Chiz Chikwendu, CTO of Cumulus Digital Programs, joins Ryan Chacon on the IoT For All Podcast to debate bringing Bluetooth and digital instruments to industrial websites. They discuss IIoT adoption, Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi for the economic sector, the remaining challenges in digital software adoption, the necessity for the standard for communication, getting discipline staff to make use of new instruments, and the way safety is dealt with for industrial options.
About Chiz Chikwendu
Chiz Chikwendu is the Chief Expertise Officer and Co-Founder at Cumulus Digital Programs, main a gifted product improvement staff. Previous to co-founding Cumulus, he was the Supervisor of the Electrical Engineering staff at Shell TechWorks, Shell’s know-how middle in Cambridge, Massachusetts, targeted on growing and deploying new applied sciences for Shell’s capital initiatives and working amenities.
Earlier than becoming a member of Shell, Chiz held numerous technical roles within the medical system and aerospace industries. Chiz earned his BS from Yale College and MS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Inquisitive about connecting with Chiz? Attain out on LinkedIn!
About Cumulus Digital Programs
Cumulus digitizes mission-critical building and upkeep actions to make sure that work is finished proper the primary time, each time. By integrating sensors, digital instruments, and different IoT units, their related employee platform improves the productiveness and high quality of safety-critical workflows, similar to bolt tightening, welding, and stress testing.
Up to now, Cumulus has been used to handle over 7,000,0000 work completions throughout industries similar to power, building, manufacturing, semiconductors, knowledge facilities, transportation, chemical substances, renewables, and extra. Along with enhancing security and sustainability, their know-how additionally has been confirmed to scale back prices for high quality management and knowledge evaluate by over 60%. Cumulus is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with extra workplaces in Houston, Texas and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and serves clients throughout the globe.
Key Questions and Subjects from this Episode:
(00:10) Introduction to Chiz Chikwendu and Cumulus Digital Programs
(01:35) Industrial IoT adoption
(04:06) Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi for industrial
(06:48) What gaps stay in adopting digital instruments?
(09:08) The necessity for the standard for communication
(11:40) Challenges of getting discipline staff to undertake new instruments
(15:14) How is safety dealt with?
(18:45) What are you most excited for within the IIoT house?
(21:30) Be taught extra and observe up
Transcript:
– [Ryan] Welcome Chiz to the IoT For All Podcast. Thanks for being right here this week.
– [Chiz] Yeah, thanks for having me.
– [Ryan] Completely. Earlier than we get into the dialog, I’d like it for those who may give our viewers a bit background, type of introduction about your self and perhaps introduction to the corporate as properly.
– [Chiz] Positive. My identify is Chiz Chikwendu, and I’m the CTO at Cumulus Digital Programs. What Cumulus really does is we develop platform software program, which is consisted of an online software and cell software. And it helps staff principally accumulate info that they should do work on website in any type of industrial setting.
So you may consider an oil facility like a refinery or chemical plant, or perhaps even one other building facility like an information middle, issues like that. The appliance principally collects info and aggregates the info, sends it to cloud hosted platform, which primarily sanitizes the info, permits individuals to see it in actual time in dashboards which can be configured for let’s simply say particular functions and kinds of customers who eat the info.
So in a nutshell, that’s what Cumulus does. I’m positive we’ll get into that in a bit bit. However did you wish to hear extra about me or is that ok?
– [Ryan] Oh, that works, man. I respect it. That’s a superb type of context for our viewers. So let me, let’s dive into among the type of speaking factors we needed to cowl in the present day. Discuss to me about, so let’s discuss a number of industries, particularly I do know ones that you just all are concerned in, and let’s say industrial, building, these sorts of issues.
What has undertake, what has adoption been like relating to IoT options, Bluetooth applied sciences, different kinds of connectivity in that world? Simply as a place to begin for us.
– [Chiz] Simply to border that a bit bit, our background is definitely in oil and fuel. So Cumulus bought began as a startup from Shell. So we bought spun out about 4 years in the past. And to that time, what the challenge was tasked with doing was to determine methods to remedy particular work high quality points however by making use of digitalization and new types of applied sciences to enhance the processes, efficiencies, et cetera.
