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Skkynet to Present Metso Case Study at IoT Industrial Show in Toronto

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C-Level executives will learn how secure, real-time remote access by Industrial IoT can cut travel costs, optimize manpower, and increase profits.

Mississauga, Ontario, May 24, 2016 – Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (“Skkynet” or “the Company”) (OTCQB:SKKY), a global leader in real-time cloud information systems, will present a case study, “Metso Halves Project Development Time with Skkynet’s IIoT Solution,” at the IoT Industrial show, to be held in Toronto June 21-22, 2016. The case study shows how Metso was able to cut their project development time in half, and increase customer satisfaction by using Skkynet’s SkkyHub™ real-time IIoT solution.

As reported in the study, Metso developers were able to work from their head office in France to customize and implement OCS-4D© (Metso’s mineral processing expert system) rather than travelling to the operations in the Middle East. By leveraging the real-time data collection and distribution capabilities of SkkyHub, multiple engineers could work in parallel on GUI, sensor and data modeling, and analysis—all using an exact replica of the live plant. This allowed them to complete a year-long project in six months.

“SkkyHub was really a nice fit with our system, because we had not been able to do parallel development before,” said Fred Theodore, Senior Engineer, Advanced Process Control, and lead developer. “Normally we have OSC-4D© running, but two people cannot be connected at the same time, and can’t develop their applications simultaneously on the same computer. The fact that the real-time data source was available to several people at the same time was a real benefit.”

Skkynet believes this capability will capture the attention of those attending IoT Industrial.  The show brings together C-level executives from the mining, energy, manufacturing, and transport sectors across North America to learn about the challenges and opportunities in the Industrial IoT and Big Data. The motivating factor is an awareness that those who are able to identify and exploit opportunities now will thrive in the coming years, and that it is best to get an early start.

“Metso is at the leading edge of the Industrial IoT,” said Paul Thomas, President of Skkynet. “Accessing IIoT data in real time, they were able to optimize their manpower and cut costs at all stages of the project—from development to deployment.  Their in-house replica of the project can receive live process data from the mine via SkkyHub, which can be used for ongoing remote maintenance or big-data analytics.”

Read the full case study at http://skkynet.com/case-studies/.

About SkkyHub and DataHub

Skkynet’s SkkyHub™ service allows industrial and embedded systems to securely network live data in real time from any location. It enables bidirectional supervisory control, integration and sharing of data with multiple users, and real-time access to selected data sets in a web browser. The service is capable of handling over 50,000 data changes per second per client, at speeds of just microseconds over Internet latency. Secure by design, it requires no VPN, no open firewall ports, no special programming, and no additional hardware.

Skkynet’s Cogent DataHub® industrial middleware solution connects to SkkyHub, as well as virtually any industrial system, using standard protocols such as OPC, Modbus, TCP, and ODBC to support OPC networking, server-server bridging, aggregation, data logging, redundancy, and web-based HMI. Through an OEM agreement between Skkynet and Metso, the DataHub has been integrated into Metso’s OCS-4D© product, and renamed “OCS-4D© DataLink”.

About OCS-4D©

OCS-4D© is a software solution from Metso used for Advanced Process Control (APC), including embedded expert systems with fuzzy logic, modeling and optimizing modules (MPC), vision and acoustics analysis algorithms―for mineral processing plants (crushing, grinding, flotation, dewatering, pyro metallurgy, etc.).

About Metso

Metso is a world leading industrial company serving the mining, aggregates, recycling, oil, gas, pulp, paper and process industries, with products ranging from mining and aggregates processing equipment and systems to industrial valves and controls, providing a broad scope of services and a global network of over 80 service centers and about 6,400 services professionals.

About Skkynet

Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (OTCQB:SKKY) is a global leader in real-time cloud information systems. The Skkynet Connected Systems platform includes the award-winning SkkyHub™ service, DataHub®, WebView™, and Embedded Toolkit (ETK) software. The platform enables real-time data connectivity for industrial, embedded, and financial systems, with no programming required. Skkynet’s platform is uniquely positioned for the “Internet of Things” and “Industry 4.0” because unlike the traditional approach for networked systems, SkkyHub is secure-by-design. For more information, see http://skkynet.com.

Safe Harbor

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, such as the inherent uncertainties associated with new business opportunities and development stage companies. We assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Skkynet Industrial IoT Solutions Shown at Japan IT Week

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Three Skkynet partners demonstrate remote monitoring, building management, data collection, and custom control systems at Japan IT Week, using Skkynet technologies.

