Hitachi releases Version 2.0 of Lumada IoT platform

Hitachi’s Lumada IoT platform is now generally available, in both on-premise and cloud-based options. Updates in Version 2.0 include support for digital twin technology, which Hitachi calls “asset avatars.” The asset avatars provide a digital representation of physical assets and rich metadata for analytics, serving as a digital proxy for business and industrial assets and providing rapid data-driven insights into their health and performance, according to a press release. The newly enhanced software stack also provides IoT developers and architects with powerful design tools and features that simplify the creation and deployment of industrial IoT solutions.

NTT launches IT/OT security services

NTT Security Corp., the specialized security company of NTT Group, has launched IT/OT Integrated Security Services with the aim of better securing operational technology that is increasingly connected to the internet. IT/OT convergence is exposing everything, including critical infrastructure, NTT said in a press release, while cyberattacks and cybersecurity incidents on these infrastructures are increasing. The new security services provide both consulting and managed security services to continuously monitor, detect and prevent cyberattacks.

Vendors release protections against BlueBorne

IoT security platform vendor Armis publicly revealed its discovery of the BlueBorne attack vector last week, and several vendors have since announced steps to secure their products. BlueBorne is an attack vector by which hackers can leverage Bluetooth connections to penetrate and take complete control over targeted devices, according to Armis. Microsoft released an update last week for all Windows versions, according to engadget. Google released an update for Google Nexus and Pixel devices and Verizon released a patch for the Galaxy Note Edge. Apple iOS 10 is not susceptible to the attack vector. 

Fleet Complete partners with BlackBerry

BlackBerry and Fleet Complete have partnered on a reselling agreement to expand Fleet Complete’s current fleet tracking and monitoring solutions with BlackBerry Radar, a device with a web application that provides continuous asset visibility and analytics. Fleet Complete will now include Blackberry Radar as part of its overall IoT solution portfolio for carriers, according to ZDNet. The expanded solution enables better asset capacity management for carriers, allowing for digital freight brokering, and incorporates the environmental conditions of trailers and containers in a single interface, according to a press release. Customers can expect access to a wider array of data from their vehicles and trailers, adding load status, temperature, humidity and pressure information, among many other data points, on a single intuitive map.

Could “IoT” be a word at Scripps National Spelling Bee?

In further evidence of IoT’s ubiquity, the term finally made it into the Merriam-Webster Dictionary this week. In pointing to the reason “Internet of Things” — defined as the networking capability that allows information to be sent to and received from objects and devices (such as fixtures and kitchen appliances) using the internet — was included in this year’s elected word group, the nearly 200-year-old company said on its website, “These terms have shown themselves to be fully established members of the language, some after hanging about on the fringes for decades, and others providing themselves too useful to ignore in relatively short order. All have demonstrated significant use in a variety of sources, making them words our readers expect to find in the dictionary.”