Once you come into an oil and fuel framework, it’s regulated, however it’s not the type of regulated business that the FAA is, and even perhaps the FDA as a result of in these type of environments, the regulated processes are identified. If you wish to fly an airplane, you recognize precisely what types of documentations and certifications it’s a must to undergo to reveal the efficacy of your system.
However right here, we had been breaking new floor. And we had been discovering so to talk the consolation degree of not solely our clients however the business with new kinds of know-how. So oil and fuel, we’re making a living, proper? Oil and fuel, they do fairly good when it comes to making a living. So the impetus for change is, doesn’t come actually from an financial standpoint as a result of you could have a whole lot of revenue that you just’re already making, so it’s actually pushed by issues like efficiencies or the necessity to have efficiencies.
So to that finish once we had been introducing the brand new product to clients in oil and fuel, there’s a little bit of a hesitation to herald IoT stuff as a result of what you’re doing is you’re suggesting new infrastructure and inherently you’re suggesting new methods of doing sure issues. And once you’re like developing in opposition to the mantra, the place if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it, you meet resistance.
So usually you’d must discover a technique to not essentially reduce via that resistance however assist individuals see the efficacy of what you’re bringing to them and the way it’s going to make their jobs higher. And on this case, it’s not a lot so about promoting the know-how, however promoting the advantages of what they get to have with the know-how.
– [Ryan] Out of your expertise on the type of know-how or the connectivity aspect in a whole lot of these use instances you’re concerned in, is Bluetooth dominating? Is Wi-Fi? And in that case, why one or the opposite? What sort of leads the way in which in most of those conditions?
– [Chiz] It’s onerous. It’s onerous to determine any certainly one of them, actually, as a result of for those who’re in a website like that, industrial website, whether or not it’s building or simply an oil refinery, take into consideration going out to website. There’s actually not a whole lot of connectivity, Wi-Fi primarily based and even Bluetooth, none.
It simply doesn’t exist. And never solely that, as a result of there’s a priority about issues like intrinsic security, I don’t need you to be carrying {hardware} that will trigger an explosion in a constructing someplace, there’s often resistance to individuals carrying electronics round, proper, that isn’t licensed for that type of factor.
So that you wouldn’t see a whole lot of a whole lot of communication protocols, IoT platforms, Wi-Fi, or issues like that. What you may see, you may see LTE related units, otherwise you may see one thing like LoRa. Lengthy vary radio kind functions if they’ve it. However we get into locations the place websites once more is smarter.
Information is a brand new oil. It issues what sort of knowledge I’ve in the present day as a result of it’s going to tell how environment friendly I’m tomorrow. I wish to know what individuals did in the present day as a result of I must plan my work tomorrow. So all of these issues are starting to shift mindsets. And now you’re seeing individuals fascinated by knowledge infrastructure as a part of organising their websites and vegetation and issues like that. Whereas it’s nonetheless onerous to get Wi-Fi going, it’s simpler to promote Bluetooth for a lot of causes And the explanations embrace issues like, properly, security, proper? Safety. Wi-Fi, individuals are fearful which you could hack into it from wherever. However with Bluetooth, there’s additionally a spread, there’s a spread limitation. And with BLE, there are additionally some type of kind protocols which you could embrace together with your protocol, issues like encryption, and so forth. That means that you can allay a few of these safety issues that individuals might have. After which the opposite a part of it’s you don’t have an enormous infrastructure value since you don’t must pay any individual to come back and get your complete website, which can be what number of sq. miles massive, get them full protection for Wi-Fi.
No, you solely have level to level Bluetooth protection. And if that’s enough so that you can mixture knowledge on the finish of the day after which come again to your workplace the place you could have Wi-Fi and add all that stuff and even use LTE units, then that is sensible for individuals.
– [Ryan] So let me ask then from, even in how far we’ve come on this house and the adoption we’ve seen throughout totally different industries, what are you seeing as among the gaps that stay when it comes to adopting IoT applied sciences and options, different digital instruments and stuff into the industries that you just’re related to?
