because when people do get out, they want to be engaged.

Any final takeaways on the omnichannel customer-experience journey?

Chris O’Malley: Customers want a frictionless experience and a personalized experience. You can have the parts of shopping that everybody still loves, but you can also bring in the benefits of the online experience by using all of these tools. There’s also the ability to replace human resources in some instances, because the worldwide labor shortage is real; restaurants can’t fill up all of their seats because they don’t have enough staff. The same thing is happening in hospitality and entertainment venues. If you can automate some of the things that were formerly done by staff, you can keep those valuable human resources for the things people really like—the interactions.

Focus your human resources and your human talent on those interactions that really drive experiences, and all the stuff in the background—all the operational aspects, all the inventory, all the insights—set those up with computer vision and automation. That’s what it’s really good at.

Related Content

To learn more about latest innovations from meldCX, listen to our podcast on The Power of Omnichannel Experiences with meldCX and Intel®.

 

This article was edited by Erin Noble, copy editor.

Hannover Messe Highlights Next Phase of Smart Manufacturing

After two years of digital-only, this year Hannover Messe (HMI) was back in full force with a hybrid in-person and virtual event.

HMI is the premier global conference on all things industrial—from the hottest trends to cutting-edge tech to business transformation. From May 30 to June 2, attendees—both in person and online—got a glimpse of the latest innovations through keynotes, exhibits, panels, and more.

Couldn’t make it to Nuremberg? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Read on for what you need to know about Hannover Messe 2022, how the manufacturing industry is evolving, and the technology making it happen.

Edge Computing Unlocks Smart Manufacturing

One big trend at the conference was the use of edge computing in the industrial space to bring computation, connectivity, and data closer to where it’s all generated—giving manufacturers better control, faster insights, and advanced operations.

But to take full advantage of edge computing and its benefits requires a combination of the right hardware and software. For instance, AI-powered video cameras connected to a manufacturer’s network can monitor production lines. And IoT sensors and software carry out specific tasks, like collecting, processing, and analyzing machine data in real time.

Case in point is the Google and Intel® demonstration showing how they bring these cutting-edge capabilities to the factory floor. The two companies’ Proof-of-Concept (PoC) combines the Intel® Edge Insights for Industrial open platform with Google Cloud’s data, AI, and machine learning knowledge to provide real-time insights, streamline data analytics, and perform AI at the edge.

The Intel-Google PoC was just one example of how their combined technology can gather and analyze data from more than 250 factory devices using Google Cloud’s Manufacturing Connect, a factory edge platform running on the latest Intel processors.

A big trend at @hannover_messe, was the use of #edge computing in the industrial space to bring computation, connectivity, and #data closer to where it’s all generated. @intel via @insightdottech

The companies showed the PoC’s effectiveness by capturing time-series data from robotic welders to inspect production quality and detect anomalies. See how else Google helps manufacturers improve production quality here.

And this is just one way Intel showcased how it works with partners to put data directly into the hands of workers. Also at the Google booth, Intel ecosystem partners Vecow, ADLINK, AXIOMTEK, and Portwell demonstrated how their industrial PCs use 11th Gen Intel® Core processors to deliver performance, functional safety, and AI-enabled platforms to manufacturing operations.

On the software side, VMware highlighted the benefits of edge computing with its VMware Edge Compute Stack, designed for running VM and container-based workloads at the edge. Its software-defined approach implements new processes, minimizes production delays, and protects against threats. At the same time, the platform is helping manufacturers reach their IT and OT environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets. Learn more here.

Resilient and Sustainable Manufacturing

This idea of green energy and sustainable manufacturing was a big theme throughout the event. Manufacturers worldwide are putting immense resources into reducing their carbon footprint. VMware showed how its Green Metrics software can be used to reach company ESG goals by quantifying and visualizing energy and carbon at host, container, and app layers. Find out how else VMware empowers manufacturers.

Cisco hosted sessions about how manufacturers can make sustainability a reality by extending and optimizing legacy equipment with performance and inventory monitoring. The industry leader showed how business can be more resilient with hybrid work models that can sustain healthy, happy, and productive talent. Explore all the conversations here.

Talking about resiliency, Microsoft showcased Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability and how it enables organizations to monitor their sustainability progress and business growth.

