Firstly, I don't like the title of the previous thread. I have received on good authority (as early as today) that the deal is progressing and there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
The down-rampers have taken over the forum whilst the LT's wait quietly, and my concern is for those who have not yet experienced the volatile bumps in ODN's SP and may be scared into selling (at loss), compounded due to lack of news.
There are those here that are striving towards, and believing they can obtain, shares at sub-1 cent, and are taking advantage of the lack of news to attack with incessant negative commentary (as baseless as any other post as there has been no change in circumstance.) The deal IS progressing and we don't have too long to wait now.
This is an article mentioning Gridcomm that may have already been posted (26th April):
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.c...-security-looms-large-for-small-business.html
Internet of Things Security Looms Large for Small Business
By
Drew Robb | Posted April 26, 2016
Almost a year ago, we wrote an article on
What the Internet of Things (IoT) Means for Small Business. This follow-up looks at some small business IoT use cases and the challenges surrounding IoT security.
The possibilities for deploying
IoT technology appear endless. Companies large and small are either developing IoT tools or installing them in their own businesses to streamline their operations, increase efficiency, and lower costs.
Internet of Things Use Cases: Taking IoT to the Street
Streetline, a "smart parking" company, simplifies parking for customers around the world. It uses sensors and mobile apps to help drivers find empty parking spaces in real time, make reservations, and pay by phone. It also provides analytics that help cities improve parking efficiency.
GridComm, another small business actively involved in making IoT work, helps cities network their street lights using IoT sensors installed inside the street light door. The sensors communicate data about the street lights across the city's power lines. Analytics are also part of the system.
"The system provides information like how many lights are on the network, how much electricity they use, and it tells you when street lights need to be replaced—before they fail," said Mike Holt, CEO of GridComm. "The maintenance team assigned to repair these lights can download their locations to a smartphone."
Further, cities can control the lights far beyond simply turning them on or off. For example, you can optimize the system by setting a dimming level and a precise schedule for individual street lights. A city saves money by not using bright lights when they're not needed
"Street lights are just the start," said Holt. "Once you network the street lights, we can connect thousands of sensors to measure weather, pollution, and traffic. And we can communicate the measurements over the street light control network."
An IoT Use Case: Environmental Monitoring, Access, and Compliance
Matthew Olan works as the network administrator at
Pharmacare Specialty Pharmacy(PSP), a Canadian company that employs about 150 people. His company installed Ubiquiti mFi temperature sensors, motion detectors, door sensors, and wireless security cameras throughout the organization.
"The cameras we have (from Ubiquiti Networks and Hikvision) are wired," Olan said. "We use them for security purposes such as monitoring facilities and recording incidents if they occur."
PSP uses temperature sensors to monitor both the temperature and the humidity in areas such as equipment rooms, server rooms, and in some of the main areas where staff actively work. It also uses RTD PT100 temperature sensors to monitor refrigerated drug storage. The company deploys these sensors across multiple sites.
"It's important for us to know if any fridges go out of a pre-set temperature range specified by our industry's governing bodies," said Olan. "The [IoT] system provides email alerts based on rules we define around temperature, and it also records and keeps data for retrieval as needed."
PSP installed door sensors on access doors to IT equipment areas, as well as on all lockable equipment racks. Olan said they configured the sensors to send alerts to the company's IT helpdesk (PSP relies on
Spiceworks Helpdesk) if anyone opens any of the doors. Not only does this alert them to equipment access, it generates a ticket on which the staff member who accessed the area must provide a reason for the access. This acts an equipment access log. If an alert triggers and no one knows who accessed an area, PSP investigates the alert and reviews security camera footage to see who was involved.
"We currently use the Ubiquiti mFi IoT system for monitoring, event notification, and real-time data collection," said Olan. What IoT benefits does PSP reap? "Compliance, security, and cost savings are some of the factors that drive our need for IoT technology."