Mississauga, Ontario, May 11, 2016 – Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (“Skkynet” or “the Company”) (OTCQB:SKKY), a global leader in real-time cloud information systems, announces that its SkkyHub™ cloud service, DataHub® industrial real-time middleware,WebView™ web-based HMI and Embedded Toolkit will be used to provide data connectivity for demos by partners BellChild Ltd., TOA Musendenki Co., Ltd, and Nissin Systems Co., Ltd at the IoT/M2M EXPO of the Japan IT Week exhibition in Tokyo from May 11-13.

TOA Musendenki will display a remote monitoring solution, connecting motors and sensors to Skkynet’s WebView web-based HMI, using low-power radio wireless from EnOcean devices, as well as a demo of using a wireless sensor network board from TecStar (division of Macnica, Inc.) to show sensor data in real time. (Booth West2-60) Working with Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., TOA will also display building management solutions using 920MHz wireless communication module and environment sensors. (Booth West1-34)

BellChild will demonstrate remote monitoring of anemometer data, displayed on WebView, using a Red Lion Sixnet® RAM® cellular RTU running the ETK, connecting via the iBRESS Secure Micro Cloud Service (powered by DataHub).  BellChild will also demonstrate connectivity to the iBRESS Secure Micro Cloud Service from compatible devices using variety of industrial communication protocols such as OPC-UA, Modbus and EtherCAT. (Booth West2-60)

Nissin Systems will exhibit customizable monitoring and control User Interface solutions using Skkynet’s DataHub for individual customers who want to monitor and control data for analysis of embedded databases and Energy Management Systems (EMS). Nissin will also show a wide variety of applications for wireless communication technology and sensor network technology for IoT/M2M systems. (Booth West3-46)

“These exhibits by our partners at Japan IT Week demonstrate the broad range of Skkynet’s end-to-end solutions for the Industrial IoT,” said Paul Thomas, President of Skkynet. “The variety of systems they are using shows how well Skkynet technology applies to a wide diversity IoT and M2M project requirements.”

Skkynet’s SkkyHub service allows industrial and embedded systems to securely network live data in real time from any location. It enables bidirectional supervisory control, integration and sharing of data with multiple users, and real-time access to selected data sets in a web browser. The service is capable of handling over 50,000 data changes per second per client, at speeds of just microseconds over Internet latency. Secure by design, it requires no VPN, no open firewall ports, no special programming, and no additional hardware.

Skkynet’s Cogent DataHub industrial middleware solution connects to virtually any industrial system using standard protocols such as OPC, Modbus, TCP, and ODBC to support OPC networking, server-server bridging, aggregation, data logging, redundancy, and web-based HMI. The Skkynet Embedded Toolkit (ETK) allows embedded devices to make a secure connection to the Internet of Things, enabling real-time, bidirectional data flow and edge computing using a built-in scripting language.

About Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc.

Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (OTCQB:SKKY) is a global leader in real-time cloud information systems. The Skkynet Connected Systems platform includes the award-winning SkkyHub™ service, DataHub®, WebView™, and Embedded Toolkit (ETK) software. The platform enables real-time data connectivity for industrial, embedded, and financial systems, with no programming required. Skkynet’s platform is uniquely positioned for the “Internet of Things” and “Industry 4.0” because unlike the traditional approach for networked systems, SkkyHub is secure-by-design. Customers include Microsoft, Caterpillar, Siemens, Metso, ABB, Honeywell, IBM, GE, Statoil, Goodyear, BASF, E.ON, Bombardier, and the Bank of Canada. For more information, see http://skkynet.com.

Safe Harbor:

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, such as the inherent uncertainties associated with new business opportunities and development stage companies. We assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

IIoT to Animate the Embedded Systems Industry

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It’s certainly a nice fit.  We would expect the growth of the Internet of Things to have a positive impact on the embedded systems industry.  With the billions of connected devices envisioned, it’s hardly surprising that the amount of computing to be embedded in the “Things” of the IoT would increase.  Perhaps not so obvious is that the Industrial IoT promises to generate a growing percentage of that increase.

After attending the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) in Boston last month, industry expert and ARC Advisory team member Dick Slansky noted in his recent blog, Embedded Systems Industry Focuses on IIoT as the Future of Manufacturing, that “there appeared to be consensus that IoT and the entire notion of smart connected ecosystems was going to drive an industry revival for embedded systems.”