– [Chiz] The one is infrastructure, proper? The price of infrastructure. Like if any individual had been to go retrofit an present refinery in the present day, you wish to get the entire website lined. It’s going to take some huge cash, to, and a whole lot of time to attempt to retrofit a whole website. So individuals are issues like, hey, can I retrofit lighting?
So as an illustration, for those who’re in a website, lighting is all over the place. So may you change your lighting fixtures and your mild gear into, let’s say, Wi-Fi routers or Wi-Fi extenders and issues like that. And as you retrofit them, you may prolong protection in your websites, proper? Issues like that will assist sooner or later, however one of many greatest hindrances you’re going to search out is infrastructure, proper?
Now, assuming you will get the infrastructure prices, then it’s a must to reply the safety questions. So most websites, enterprise websites, have issues concerning the safety operations of all of their knowledge as a result of by, by default, every part’s thought-about delicate. So if issues are delicate, so it’s a must to handle knowledge flows and it’s a must to handle entry management, who has entry to what, and then you definitely now must care about MDM as a result of it’s oh, now I’ve, I personal the type of issues about MDM administration of all of the units which can be on the market, how can I monitor it?
And the way do I do know that nothing’s leaking out? So these three issues, as an illustration, are actually like big hindrances relating to approaching website and attempting to carry IoT units on website to individuals. Now, it doesn’t imply that the necessity for these items aren’t acknowledged.
Persons are slowly recognizing the wants and the query turns into how do you decrease the fee, the bar, the entry degree bar for all of those websites to get to a spot the place they start to undertake, measures to have connectivity on website.
– [Ryan] What are your ideas on type of the necessity for type of a typical for communication in any type of these environments and issues that you just’ve come throughout?
– [Chiz] Yeah, you’re positively singing my track. There are want for requirements, clearly. Wi-Fi itself is a typical that when it comes to the way you talk, there’s nothing that must be modified. You simply must get individuals going. But when we wish to discuss Bluetooth the place I’ve a whole lot of vested curiosity relating to utilizing instruments which can be related, proper?
Instruments that do work, instruments that can provide you info and likewise kind some type of a 3rd occasion slash impartial assurance of the type of work that you just did as a result of knowledge is collected out of your instruments, then it turns into necessary to outline knowledge requirements. By way of how do I talk the type of knowledge that this software is getting in such a approach that if a brand new vendor or let’s say a brand new third occasion particular person is approaching website and is doing work on your buyer, they don’t must reinvent the wheel and take a look at to determine precisely, how do I discuss to this system? Or how do I discuss to that software? I must know that there’s already a typical framework that’s outlined, and I don’t must primarily develop new drivers and issues like that. So I’ll offer you one other instance, proper? So one of many instruments we use is a digital Bluetooth torque wrench made by one of many main producers.
However they got here up with a protocol. It’s a spot protocol that’s particular to their software, proper? And it’s nice as a result of, okay, yeah, you may, you employ the hole profile, which if everyone is aware of methods to implement hole profiles on the Bluetooth system, they’ll do it. Solely drawback is, if I, if my buyer decides I wish to use a unique torque vary, it’s Bluetooth.
Why don’t you hook as much as it? It’s not that easy as a result of they’ve a totally totally different profile with the hole protocol. And now I’ve to jot down code and have my builders reinterpret that protocol and that knowledge when it comes to how the management parameters are and handshaking parameters, getting knowledge, sending it up, doing the issues that I wanted to do.
From our utilization standpoint or utility standpoint, the torque vary is a torque vary. So it’s best to have the ability to have normal interfaces which you could outline to speak with it.
– [Ryan] It’s an attention-grabbing problem to have to unravel. There’s a whole lot of issues occurring there. What do you, what about your expertise getting the top consumer, which is one thing we discuss so much about. We attempt to discuss, there’s clearly the consumers and people who see the worth of the software however then there’s those that are literally gonna be utilizing this on everyday.
So let’s discuss like extra of the sphere staff within the sense of, they’re not perhaps used to working with related merchandise, related instruments, connections, options, proper? So how do you overcome that problem or how can corporations listening to this perhaps method that drawback when that type of arises?