But beyond sustainability, Microsoft wants to empower the frontline manufacturing workforce to take advantage of all the new capabilities in the industry. The company announced new updates to the Microsoft 365 software suite designed to connect and engage operational workers. Updates included Microsoft Teams enhancements, access to walkie-talkie capabilities on more devices, and new learning resources to train and upskill workers. Find out more about all the changes.

Looking toward the future, Microsoft also showed off Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, which tackles the industrial metaverse with AI, digital twins, mixed reality, and autonomous systems. Microsoft’s full take on the event can be found here.

IoT and 5G in the Field

For industrial organizations that work in harsh environments such as mining, oil & gas, and warehousing, telecommunications company Nokia has them covered. Its ruggedized industrial devices are developed and designed specifically for these conditions. The company offers mobile devices that allow workers to communicate with push-to-talk and provide real-time access to video and data. Nokia’s industrial tablets provide interfaces that can be used on the go to manage operations or apps in the field or on the move in vehicles. Watch the devices in action.

To bring all these technologies and advancements to life, Nokia and other companies like Capgemini provide a variety of options to connect machines, sensors, and systems together.

Nokia provides 4.9G/LTE and 5G industrial-grade private wireless networks to ensure critical workloads and operations are secure and reliable. And Capgemini showed how it helps businesses understand optimal use cases and the roadmap for their 5G journey. See how Capgemini shines a light on the future of the smart factory.

And that’s just a few highlights from the event! Want to learn even more about how manufacturers can make digitalization and sustainability a reality? Head over to the Hannover Messe website and see what else the event had to offer.

 

This article was edited by Georganne Benesch, Associate Editorial Director for insight.tech.

AI Smart Stores: The Evolution of Retail

Labor shortages and ecommerce competition have created a real crisis for retailers today. Customers now expect quick and frictionless interactions. And they no longer have the patience for understaffed stores, empty shelves, or long checkout lines. Retailers need to start rethinking their operations and experiences, otherwise they risk being put out of business.

The Achilles heel of brick-and-mortar stores is the complete dependence on staffing—a weakness that has become painfully clear to so many retail businesses over the past two years.

“Staffing in retail is now a worldwide problem,” says Mark Perry, Head of Global Business Development for Cloudpick, a provider of autonomous store solutions. “In Japan and South Korea, where you have aging populations, businesses have historically struggled with it. But now in places like Hungary, companies have to offer thousands a month just to hire a cashier. Even in the United States, some physical stores are no longer able to serve their customers due to the lack of workers.”

To address this growing problem, many retailers are adopting AI capabilities with an eye toward a fully automated retail future.

“The future of retail is AI-driven,” says Ria Cheruvu, AI Software Architect at Intel. “Today, we are starting to see transformations in customer experiences via automated self-checkout and intelligent queue management, automation of inventory monitoring procedures, and more, with the long-term future of sustainable restocking procedures.”

AI Smart Store Takes Over French Campus

When the French supermarket chain Auchan became overwhelmed by the influx of foot traffic at its EDHEC Business School campus location, they knew they needed to step up their game. They transformed their pick-and-go Auchan Go convenience store into a fully automated smart store.

To do so, the supermarket chain partnered with Cloudpick. The goal: to offer busy students a faster and more convenient shopping experience, without lines or long waits.

Many retailers are adopting #AI capabilities with an eye toward a fully #automated #retail future. @CloudpickTech via @insightdottech

One of the issues Auchan wanted to solve was its inability to rapidly serve students around the clock. For instance, students would often get up early in the morning and rush to classes, which meant they might not have enough time to eat. Or they forgot something and needed to grab supplies quickly before class. But with a lack of staff, the store wasn’t always able to fulfill these needs at certain hours.

By partnering with Cloudpick, it was able to design a completely autonomous AI retail solution capable of running 24 hours a day without cashiers or customer service staff. Because of this effort, Auchan was recognized as a 2021 retail innovator by LSA.

How an AI Smart Store Operates

To access the store, customers must first download a mobile application and provide their payment details. When they arrive at Auchan Go, they’re provided with a QR code that assigns them to a virtual shopping cart. With this in place, customers can simply pick out the items they want, and walk out of the store.

Payment is automatically processed and handled in the cloud. The store also uses edge and computer vision technology to ensure customers are charged only for the items they left the store with (Video 1).

