FreeWave Technologies Establishes New Board of Directors to Continue Growth Trajectory
BOULDER (July 9, 2019) – FreeWave Technologies, a leader in long-range wireless and wired edge computing platforms, has formed a new Board of Directors comprised of highly accomplished executives in the IIOT, software, product development and professional infrastructure services industries to support its IIoT solution evolution. The company has enjoyed continued double digit growth over the last 10 consecutive quarters and is projecting 20+ percent growth in 2019 as their new Zum Intelligent Edge platform gains traction across medical, energy, government, defense and precision agriculture markets. “This is an exciting time for FreeWave,” noted CEO Kirk Byles. “With a strong legacy and track record of success to build upon, we believe the guidance and engagement of a dynamic new Board of Directors who passionately embrace our vision will elevate the business to a new level; one that will allow us to more rapidly accomplish our global growth goals while firmly establishing our role as an IIoT technology leader.” Members of FreeWave’s newly appointed Board include: Steve Wulchin – Chairman of the Board Co-founder and former CEO of FreeWave Technologies, Wulchin now serves as Chairman of the Board. An accomplished industry leader, his commitment to and passion for both the wireless industry and FreeWave’s evolution into an intelligent edge solutions provider played a pivotal role in attracting and recruiting high caliber talent for FreeWave’s newly appointed Board of Directors. Nazila Alasti Alasti is a visionary technology executive with a career spanning startups to Fortune 100 publicly-traded companies. Analytical and creative, she is a serial entrepreneur with three successful market exits under her belt. She has also helped raise over $50M in capital. The Founder and CEO of Project FWD, she serves as a strategic advisor to the CEO and Board of SleepScore Labs and is on the board of Stanford Women on Boards. Most recently, as head of eBay’s Global Product Marketing organization, she led and delivered eBay’s first ever $300M global brand campaign and digital presence. At the same time, she drove the design and creation of Global Product Marketing, a new discipline for eBay, where she defined organizational scope, negotiated roles, responsibilities, and metrics for improving customer experiences. Robert Dimicco Dimicco has held VP/GM positions within Fortune 500 companies including Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Over his storied career in the technology sector, he has delivered over $1.5 Billion in new revenue through product introductions and sponsored/co-sponsored 16 investments and strategic acquisitions totaling over $725 Million in cloud, securities and data technology. His passion for creating amazing products and services while scaling businesses will support FreeWave’s ambitions for continued double-digit growth for the foreseeable future. Greg McCray McCray is the CEO of FDH Infrastructure Services and member of the Board of Directors for Adtran. Throughout his technology career and as a CEO, he has led various technology companies — PipingHot Networks, Antenova and Aero Communications — through successful market exits, acquisitions and growth transformations. McCray also has deep previous leadership experience in large public corporations including IBM, Lucent Technologies, Google Fiber and as a Board Member at CenturyLink. For many years, he has run his own successful consulting firm focused on supporting newer technology companies, often functioning as an interim CEO when needed. His extensive expertise in growing revenue while focusing on profitably will help FreeWave focus on the bottom line while continuing to rapidly grow revenue. Allen Proithis Proithis is the CEO of Capstone Partners, a strategic advisory firm for clients in the mobile, IoT, software and technology industries. Capstone provides strategic advisory, ecosystem development and market insights to help clients accelerate time to market and revenue growth. Prior to Capstone, Allen was the President of Sigfox, North America, where he created a high-performance team of 100 people that built an Internet of Things business with top enterprise companies and verticals while providing wireless coverage for over 70M people in the US. The acceleration of IIoT is generating greater demands for computing power at the edge as well as OT cloud capabilities. To address this need, FreeWave infused their legacy rugged OT products with open IQ Intelligence to make the growing proliferation of sensor and device data immediately actionable. By connecting devices to a smarter platform, companies can now reliably navigate the data-intensive realities of IIoT, create data transparency, foster interoperability to enrich existing infrastructure and enable new business models. “Our approach allows organizations to move from reactive models to predictive models powered by AI at the edge to drive real-time decision making and operational efficiencies across the board — from optimizing PLCs and RTUs to pump and sensor-driven meters,” said Byles. “Now, industrial end users and OEMs operating in harsh, remote environments