– [Chiz] It’s an amazing query. As a result of in our discipline, we run into totally different several types of customers with totally different ranges of let’s say {qualifications} or consolation with sensible units. So one of many issues we do is we attempt to design our software from a UI perspective with a watch to retaining the identical types of requirements that you just use with cell telephones or cell units, proper?
On the planet, you recognize that we’ve got about 70% Android utilization, and there are often frequent UI elements and UX elements relating to design for each Android and iOS functions. So we goal our cell platform, A, to Android and iOS functions, issues that individuals are often aware of.
Then to assist them overcome a few of these types of preliminary hesitation to utilizing our software, we tried to, once more, reveal what they’ll achieve from utilizing the appliance. So as an illustration, proper, a few of these staff must fill out paperwork on the finish of the day about all of the work that they’ve achieved.
So that they must doc it. They must jot it down. Pardon me. And so they have to actually attempt to keep in mind a few of these issues that they’ve achieved to make sure that they’ve clear transparency. Now, the second you say to them you don’t must do any documentation, all it’s a must to do is have this system, scan this, scan that, all of the issues that you just used to deal with by like handwriting on the finish of the day, you don’t want to do this.
As quickly as you’re achieved together with your work, you’re really really achieved. And the system collects all the data that you just want. In order that often helps get the message throughout. After which, early levels, we used to exit with the employees within the discipline as a part of our usability research, and we might discuss to the employees, would say, okay, what do you want? How can we enhance the software program for you? One of many issues they’ll inform us is, I don’t wish to kind too many occasions. So we attempt to remove as a lot as attainable the necessity to kind and enter knowledge with guide typing and issues like that.
So plenty of makes use of for QR codes and cameras and issues like that, proper? So we’ve taken into consideration among the issues individuals usually have relating to having to be taught one thing new. Attempt to make it as straightforward to be taught however have a whole lot of materials to coach, however on the similar time, give them a carrot.
And the carrot is, hey, you don’t have to do that on the finish of the day as a result of this helps you remedy that drawback.
– [Ryan] I suppose it’s necessary for individuals to grasp that as a result of oftentimes the client is totally different from the top consumer, however these options are constructed for the top consumer, proper? They’re those who’re going to hopefully profit from this. So the corporate total advantages in no matter space they’re bringing the answer in to unravel some drawback.
So yeah, balancing and speaking that and having the purchase in from either side as a result of for those who don’t have the purchase in from either side, you’re not going to get, you recognize, it’s not going to be adopted, individuals aren’t going to make use of, it’s going to be a wasted funding. So yeah, tremendous good or tremendous joyful we had been in a position to discuss that.
One different factor I needed to ask you as a result of clearly within the environments during which you all work, safety is exclusive at occasions. Every firm I’m assuming has totally different safety practices, and also you want to have the ability to talk, usher in a know-how and an answer like this or a software like this that there are going to be new dangers, there are going to be new vulnerabilities that might come up.
How is that communicated? And the way is that dealt with to make sure that everybody understands methods to correctly not simply implement however then use the applied resolution with out additional exposing the corporate to any dangers or vulnerabilities outdoors of themselves.
– [Chiz] Sometimes, once we begin speaking to new distributors, one of many first questions they wish to know is, hey, do you could have any type of third occasion attestation to your safety posture or how your group manages safety? And so very early on, one of many issues we did was we did an SOC evaluation. I’m undecided for those who’re aware of SOC, yeah, precisely. So we did an SOC evaluation, and we determined to get a sort 2 certification. And so yearly, we’ve got an audit that principally audits our controls and that’s out there for our clients. We do a bunch of issues related to normal safety practices like penetration testing, vulnerability testing, and even having a whole lot of the protocols in place and clients on the finish of the day nonetheless need us to fill questionnaires principally describing our safety infrastructure and our program.
