Internet of Things – Thingworx

In this article, we shall go over an engaging IoT platform used for industrial purposes called Thingworx. We will cover various topics like what is an IoT platform, what Thingworx is, what it is used for, how it works, the components of Thingworx, and its features.

We shall conclude by discussing a few more additional topics, like the Thingworx interface and a few programming concepts of Thingworx. So sit down, grab a coffee and read till the end.

What is an IoT platform?

We all know that IoT devices communicate over a network and constantly send and receive data. The IoT platform helps these devices connect to a range of devices. These devices include development boards, microprocessors, sensors, and so on.

These platforms also act as a mediator to connect these devices and to send and receive information from these various devices while helping us process the incoming data, build logic rules, and make vital decisions based on incoming data.

These crucial decisions are sent back to the edge devices through the IoT platform. IoT platforms also save the data so the user can further analyse it and save it for future reference. These platforms can also integrate with third-party vendors.

What is Thingworx?

Thingworx is a leading Industrial IoT platform that helps us connect to different edge devices for data analysis and visualisation. Thingworx can also be integrated with augmented reality to offer a thrilling experience to the end user.

This IIoT platform can develop reusable data models and other types of integration with third-party systems while offering systems to secure your entire application to provide a safe and secure experience to the user.

One reason why Thingworx is an excellent IIoT platform is because of its capability to manage devices remotely. In short, Thingworx is an IIoT platform built to address your business challenges and remove your barriers to digital transformation.

What is Thingworx Used For?

The Thingworx IIoT platform makes tasks easier, efficient and reduces risk in your operation. For example, the constant generation of data in the industrial sector makes it difficult to acquire and make sense of the data. Thingworx avoids this problem by easily sourcing incorporated and aggregated data from anywhere and understanding it across various product lines.

Using Thingworx, we can gain insights into our personal assets and control behaviour and outcomes as it lets us structure and understand the data in a way that makes sense in IIoT. Furthermore, since Thingworx comes with easy-to-use tools to apply machine learning to the data, you can use it to answer many questions about your organisation.

Thingworx automatically identifies statistical patterns and relationships that help you create operational models based on historical data and predict what will happen with the input of a recommendation that optimises the likelihood of desired outcomes based on noticing patterns.

You can also enhance your organisation as Thingworx can automate processes and solve challenges such as managing different data sources, connecting assets and factories, and connecting products in the field. Today, Thingworx is changing the way we build, sell, and provide service.

Thingworx allows people to make smarter decisions, execute informed actions, engage with connected systems, and use insightful information to build a more successful organisation.

All these features of Thingworx enable connected users to access relevant information through mobile applications or desktops.

What are the components of Thingworx?

The IIoT platform of Thingworx contains six components. Let us take a brief look at each of them:

1. Thingworx Foundation

This component of Thigworx can connect the other components. They include model-based applications and application development tools. In addition, Thingworx Foundation offers various services such as privacy and DevOps.

2. Thingworx Utilities

This component helps the users in creating, monitoring, and managing business processes, products, and organisations. The thing works utilities also let us reuse the resulting outcomes in other business decisions.

3. Thingworx Analytics

This component offers a predictive analysis that assists users in effective decision-making and managing their plans. This predictive analysis is done by Thingworx analytics as it notes down patterns on real-time information. It also monitors devices to predict outcomes.

4. Thingworx Core

This component of Thingworx allows users to operate and work with IoT and edge devices to manipulate sensors and other electronic devices. In addition, Thingworx Core lets users create projects and build applications such as trackers and home automation systems.

5. Thingworx Edge

Thingworx Edge has an edge microserver and a tool kit for software development to provide deployable technology for communication. This component is independent of the network, which means it is safe and allows reliable communication between sensors, actuators, and other edge devices.

6. Thingworx Connection Services

This component of Thingworx provides a mode of communication between various IoT-based devices and helps users monitor their assets remotely and hassle-free. The connection services are responsible for sending and receiving messages from the routers and offer translation when needed.

How Does Thingworx Work?

Thingworx uses KepserverEx to establish connections and uses Cloud services and APIS to connect devices. In addition, the microserver of Thingworx provides communication both ways between the Thingworx server and edge devices.

Thingworx allows users to choose their public cloud from Amazon Azure or Amazon Web Services. These clouds connect devices, send data from one point to another, and offer networks.

The utilities provided by Thingworx help manage the performance and the delivery of the devices, along with a platform to design and create business processes. As we saw above, Thingworx also offers analytics for adapting, monitoring, optimising, and predicting.

What are the Features of Thingworx?

After discussing all this, it is needless to say that Thingworx has many epic features that help immensely in the industrial sector. Nonetheless, let us look at a few features Thingworx has to offer.

1. Thingworx exponentially improves customer service and interaction.
2. Makes use of the various opportunities of the IoT ecosystem.
3. Largely increases the net profit gains.
4. Helps in increasing the optimisation of any business to the core.
5. Fulfils the specific purpose of deploying and developing IoT devices.
6. Thingworx enhances the revenues of any organisation.
7. It makes it easier to deploy sensors and develop software.
8. Thingworx does not require developers to write huge lines of code.
9. It lets developers integrate into multiple cloud platforms.
10. Thingworx can connect user data anywhere.

Programming Concepts of Thingworx

Like Java and Python, Thingworx also uses OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) concepts to construct specific tool skills and user interfaces. For example, the Thing Shapes component in Thingworx is something like an “abstract class” that users can use to register their desired parameters, methods, and components.

Thing Shapes also offers templates that we can use to extend from an abstract class and create similar instances of the classes using the Thing Templates.

Summary

As you have seen, Thingworx is an IIoT platform that helps us connect to different edge devices for data analysis and data visualisation. You have now learned what an IoT platform is, what Thingworx is, How it works, the different components of Thingworx, and its various features.