This sentiment echoes a recent study by IC Insights, Internet of Things Boosts Embedded Systems Growth, which states that the “Industrial” share of the $3.9B IoT market in 2014 is forecast to rise from an estimated 29% to 36% of the anticipated $11.5B IoT market in 2018.  Doing the math, that’s a jump from $1.13B to $4.14B in the dollar amount for the Industrial IoT, an almost four-fold increase over four years.

What is behind this?

Summing up Slansky’s analysis, he says that the new, smart factory will rely on smart devices—embedded systems connected to the IIoT. This in itself will give a boost to the embedded systems industry.  Yet the area expected to demand even more embedded systems development is edge computing—the moving of computing resources from the mainframes and PCs in a control room or central office to the sensor and device level, eliminating network traffic and cutting processing time. “Embedded intelligence at the source will become the norm,” said Slansky.

We have talked about edge computing previously, and discussed how the Skkynet Embedded Toolkit (ETK) supports it with a full-featured, built-in scripting language. Adding that capability to secure, bidirectional, connectivity to SkkyHub and DataHub, the ETK smoothly integrates real-time edge computing with the Industrial IoT, for a number of embedded platforms and devices.  For example:

  • It is a Verified Software Add-on for Renesas Synergy, meaning that any network enabled device built on the Renesas Synergy platform can connect, just by adding Skkynet to the application build.
  • It is available as an install package for Red Lion Sixnet® series RAM® cellular RTUs or IndustrialPro® cellular routers, supporting connections to SkkyHub and DataHub.
  • It runs on B+B Spectre 4G LTE cellular / wi-fi router, from B+B SmartWorx, NetComm’s NTC-6200 series of gateways, and the Systech® SysLINK™ M2M Gateway.
  • It has been tested on Raspberry Pi, Arduino, GR-SAKURA, mbed, Lantronix Xport, WiPort, and MatchPort, and a number of other devices.

Connecting the Worlds of IT and OT

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Ever since the dawn of computing for commerce and industry, there has been a wide gap between the world of IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operations Technology).  Most of us are more familiar with IT—crunching numbers for financial applications, building databases for personnel records and corporate assets, and printing out sales reports, monthly earnings, and year-end statements.  The world of OT is more remote and esoteric—hidden behind firewalls and DMZs, sometimes on completely independent networks, mission-critical systems oversee the real-time processes that control a company’s production equipment and machinery.

Now, with the advent of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial IoT, these two worlds are being brought together.  In a recent article, The Internet of Things: Bridging the OT/IT divide, John Pepper, CEO and Founder of Managed 24/7, makes the case that the business value of operational data will be lost unless IT and OT learn to co-operate.  He said, “Unless organisations actively bridge the gap between OT and IT, the real operational benefits of the digital business will be lost.”

A risk of losing the prize

According to their research, companies are jumping on the IoT bandwagon and increasing their number of networked devices, but due to a lack of an overall policy to bridge the IT/OT gap, there is a real risk of losing the prize.  Critical OT information that has been unknown in the past is now becoming available, but only to those who know how to connect to it, and are willing to do so.

“Indeed, while the vast majority of new control systems used in buildings and factories – from water pumps to energy systems – include an Ethernet connection,” says Pepper, “few organisations are actively using this real-time insight to support CxO decision-making.”

Pepper’s call for deeper integration between the real-time data flowing through the OT world and the analytical capabilities of the IT world is a need that Skkynet was created to meet.  The predictive technologies that Pepper recommends can be realized and fully supported by Skkynet’s Industrial IoT technologies.  The vision of end-to-end monitoring and self-healing technologies that Pepper shares can become reality when we effectively connect the two worlds of IT and OT.

Focusing on the Edge of the Industrial IoT

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There is more life on the edge.  People who live on the edge take risks, dream big, and claim to get the best view.  “Edge effects” in ecology can lead to greater biodiversity.  Leading edge technologies promise more of everything–more power, more functionality, more value.  Now, as the conversation around cloud computing and the Industrial IoT expands, we are beginning to hear more about the edge.

Previously we looked at fog computing, where off-cloud computing power is installed on a cloud-connected device to reduce bandwidth and conserve cloud resources.  But that’s just part of the picture, according to Harry Forbes, at the ARC Advisory Group.  The edge of the IoT, he says, is not a single thing, but rather an area between the device and the transport to the cloud that can vary widely according to application requirements.

In a recent blog, “The Evolution of the IIoT Edge“, Forbes identifies at least five different aspects, or “classes of edge.”  Here is a brief summary:

Intermittent Connection – A significant number of devices and applications don’t need a full-time connection to the IoT.  A level sensor in a tank making a cellular connection to the cloud may need to send its data only a few times per day.