And we do this. In order that’s upfront when it comes to how we deal with issues and the way we reveal that as a corporation, that we’re following the perfect practices. Now, when it really comes all the way down to the nitty gritty when it comes to how we implement issues, we really sit with the safety groups, usually the IT people on the forefront of this, and we attempt to deal with their issues and say, okay, listed below are the issues that you just want, proper? We wish to guarantee that once you’re utilizing our system, you’re nonetheless compliant with your personal safety practices. So what are we going to do that will help you? So in some instances we’ve achieved, made modifications to our techniques to accommodate that.
One of many issues we’ve achieved just lately is allow SSO on a cell software. So now organizations can do SSO as a approach of simply onboarding customers and stopping inadvertent accesses to the techniques, any approach or the opposite. And as you might know, our software is solely cloud hosted.
So we’re, we’ve additionally had conversations with AWS the place they’ve, I believe I can share that, AWS is our cloud hosted platform, however they’ve additionally assessed our platform and we’re following the perfect safety practices. So we offer all of these items as a technique to guarantee our clients that we’re doing the perfect we will to guard their info, their knowledge, and to additionally enable them to proceed their very own safety practices whereas utilizing our system. And the very last thing we do is we guarantee that they personal their units. We don’t provide any units. So all their units are MDM managed by them, utterly underneath their management with their very own safety platforms, safety infrastructure, and safety protocols. And so all they must do is principally whitelist our URL and permit it to move it backwards and forwards.
– [Ryan] Final thing I wish to ask you earlier than I allow you to go right here is simply what do you, given the place we’re available in the market proper now and the house that you just’re all in, what are you most excited for? What are you trying ahead to, I suppose, over the following, let’s say six, 12 months type of timeframe.
– [Chiz] Truthfully, I’m trying ahead to seeing smarter and smarter instruments. So once we began this journey, a whole lot of instruments weren’t sensible, however I may rely on one hand what number of torque wrenches really boasted any type of sensible interface, significantly BLE interface. Now they’re simply popping out of the woodworks slowly.
And what I’d actually like to see is to have a corporation like Blue Sake start to assist corral the unfold of those instruments by serving to outline GAC requirements. And I’m really serious about working with them to assist handle that as a result of it advantages everyone within the business. It advantages our clients as a result of then they are often software agnostic.
They will use any software and never fear that it’s going to not interface with techniques like ours. It advantages the producers as a result of as soon as they’ve these requirements, then they’ll, they’ll belief like chip producers, who make SOCs and let’s say Bluetooth SDKs, they’ll give you these hole profiles which can be already supported out of the field.
So it’s straightforward for them to only construct functions with these SDKs and issues like that. After which it’s additionally good for the software producers themselves as a result of they get themselves on the market into extra totally different, to totally different environments that they didn’t anticipate that they might get into.
So it’s a win for everyone. So I’m trying ahead to issues like that. I’m additionally trying ahead to alternatives for, that 5G might current when it comes to permitting extra websites to be extra knowledge conscious when it comes to actual time perspective, having higher bandwidth, having simply the flexibility to have units speaking with a lot, rather more effectivity and the flexibility to transmit a complete load of knowledge, so I’m trying ahead to that.
– [Ryan] Yeah, I believe, I’m in settlement with you, simply throughout the business, seeing the adoption proceed to develop and seeing not simply the bodily, the instruments you’re speaking about, however simply options being applied, extra corporations seeing the worth and success of those related applied sciences and what they’ll do for not solely their enterprise however the finish customers, simply normal means to do their job properly and luxuriate in their job. I believe that’s one thing that individuals typically overlook. And the higher we will marry these two collectively, the higher these options are going to be, and the extra success corporations are going to see with IoT, which I believe that advantages everybody right here that, within the business.
So for our viewers on the market who needs to be taught extra, observe up, keep in contact, something like that, what’s one of the simplest ways they’ll do this?
– [Chiz] So, they’ll look us up at cumulusds.com. That’s our web site. DS is Digital Programs. cumulusds.com. We’ve all the info out there. We’ve brochures. We’ve contact info. It’s all there.
– [Ryan] Incredible. Nicely Chiz, thanks a lot, man. I actually respect your time. Nice to have you ever on, and we’re excited to get this out to our viewers.
– [Chiz] Thanks.