Video 1. Cloudpick smart stores automatically detect and charge for items customers leave the store with. (Source: Cloudpick)

Cloudpick’s solution can process up to more than 800 shoppers per hour, so there’s little chance customers will ever have to wait in lines. And Auchan store managers are relieved that they no longer have to be on-site all the time. If they’re needed to handle a problem or help restock shelves, they’re notified via the smartphone app.

The overall results included improved operational efficiency, reduced labor costs, and faster automated checkout.

“Cloudpick’s integration of AI demonstrates the exciting combination of the benefits of AI in this space,” says Cheruvu.

Powering an AI Smart Store

To achieve this level of autonomy and accuracy, Cloudpick combines several different types of AI technology.

The solution uses a computer vision and deep learning system built on the OpenVINO AI toolkit to create a virtual inventory of all the products. This is how the smart store differentiates one item from another.

With OpenVINO’s CNN-based deep learning inference, the company can optimize AI model performance and compress model sizes to run adequately on low-power devices, according to Perry. Additionally, Cloudpick can minimize its time to market with OpenVINO’s library of computer vision functions and pre-optimized kernels.

Inside the store, Cloudpick uses AIoT motion and weight sensors to keep track of what’s going on with products, and Intel® RealSense 3D cameras track shopper behavior in real time by performing gesture recognition at the edge. The computational heavy lifting is done with on-premises Intel® edge servers.

“It is incredibly exciting to me to see the breadth of AI capabilities that Cloudpick demonstrates leveraging Intel and OpenVINO,” says Cheruvu. “The combination of AI pose estimation, object detection, personalized ads, and more. Working with computer vision and sensor fusion algorithms to create a comprehensive shopping experience for consumers that also enables convenient inventory management is to me, the future of retail.”

Retail’s Missing Link

While the retail space is no stranger to digital transformation, Perry believes AI has been the missing link in the evolution of retail and gathering better retail data.

“When you add AI to the equation, suddenly everything changes, because every process can be automated: from checkout and payment to inventory and restocking,” he explains.

AI not only enables retailers to collect data points they could never access before, it helps stakeholders understand exactly what the data means to make more informed decisions. From understanding customer behaviors better to providing relevant personalized offers in real time, the opportunities are endless.

“Retailers may consider experimenting with different types of models and capabilities to find the optimal scheme that fits their use case,” Cheruvu explains. “To scale AI integration, retailers may also consider upgrading the quality, and types of sensors and capture devices placed throughout the store to capture additional data.”

A Smarter, More Sustainable Future

In the years to come, Perry expects to see in-store inventory systems capable of integrating directly with manufacturers and distributors upstream. This will help goods flow through the supply chain more smoothly, eliminating delays and stock shortages.

Longer term, he sees AI completely automating retail supply chain with self-driving vehicles and stocking robots to be commonplace. The smart stores of the future will know when they need more product, order it automatically from the supplier, and have it delivered and stocked by machines.

“If you automate restocking,” says Perry, “you can optimize the loading of the delivery vehicles, and the routes that they drive. It’s a very effective way to reduce carbon emissions, because you’re not wasting fuel by making excessive deliveries or sending stock where it isn’t needed.”

 

This article was originally published on June 8, 2022.

This article was edited by Christina Cardoza, Editorial Director for insight.tech.

AI and Computer Vision Serve Smart Restaurants

Whether your customers are eating in or taking out, there are so many little details that go into creating a great dining experience. Systems like self-serve kiosks and Point of Sale (PoS) must be connected and work reliably to ensure all orders and payments go through. It’s essential that you have enough restaurant staff to fulfill orders—an extra challenge with today’s worker shortages. The right inventory must be stocked at the right time to properly serve customers.

On top of all this, there are the security, energy control, sanitation, and safety measures required to operate a successful business in the hospitality industry. But it can be difficult to manage a business when multiple systems don’t communicate with one another. This can make it feel like an impossible task to carry out all the different functions of the business, from ordering to payments to staffing.

Ultimately, dine-in and quick-serve restaurants (QSR) are under pressure to speed up operations and keep costs down to remain competitive.

That’s why Shenzhen GIFA Industrial Control Co., Ltd, a smart manufacturing, retail, and healthcare solution provider, created its Retail Integrated POS Solution.

“We want to help restaurants, restaurant management, fast-food operators, and other business-oriented retail stores unlock valuable data, operate more smoothly, and keep up with the demands of a retail smart store,” says Li Hongming, Founder and CEO of GIFA.

