Telecom Lead Europe: IBM and Vodafone are joining hands
to combine mobile communications and cloud computing for managing smart home
appliances.
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology makes home appliances
more intelligent by connecting them wirelessly to the internet.
Marc Tastayre, Vodafone M2M Global Business Development
Manager said security is an important step for connecting devices to the
internet and the collaboration between IBM and Vodafone is putting in place an
open, efficient and scalable solution for the consumer electronics industry.
Vodafone and IBM will showcase the mobile management of a
washing machine and other smart home devices that are connected by Vodafone’s
Global M2M Platform running on IBM’s new SmartCloud Service Delivery Platform.
IBM and Vodafone anticipate that this M2M initiative
could allow consumers to use their smartphones for a variety of remote
activities including viewing their home’s utility consumption; controlling
security, heating and lighting systems; and activating home appliances such as
washing machines.
The M2M initiative will enable manufacturers and service
providers to collect data from appliances that can be used to inform product
development and maintenance and provide better services to consumers.
IBM Telecommunications Industry General Manager Scott
Stainken said Cloud will increasingly be used in new ways that will provide
enhanced consumer-centric experiences — especially when combined with mobile
communications.
The IBM SmartCloud Service Delivery Platform provides a
fully integrated, scalable cloud-based platform to give manufacturers a
cost-effective and scalable way to manage appliances and to rapidly introduce
related new consumer services.
Vodafone’s Global M2M Platform offers appliance
manufacturers the ability to easily and rapidly deploy managed and secure
wireless connectivity to home gateways. By combining the platforms, the two
companies will also provide the consumer electronics industry with an example
of a truly global, open standards-based approach for Smarter Home connectivity
and solutions.
