Our blogs have covered the Internet of Things concept before, and undoubtedly will again and again as our industry-leading technology partners develop the myriad of innovations required to transform IoT from concept to reality. The fact is, lots of bloggers are focusing on IoT these days, many bemoaning that its promise isn’t being fulfilled more rapidly. Brian Proffitt’s June 14, 2013, entry, What’s Holding Up the Internet of Things, on ReadWrite.com argues, “Turns out our smart devices don’t actually know that much about talking to one another, and that’s a problem.” While this may indeed be a challenge IT pros worldwide are still wrestling to overcome, it’s also one for which an L-Tron partner already offers a ready-to-deploy solution.
Because radio-frequency identification (RFID) printing and encoding technologies are so central to fulfillment of the IoT vision, it’s only natural to think of Zebra Technologies when assembling the elements of IoT. But Zebra does more than provide the discrete elements that are essential to IoT – it also offers an enterprise-level solution to the communication element that concerns Proffitt. Zebra Link-OS is a comprehensive software ecosystem that enables fluid integration and management of, as well as communication with and between, the countless, individual devices that make up your segments of the Internet of Things. “Mobile,” “intelligent,” and “connected” are the watchwords of IoT, and Link-OS delivers that and more.
Link-OS elements include:
- Print Touch, for effortless pairing of devices and launching of applications – a simple “tap” is all it takes!
- AirWatch Connector, which simplifies management of mobile devices.
- Cloud Connect, for linking devices securely and directly to the Cloud.
- Link-OS Multiplatform Software Development Kit, which provides all tools required for creating the custom solutions ideal for your specific environments and infrastructures.
- Zebra Utilities and Print Station, enabling printing via tablet or smartphone.
Proffitt discusses other obstacles to fulfillment of the IoT promise, including the need for universal protocols, and we’ll address those in future installments. But for now, it suffices to note that Zebra Link-OS is ready – today! – to enable your enterprise’s contribution to the Internet of Things.