End-to-End Smart Restaurant Operations

One of the biggest challenges restaurants and retail stores face is how to manage all the data coming from multiple devices such as cashier systems, security cameras, online ordering, and even thermostats. Often, restaurants struggle to support these multiple workloads, causing network availability, stability, and cost issues.

With GIFA’s Retail Integrated POS System, everything from surveillance cameras to digital-signage solutions and even checkout machines are all integrated. The management system acts as a service gateway, collecting, analyzing, and requesting data from devices, and uploading that information from the edge to the cloud for deeper insights.

The platform provides real-time #analytics that can help users improve #operations and guest dining experiences. Shenzhen GIFA Industrial Control Co.,Ltd via @insightdottech

“Traditionally, each technical module with a retail store is relatively independent, and each manufacturer develops their own module. In addition, the software and hardware between enterprises and the cloud platform are often not compatible,” says Hongming. “We want to bridge these connections and help businesses connect the dots of their operations.”

GIFA teams up with Intel® and network infrastructure operator Exands to give its solution even more power and dig deeper into the data. Together, the companies’ platforms provide real-time analytics that can help users improve operations and guest dining experiences. For chain restaurants, the management software can compare the data between different locations to make improvements in underperforming stores.

This results in timely discovery of anomalies such as abnormal objects or theft, streamlined operations and management, and in some cases, energy conservation with smart control of air conditioners, lights, and exhaust fans.

“The solution helps businesses reduce investments in cloud services and networks, and consolidate loads into an integrated edge computing device,” according to Hongming. “Cloud applications enable an enterprise to manage businesses from its multiple chains with more flexibility and agility while edge computing provides them with more cost-effective, stable, and smart options in digital transformation.”

Powering Smart Restaurants

To make it all possible, the combined intelligent retail solution is based on the Intel® Edge Gateway Architecture and 11th Gen Intel® Core Processors. This enables the system to instantly process data, reduce latency, and enhance service stability.

“Intel processors bring dedicated improvements to rugged environments where IoT devices are running. Users can choose to equip with Intel AI accelerator cards according to configuration requirements for different scenarios,” Hongming says. “With the help of Intel processors and accelerators, plug-in boards can deliver edge computing support with high performance, endurance, and stability.”

The Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO toolkit is leveraged to accelerate deep-learning inferencing and uncover insights from operations and customer behavior. Since OpenVINO is based on convolutional neural networks, it can scale workloads and maximize performance on Intel hardware platforms.

The integrated Intel solution is also equipped with the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK), an open-source kit designed to improve network performance.

As an infrastructure operator, Exands adds to the solution by providing a secure network connection, centralized IoT management, security authentication, and other infrastructure operation services. Since it leverages containerized architectures and open-source components based on x86 platforms, the company can simplify development, consolidate workloads, and speed up R&D.

“Intel’s innovative software and hardware products provide a solid foundation for edge-based digital-transformation food service. Cooperation between partners such as Intel and GIFA can speed up the introduction of this solution to the market and help catering chain companies deploy edge computing boxes and smart gateways in a one-stop manner,” says Lu Guoming, Founder and CEO of Exands. “The load integration of restaurants helps to solve the pain points of chain restaurants in terms of digital cost, operations and maintenance capabilities, etc., and accelerate the transformation of smart catering.”

The Future of Smart Restaurants

As the world becomes more digital, GIFA and Exands hope their technology can be a one-stop solution for the retailers and restaurants and improve the overall experience and competitiveness in the industry.

“Catering chain enterprises will become more competitive, owing to more real-time and smart management by processing and analyzing data at the edge, and integrating that data in the cloud,” Hongming explains.

 

This article was edited by Georganne Benesch, Associate Editorial Director for insight.tech.

IoT Security Solutions Offer Far More Than Safety

For many small businesses, a video security system is a set-it-and-forget-it tool. Owners are busy juggling the needs of their customers, vendors, and employees. They don’t have time to give these platforms much thought until there’s an incident that needs investigation.

Part of the issue is that physical and cyber security are critical yet complex challenges. In the past, systems integrators (SIs) who installed security camera systems for clients had to pull cables and rely on camera and recording devices that were often unreliable and cursory. But innovative IoT security solutions safeguard operations and provide benefits for business owners and SIs alike.

“Everyone thinks of a camera as an endpoint; it records the video,” says Mitch Mershon, Business Development Manager at Axis Communications, a global leader in network video solutions. “The question then becomes: What else can we do with that? What type of business and operational improvements can we help an end user accomplish?”

