Building an Innovative, open-source IoT platform for edge computing Forte Group

One of the biggest enablers for progressing IoT is the push for companies to obtain more and better data to remain competitive. Organizations need data to perform enhanced services, predictive maintenance, and real-time analytics. Yet, it’s difficult for real-world locations, such as hospitals, warehouses, and oil and gas companies to develop and deploy software to these “edge” locations quickly and inexpensively.
Kilton Hopkins, a technology visionary, Founder and CEO of Edgeworx, wanted to evolve IoT (Internet of Things) using edge computing and open source. In need of a software delivery partner to help accelerate his vision, Hopkins approached Forte Group. What started as a software engineering project grew into Forte Group integrating Kilton’s open-source IoT edge platform across healthcare, retail, and technology enterprises.

Comprehensive SDKs for building and running IoT software

Client:
Edgeworx

Industry:
Edge computing

Type of work:
Technology, Services

Technology and Platforms:
IoT, Fog Computing, Microservices, Mesh Network Technology, Linux API, Machine Learning

Background

Aiming to provide developers with a better way to build for IoT, Edgeworx rethought the way data was processed.
The company sought to create an advanced, open-source environment where developers could remotely run and manage software on any device closest to where the data resides (the edge) to allow business enterprises to gain time, reduce cost, and deliver accomplished multifunctional and flexible solutions.
To accelerate its edge computing application platform, ioFog, across operating systems, Edgeworx partnered with Forte Group.

Results achieved

With Edgeworx ioFog, building for the edge is as easy as building for the cloud. It’s container-based architecture, which Forte helped build, allows developers to easily leverage any language, framework, or SDK.
Not only does ioFog make building edge applications easier, but it also offers businesses a secure, cost-effective solution.
Having the subject matter expertise working with ioFog, Forte was able to use the platform to design and develop custom applications for businesses looking to be successful at the edge, but who didn’t have the time or technical capability to do so.

Business challenges:

Provide developers with a better way to build for IoT

Enable developers to remotely run and manage software on any device closest to where the data resides (the edge)

Allow business enterprises to gain time, reduce cost, and deliver accomplished multifunctional and flexible solutions

Accelerate its edge computing application platform across operating systems

Connect devices and sensors, integrate with various systems via a microservices architecture

Make it easier and less expensive for companies to utilize ioFog for their applications

Feature-based challenges:

Build a highly secure, open source platform

Create an advanced, open-source environment

Allow for real-time data processing and logic on the back-end

Give developers the ability to write in languages they already know, allowing them to develop containers, microservices, policies, and processes that work in the IoT middleware stack

“We love organizations like Forte Group and other integrator. They have the subject-matter expertise. We do not want to be in the business of writing applications. We want to be the platform that serves those applications; we want to be the infrastructure for the edge.”

Farah Papaioannou
Co-founder and president, Edgeworx

Solution highlights

A new version of the product compatible with other operating systems, initially built for and running on Linux.

An advanced technology stack composed of mesh network technology, machine learning on the edge, fog computing, and Linux kernel API to build a highly secure, open-source ioFog platform.

A microservices architecture connecting devices and sensors, integrate with various systems, and allow for real-time data processing and logic on the back-end.

Orchestration and management of the edge software (microservices) using the Edgeworx ioAuthoring application.

The system posessing a full set of technologies for building and running IoT software that executes wherever a developer chooses and in whatever programming language they choose.

Assistance in the development of tools (SDKs) to make it easier and less expensive for companies to utilize ioFog for their applications.

Design of the SDKs giving developers the ability to write in languages they already know, making it easy for them to develop containers, microservices, policies, and processes that work in the IoT middleware stack.