can take full advantage of the compute power traditionally only found in the closet or the cloud, moving away from proprietary protocols to more standards-based communications. With the guidance of our dynamic new executive team, we look forward to facilitating true business transformation.” For more information on FreeWave Technologies’ Intelligent Edge solutions, visit www.freewave.com. About FreeWave Technologies With deployments in over 32 countries, our products are leveraged by industrial end users and OEMs alike to connect, control and optimize remote machines and processes in ways that enable smarter decisions, significant efficiency gains and immediate cost savings. Throughout our 25-year history, we’ve helped thousands of customers – government/defense, UAV/drone, precision agriculture, energy and smart grid networks – achieve reliable connectivity for data telemetry and command and control in some of the most challenging, remote and rugged environments in the world. Today, we are transforming the extreme edge of operations – and the proliferation of smart devices within it – into a connected part of the enterprise with our IQ edge computing platform and ecosystem of solutions evolved for IIoT. Are you ready to transform your operation? Visit freewave.com to get started. # # # Media Contacts: Lisa DiBenedetto Corporate Communications lisa@ldbcomm.biz 630-338-2208 Dava Baumann Chief Marketing Officer dbaumann@freewave.com
FreeWave Technologies to Partner with AUTOSOL to Deliver IIoT Edge Solution
Boulder, Colo., April 23, 2019 – FreeWave Technologies, a leader in long-range wireless radios and edge computing platforms, and AUTOSOL, a leading provider of secure, industrial automation software solutions, are partnering to deliver a fully integrated Edge solution that optimizes real-time data acquisition via a MQTT publish/subscribe SCADA architecture. The combined solution will greatly improve data analytics and decision-making. Additionally, AUTOSOL’s eACM brings an extensive library of proprietary equipment protocols to the Edge. The AUTOSOL eACM, running on FreeWave’s hardened, C1D2 ZumIQ™ Edge Computer and the ZumLink™ IQ Edge Intelligent Radio, will convert virtually any field device such as flow computers, PLCs and Controllers to be MQTT-enabled. The proven ruggedness of the Zum platform and its low power requirement serves as a reliable home for applications that place analytics and intelligence alongside remote assets even when infrastructure is not available. As a result, the ZumLink IQ delivers an all-in-one solution for both secure data transmission over long distances and application deployment. “As new predictive tools are coming to the market, customers want access to key operational data faster,” says AUTOSOL CEO Douglas Osburn. “Together, eACM and the Zum products deliver a powerful solution for industrial companies looking to do just that with their SCADA system. We believe this partnership will deliver immediate and measurable IIoT benefits to existing and new customers.” Today, both companies support customers in common and complementary markets, including Oil & Gas, utilities, warehousing and distribution logistics, all of whom require the reliable collection of asset and sensor data for process automation, performance monitoring, asset tracking, preventative maintenance and compliance reporting. “For more than 30 years, AUTOSOL has been setting the industry standards for SCADA automation and security solutions,” says FreeWave Technologies’ CEO Kirk Byles. “We are energized by the potential this new partnership brings and is yet another example of our commitment to create powerful data platform solutions that can transform industrial operations, moving from reactive communications models to predictive optimization enriched by real-time IIoT insights.” About FreeWave Technologies With deployments in over 32 countries, our products are leveraged by industrial end users and OEMs alike to connect, control and optimize remote machines and processes in ways that enable smarter decisions, significant efficiency gains and immediate cost savings. Throughout our 25-year history, we’ve helped thousands of customers – government/defense, UAV/drone, precision agriculture, energy and smart grid networks — achieve reliable connectivity for data telemetry and command and control in some of the most challenging, remote and rugged environments in the world. Today, we are transforming the extreme edge of operations – and the proliferation of smart devices within it — into a connected part of the enterprise with our IQ edge computing platform and ecosystem of solutions evolved for IIoT. Are you ready to transform your operation? About AUTOSOL Since 1987, AUTOSOL has been committed to providing reliable, flexible solutions for the automation and data delivery needs for mission-critical infrastructure. Our software engineers have many years of experience in industrial automation system design, development and implementation. We have extensive knowledge of the entire SCADA system – from the devices that our products communicate with and our relationships with the device manufacturers, to the HMIs used to view the entire system. We meet the demands of the industrial data delivery markets like oil and gas, water/waste water, building management and more. We strive to lead the way with advances in new technologies, as well as supporting legacy systems for years to come. Visit autosoln.com to learn how we can keep your Data in Motion. Media Contacts: Lisa DiBenedetto Corporate Communications lisa@ldbcomm.biz 630-338-2208 Dava Baumann Chief Marketing Officer dbaumann@freewave.com