With an end-to-end solution like the AXIS Camera Station video management software solution, businesses can leverage analytics and audio to get a greater return on investment.

For example, cameras can compute how many people come in and out of a location every day, which can be helpful for building occupancy and customer count analytics. Or a retailer with a security camera over a high-value area can get an alert if someone is standing there for a long time when no one is on the other side of the counter. The system can even play an audio message, letting that person know someone will be with them shortly.

“The benefits can be twofold,” says Mershon. “One is security—letting a potential bad guy know they’re on camera—making them think twice about doing anything unlawful. And the other is providing a level of customer service letting customers know that they have been seen and will be helped momentarily.”

IP Video in Action: Safety, Security, and Beyond

Kappy’s Fine Wine & Spirits is a fourth-generation family business founded in 1940, selling a wide range of wines, craft beers, and boutique spirits. With 14 stores in Massachusetts, it needed to upgrade its existing video security systems.

Working with SI, RGBS/ALSI, Kappy’s sought a solution that would provide a safe environment for its customers, employees, and assets, while gathering actionable business data. The Axis surveillance system, with high-resolution Axis network cameras, AXIS Camera Station video management software, and a custom-built Network Video Recorder (NVR) helped Kappy’s meet its security goals and more.

The Axis solution goes beyond traditional video surveillance and monitoring. For example, it eased Kappy’s ability to stream music for ambience and automate announcements such as when the store closing was closing for the day.

The opportunities for both Kappy’s and RGBS/ALSI continued to grow. From promotional announcements to measuring foot traffic to knowing peak shopping times, the Axis solution provides new ways to grow sales and create even better shopping experiences. And the out-of-the-box solution makes it easier for the SI to deploy the system, giving them more time to provide great customer service and grow their business.

IoT Security Solutions Right Out of the Box

Ready-to-deploy tools make it much easier to install an end-to-end system instead of having to piecemeal components together. The solution resides on a secure server that performs the recordings. Multiple lines of recorders are based on the user’s needs, and Intel® processors drive the technology (Figure 1).

Cameras and speakers connect to servers throughout a facility to create an end-to-end security solution
Figure 1. Cameras and speakers connect to servers throughout a facility to create an end-to-end security solution. (Source: AXIS Communications)

“The software itself has undergone such a revolution over the past three to five years,” says Mershon. “The cameras make decisions on what to record, what to send, what to compress, and have the intelligence to run analytics. That all comes back to AXIS Camera Station, which can then do further detailed analysis.”

The software also has enhanced searching capabilities. For example, a user could have the system search specifically for red cars or people wearing blue pants that came through the area during a particular time. It also has license plate recognition, which can log vehicle activity and raise an entry gate to pre-approved numbers.

With innovative new systems and connective devices that leverage analytics and #AI, the future of #security is becoming proactive instead of reactive. @AxisIPVideo via @insightdottech

Enhancing SI Business Growth

Innovative technology creates an opportunity for SIs to attract new customers by offering solutions with greater capability and reliability.

“Being able to sell technologies from a company with a legacy of quality and innovative products adds a level of credibility to an integrator,” says Mershon. “And working with a one-stop shop that provides an entire solution makes it very easy on an integrator. If something happens with the system, you have one phone number to call.”

SIs can also leverage Axis’ technical support and the AXIS Camera Station Integrator Suite to help integrators through the entire project lifecycle: from design to implementation and maintenance. And SIs can also generate new revenue streams by providing complementary services, such as system health monitoring.

“If a camera goes down, the integrator knows about it before the end user does,” says Mershon. “The worst thing that can happen is an event occurs and a camera’s been down for two weeks without anyone realizing it. That’s one of the best services an SI can offer as a partner with Axis.”

With innovative new systems and connective devices that leverage analytics and AI, the future of security is becoming proactive instead of reactive.

“I think you’re going to continue to see more and more investment in analytics, allowing for new scenarios to be identified and handled proactively, as opposed to reactively.” says Mershon. “One of the things we hang our hat on is constant innovation, bringing in new technologies that you typically wouldn’t think of when you look at physical security. In addition to more specialization, we’re also going to see just wider availability of all of these cool new technologies.”

 

This article was edited by Georganne Benesch, Associate Editorial Director for insight.tech.