Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management and automation, announced the launch of its next generation EcoStruxure architecture and platform to deliver IoT-enabled solutions at scale for building, grid, industry, and data centre customers. The enhanced architecture and platform is open, scalable, and interoperable, connecting the three core layers of Schneider Electric’s technology stack, from connected products, to edge control, to applications, analytics, and services. This next generation EcoStruxure delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability, and connectivity of IoT-enabled operations.
As part of this launch, the company also announced that it is establishing a new community with technology and consortium leaders to maximise the benefits its customers receive of an IoT-enabled operation.
Technology and consortium collaboration
Flagship technology companies enabling the next generation of EcoStruxure include:
- Microsoft: Schneider Electric leverages the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to deliver its digital services, apps, and analytics. Azure is the cloud backbone for EcoStruxure, easing technology development on the platform. “Schneider Electric depends on Microsoft Azure IoT technology to rapidly scale public, private and hybrid cloud solutions,” said Sam George, Director, Microsoft Azure IoT at Microsoft Corp. “We’re committed to working together to deliver new digital services that leverage their vast domain expertise in targeted end markets.” One such digital service, Conext 2 Advisor, is a secure monitoring and control solution for managing and optimising the performance of solar power plants, and is delivered as an Azure cloud-based service, accessible on computers or mobile devices.
- Intel: Schneider Electric leverages Intel’s smart Field Programmable Gateway Arrays (FPGA) devices to power its sensors and devices, networks, and the cloud. Intel’s FPGAs enhance the performance, power, and flexibility of the EcoStruxure architecture to enable smarter operations.
“Schneider Electric depends on Microsoft Azure IoT technology to rapidly scale public, private and hybrid cloud solutions” |
New partnerships are also continually emerging with specialised technology providers like Zuora and global industry leaders like the company’s recently announced partnership with Panasonic, both of which further enable the delivery of new technology, new services, new business models, and more service-oriented value for customers.
Schneider Electric also serves on the board of the Industrial Internet Consortium and Thread Group, where it is working with other leading organisations to accelerate the growth and development of IoT solution architectures and standards for the industrial and home automation industries.
Ecosystem of developers
The company is also further establishing its innovation community for each of its end markets. Each community includes open access for an ecosystem of developers and data scientists, as well as hardware and service partners to create or co-create solutions and applications for EcoStruxure.
These communities include the portfolio of companies involved in the company’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program, including Planet Ecosystem, Digital Lumens and OhmConnect that have already begun to integrate their IoT solutions into the EcoStruxure architecture and platform.