Inductive Automation and FreeWave Technologies Team Up to Provide Users with Increased Data Visibility and Enhanced Network Reliability
Collaboration helps companies make better decisions through sensor queries, analytics and intelligence placed at the “edge” where operational devices reside Folsom, Calif., and Boulder, Colo., February 6, 2019 – Inductive Automation, an industrial automation software innovator with a focus on transforming the user experience, and FreeWave Technologies, a leader in long-range wireless radios and edge computing platforms, are taking charge to advance the true benefits of IIoT networks by providing increased data visibility and a more reliable data network for industrial IoT customers with remote assets. Ignition Edge MQTT, a component of Inductive Automation’s universal and multi-faceted industrial application platform, can run on FreeWave’s hardened, C1D2 ZumIQ™ Edge Computer and the ZumLink™ IQ Edge Intelligent Radio to flawlessly perform edge-based data collection using various industrial protocols and data publishing using MQTT. This publish/subscribe, or Pub/Sub, architecture provides granular data to anyone on the network and the proven ruggedness of the Zum platform provides a reliable home for applications that place analytics and intelligence alongside remote assets. As a result, the ZumLink IQ is an all-in-one solution that provides both secure data transmission over long distances and application deployment. “This collaboration with FreeWave will provide real benefits to users,” said Don Pearson, chief strategy officer for Inductive Automation. “Today’s industrial users are certainly on a quest for more data, and edge computing is a big part of satisfying that demand.” The two companies span many common verticals to include O&G, utilities and agriculture markets that require the reliable collection of sensor data for process optimization, preventative maintenance, and compliance reporting. “The ZumLink hardware platform is a perfect example of why we developed the Ignition Edge MQTT product,” said Arlen Nipper, CTO and president of Cirrus Link Solutions, a leading innovator of pervasive computing technologies and co-inventor of the MQTT messaging transport. “Having a modular platform with tools that are already SCADA/OT-aware is extremely important in any digital transformation journey. Having a mature set of tools on the Ignition platform that can run on ZumLink solves numerous migration strategy issues.” “In the simplest analogy, we are the “I in IoT” and Inductive Automation’s holistic approach to delivering automation solutions is not like any other software provider in the marketplace today,” said Kirk Byles, CEO, FreeWave Technologies. “Our joint focus on enabling industrial customers with data platforms that can transform their operations while improving productivity and reducing operating costs is of paramount importance to both our companies’ missions. It’s a unique hand-in-glove type of relationship and it has many automation integrators excited about the endless opportunities that can be created from our partnership.” FreeWave will be a primary sponsor at Inductive Automation’s Discovery Day on Implementing IIoT Strategies for Large Enterprise Architectures to be held at the ARC Industry Forum in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 4-7. More info is available here. About Inductive Automation Inductive Automation creates industrial software that empowers organizations to swiftly turn great ideas into reality by removing all technological and economic obstacles. By cross-pollinating IT with SCADA technologies, Inductive Automation created Ignition software, the first universal industrial application platform with unlimited potential. Ignition empowers industrial organizations around the world and in virtually every industry, with an outstanding software platform and top-notch support. For more information, visit inductiveautomation.com. ### About FreeWave Technologies FreeWave Technologies is a leading provider of wireless Machine to Machine solutions that deliver reliable access to data for companies in the Industrial Internet of Things markets. With a significant presence in the oil and gas industry, FreeWave’s fast, flexible and easy-to-deploy solutions streamline connectivity over long distances with proven operational efficiencies for government and defense, UAV/Drone, precision agriculture, energy and smart grid networks, and municipalities. With 25 years of experience in the RF and Edge Computing market and millions of devices deployed in the field, customers repeatedly turn to FreeWave for reliable connectivity and programmable network appliance devices to optimize real-time decision making. For more information, visit freewave.com. Media Contacts: Dava Baumann, FreeWave Technologies 703 919-0547 dbaumann@freewave.com Jim Meyers, Inductive Automation 1 800 266-7798; Outside U.S. (916) 456-1045 jmeyers@inductiveautomation.com