For example, if Olan's team gets an alert that a fridge is too warm or cold, they can transfer the contents of that fridge, which reduces product spoilage and saves money. It also shows regulators that PSP complies with industry regulations. The old method of manual temperature checks was time consuming, inaccurate, and showed only specific points in time—and nothing about what happened between those points.
Equipment access logs are both a good security practice and required under industry regulations. Normally access can be difficult to track especially when equipment resides on a remote site without a staff presence. IoT sensors on access points can notify Olan's team instantly whenever someone accesses equipment at a remote site.
Plus a general article from the Wall Street Journal regarding Smart Energy Grids (no mention of Gridcomm):
http://www.ibtimes.com.au/future-iot-shifts-power-generation-over-connecting-industries-1514092
The future of IoT shifts to power generation over connecting industries
By
Anne Lu @chelean on April 28 2016 7:12 PM
A Linkoo watch phone and GPS tracking device is seen at the SIdO, the Connected Business trade show in Lyon April 7, 2015. The new professional event dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT) takes place in Lyon on April 7 and 8. Reuters/Robert Pratta
Much of the hype and trends in the Internet of Things (IoT) space is about consumer and industrial applications and the improvement on hardware, software or even both. Most connected homes are about hardware innovation such as wearables, improving connection and employing robotics and drones.
TechCrunch features three major battlegrounds in the consumer space which include the home, healthcare and industrial applications.
From boosting Internet connection with the use of devices such as routers from Cisco and network extenders such as those from
5BARz International, home improvements for today’s technology-inclined consumers rely on connecting home appliance to the Internet or what is commonly known as connected homes.
GSMA reports that connected homes composed the largest segment in the 2014 IoT market with 25 percent. Furthermore, the study foresees shipment in connected device — from smart appliances, safety and security systems to smart lighting — can hit 1.8 billion units by 2019.
Insights from Mckinsey predict that the application of IoT in the industrial sector will also prove to be a powerful economic force as the industry could deliver US$3.6 trillion to US$11.1 trillion (AU$4.7 trillion to AU$14.5 trillion) each year by 2025. Another 2016 industry
report supports this claim, saying there will be over 13 billion connected devices this year and millions are coming online each week.
The impact of
consumers shifting to mobile technologies drive industries to adapt and improve services. The healthcare industry is no exception. For instance, the widespread use of mobile technologies paves the way for health advancements and innovations in the healthcare delivery segment. Mobile apps developed can help manage people’s health and wellness. The
US Food and Drug Administration estimates 3.4 billion smartphone users and tablets will have downloaded mobile health applications by 2018. Another example is
telehealth, which promises improved patient monitoring especially for those in hard-to-reach areas.
On the other hand, the power generation industry is building technologies for an intelligent grid, says the
Wall Street Journal. The US federal government’s definition of an intelligent or
smart grid generally refers to the technology used to automate electricity and makes it possible to be controlled remotely. The technology used in these systems is the same two-way communication technology and computer processing that has already been used in other industries for decades.
Although experts confirm that the number of technologies that could help build an intelligent grid is formidable, enabling it is possible, according to
Digital Service Cloud. Much like a smartphone, smart grid also encourages the computerisation of electric utility grid. Its key feature is automation technology. Before, utility companies employed workers to gather data regarding electricity, consumer’s electric consumption and repair of equipment. The smart grid technology allows the utility control and lets it adjust devices from a remote central location.
This emerging technology brings about enhanced cyber-security and improved handling of sources of electricity ranging from wind to solar power. It also gives consumers control of their electric bill. The technology makes it possible to monitor and adjust energy use through smart metres and home energy management system and even facilitates troubleshooting in real-time. Instead of waiting for the utility worker to fix the device, problems can be solved immediately through retrievable information.
The development of the Internet of Things has changed many industries dramatically. Homes, healthcare and utilities are slowly shifting, prompting companies and startups to be disruptive and to be able to deliver efficient and timely solutions.
