Leveraging P2P power

Creating the perfect team

When implementing an IoT solution, there are two key components: getting data and analyzing it. WinWire and Candi Controls are two partners who came together to make end-to-end IoT solutions. By combining WinWire, a data analytics and visualization powerhouse, and Candi Controls, expert at managing IoT devices and data, business customers benefit with incredible real-time insight into their operations and assets.

With Microsoft Gold competencies in application development, cloud platform, cloud productivity, data analytics, and collaboration and content, WinWire is working to make more information actionable for businesses. WinWire is also a member of Microsoft’s Azure IoT Suite and Cortana Intelligence Red Carpet programs. When creating IoT solutions, WinWire focuses on creating powerful, functional and attractive dashboards for their customers based on the IoT data they’re receiving.

Candi Controls, also a Microsoft Azure IoT Red Carpet member, provides software that runs on IoT gateways in commercial buildings and industrial sites. Candi-powered gateways connect secure, normalized data from different kinds of devices in buildings to companies like WinWire, who then process, analyze and present that data on meaningful dashboards in user-facing apps.

A joint mission

WinWire and Candi began working for a client looking to put together a solution around smart buildings. The customer wanted to manage their facility’s costs and energy utilization with the goal of achieving a net zero energy footprint. Both WinWire and Candi knew that using an IoT solution would help them successfully meet their client’s needs.

WinWire knew they could show the client a great dashboard that would reveal new insights and help make actionable decisions about facility costs. But first they had to get the data from the facility onto their platform. “From an IoT perspective, the first thing we need is data. The way we get that data is through sensors and small devices,” says Goel.

Candi and WinWire’s specialties complement each other and form the two halves necessary to create complete, end-to-end IoT solutions. Candi works to gather data from different sensors and devices, both legacy and new, through multi-language protocol conversion. WinWire takes all of the data from these devices, harnessed by Candi, and creates dashboards that visualize the information in an actionable way to enable companies to make informed decisions. “We enable end-to-end solutions, by connecting data and devices at the edge to best-in-class analytics and service providers in the cloud. Integrating, normalizing and securing data traffic between countless multi-protocol edge devices and cloud services requires deep expertise not found in most all-in-one solutions. Deploying a device and data platform allows WinWire to focus on their domain of building compelling apps and services,” says Doug Harp, Vice President of Operation, Candi Control.

One of the most disruptive promises of the IoT is that data can quickly be gathered and acted upon to create new efficiencies, at a fraction of the cost of traditional equipment and software. Together, WinWire and Candi Controls are delivering on the promise of IoT by significantly reducing the cost of getting and presenting edge data in cloud-based analytics.

Creating repeatability with their customers

WinWire and Candi are refining an out-of-the-box solution that will enable customers to set up, connect and begin pushing data from their buildings in less than one work day. According to both Goel and Harp, they’re about 70% of the way there. For the remaining 30% of the time, “we find that customers need an additional 1-2 reports to be customized in addition to what’s already provided,” says Goel.

Candi also faces limitations when working with the huge array of devices across different buildings. In about two thirds of the cases, Candi-powered gateways easily connect to customers’ devices. But about 30% of devices in the field are not commonly encountered or do not have connectivity. For these devices, Candi sometimes must develop new protocol drivers for their library. In other cases, Candi supports IoT sensors and switches that interface to legacy devices. One of the realities facing Candi is that it will always be building and maintaining device interfaces to allow for open interoperability as long as physical devices and unique deployments are in play.

Working with Microsoft to succeed

Aligning closely to Microsoft initiatives, Candi Controls and WinWire are looking to make data from IoT devices and sensors easier to consume and allow their customers to make more actionable decisions.

Candi and WinWire were introduced through the Microsoft Azure group. In 2015, Microsoft showcased Candi as the IoT feature at the Microsoft Ignite Conference for Candi’s work with the Azure Event Hub. Since then, Candi has upgraded its data feeds be fully integrated with Microsoft Azure IoT hub, allowing bi-directional data to be received and analyzed from the edge as well as pushed back down for real-time remote control and edge-based rules. This makes the entire IoT experience even more actionable than before.