Data Historian – Sophisticated data users often log real-time data from multiple devices to a single, on-site historian.  By connecting this historian to the IoT, the data can be sent intermittently to Big Data tools for processing and analysis.  The edge application in this case combines consolidation and intermittent connection.

IIoT Gateway – This is a dedicated device that consolidates data from a number of locally-connected devices, and provides a connection to the IoT. Forbes points out that the value of this kind of device is that it can be provided and maintained by a 3rd party, and improved and updated as the service evolves.

Fog – An approach to cloud computing where some amount of intelligent processing is done at the device level, before the data gets sent to the cloud.  This could include message throttling, conditional logic, and even simple control.  We discussed this approach here.

On-premise cloud – For larger users like telecom services, localized cloud computing can be installed at the edge of the cloud to do what is essentially fog computing, but on a much larger scale.

As with the Industrial IoT itself, the vision and reality of what is happening at the edge is continually evolving.  Forbes says, “Five years ago the idea of deploying a (on-premise) cloud at the base of every cell tower would be considered madness. Five years hence it may well be the norm.”

Skkynet to Showcase Complete Industrial IoT Solution for Top Manufacturing Executives

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Manufacturing and control system executives to receive hands-on demos of Skkynet’s IoT technology.

Mississauga, Ontario, March 30, 2016 – Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (“Skkynet” or “the Company”) (OTCQB:SKKY), a global leader in real-time cloud information systems, will present and demonstrate its fully integrated SkkyHub™ service, DataHub® industrial middleware, and Skkynet ETK at the North American Manufacturing Excellence Summit (NAMES) on April 5-6 in Chicago, and at the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) 2015 Executive Conference on April 19-22 in Puerto Rico.

“The top decision-makers and leaders in manufacturing and industrial automation attending these events are looking for ways to gain a competitive edge,” said Paul Thomas, President of Skkynet. “What they will find in our demos is an end-to-end solution that they can connect to new or existing systems, and immediately start reaping the benefits of the Industrial IoT (Internet of Things).”

Each of these conferences brings together executives in leading manufacturing and system integration firms, as well as plant managers and supply chain leaders.  At the NAMES summit, managers and leaders from GE and John Deere will be discussing the Industrial IoT, and how it offers a competitive edge for manufacturers.  At the CSIA event, presidents and managers of system integration companies will meet to pool their experience and catch up on the latest methods and technologies for industrial automation and control.

Skkynet’s contribution to these gatherings is to demonstrate the complete solution offered by using the DataHub with in-plant systems and the Skkynet ETK with embedded devices to connect to the SkkyHub service.  This approach to the Industrial IoT offers a secure, robust, end-to-end solution for remote monitoring and supervisory process control.  The integration of both in-plant and field device connections allows plant engineers and system integrators to bridge the gap between industrial control systems and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Skkynet’s SkkyHub service allows industrial and embedded systems to securely network live data in real time from any location. It enables bidirectional supervisory control, integration and sharing of data with multiple users, and real-time access to selected data sets in a web browser. The service is capable of handling over 50,000 data changes per second per client, at speeds of just microseconds over Internet latency. Secure by design, it requires no VPN, no open firewall ports, no special programming, and no additional hardware.

Skkynet’s Cogent DataHub industrial middleware solution connects to virtually any industrial system using standard protocols such as OPC, Modbus, TCP, and ODBC to support OPC networking, server-server bridging, aggregation, data logging, redundancy, and web-based HMI. The Skkynet Embedded Toolkit (ETK) allows embedded devices to make a secure connection to the Internet of Things, enabling real-time, bidirectional data flow and edge computing using a built-in scripting language.

About Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc.

Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (OTCQB:SKKY) is a global leader in real-time cloud information systems. The Skkynet Connected Systems platform includes the award-winning SkkyHub™ service, DataHub®, WebView™, and Embedded Toolkit (ETK) software. The platform enables real-time data connectivity for industrial, embedded, and financial systems, with no programming required. Skkynet’s platform is uniquely positioned for the “Internet of Things” and “Industry 4.0” because unlike the traditional approach for networked systems, SkkyHub is secure-by-design. Customers include Microsoft, Caterpillar, Siemens, Metso, ABB, Honeywell, IBM, GE, Statoil, Goodyear, BASF, E.ON, Bombardier, and the Bank of Canada. For more information, see http://skkynet.com.

Safe Harbor:

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, such as the inherent uncertainties associated with new business opportunities and development stage companies. We assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.