The Intelligent Edge: A Deep Dive into Edge Computing with Robert Reid
The industrial data landscape is rapidly evolving because of emerging communications and processing technologies that allow organizations to more efficiently collect data and act upon it in real-time at the device and sensor level– something we at FreeWave like to call ‘Edge Computing.’ The money, time and resource-conserving possibilities are endless with Edge Computing, and industrial organizations are quickly looking to adapt this technology to stay ahead. For the ninth installment in our series “The Intelligent Edge,” we caught up with Senior Software Engineer Bob Reid to discuss his expertise in developing emerging Edge technology – like ZumIQ – at the ‘nuts and bolts’ level. His experience in developing new technology and taking it to the very edge (literally) is vast. FreeWave: Tell us more about yourself. How did you get started in software engineering? Bob Reid: I started writing software at a young age on Apple II computers, but my background is in space science. I have degrees in astronomy and planetary sciences and got involved with a couple Mars missions in the late ‘90s during my time at the University of Arizona. FreeWave: What did you do for the Mars missions? What was it like? Bob Reid: Our team built the cameras for the landers, and I was responsible for image calibration software. During landed operations, we had to follow the Mars day, which is 24 hours and 37 minutes long. There would be times where my work day would start at 8am and then about a week later it would start in the afternoon. There were times where my day would start at 1am – it was an experience. After my work with Mars, I went on to work for the Army developing software for soldier training. I helped develop tools for data collection, analysis, and review of data generated by sensors on equipment and personnel. It really expanded my ability as a professional software developer before coming to FreeWave. FreeWave: What is your focus at FreeWave primarily? Bob Reid: Recently I’ve been focused on ZumIQ on both our App Server and ZumLink radios. I’ve written applications and supported customers on this platform. I also support our Windows-based radio management utility, Tool Suite. I’ve been here long enough to get into a little bit of everything. FreeWave: What programming languages do you work with the most? Bob Reid: In the past year, I’ve worked with JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Lua, C#, Java, and Node-RED. During my work with the ZumIQ platform, I’ve been able to learn a lot of new languages. It’s really allowed me to explore the space. If it will run on Linux it will run on ZumIQ. FreeWave: What is the ZumIQ? Tell us a little more about it. Bob Reid: ZumIQ is an embedded system – in the same class as a Raspberry Pi in capability – but it’s ruggedized. It can operate anywhere our current radios do, and it allows our customers to develop their own custom applications or implement third-party applications at the edge to solve problems. ZumIQ is a wide-open platform – we haven’t placed a lot of restrictions on it. The hardware is capable of withstanding rugged and remote locations with extreme weather that other products may not be able to survive in. FreeWave: Can you share some real-world examples of how ZumIQ is used? Bob Reid: Sure thing. In oil & gas, companies can install ZumIQ at its well sites to collect more data at a higher resolution and analyze the data at the site. Companies can also use ZumIQ to send back the data that matters, or all the data, back to the cloud for analysis, or the software can make decisions right at the edge. The benefit here is that if your central network goes down, you can still continue to function at the edge with ZumIQ’s capabilities. At these well sites, companies can use ZumIQ to monitor their status and take action if necessary with predictive analysis. An application can find trends within all the data it collects and analyzes, such as if a tank level falls by a certain threshold – companies can then send out a technician out in case something is failing. That’s just one example – there are so many ways ZumIQ can be used across many industries. FreeWave: What are you looking forward to in the future for ZumIQ? Bob Reid: I’m really looking forward to integrating all the components of ZumIQ and creating a one-for-all platform. Taking the Application Server, Application Environment, ZumLink technologies and more, and packaging it all up so companies only need one product to meet all their future needs. That’s what I’m excited to see in the future. FreeWave: Before we let you go, what has been your most memorable problem you’ve helped solve? Bob Reid: There have been so many problems I’ve helped solve, so it’s hard to say. One does stand out – back when I was calibrating images for Mars. It wasn’t just about taking a single picture. We would take image of rocks in several different wavelengths to generate a reflectance spectrum. From that, we were able to do remote sensing to figure out the composition objects on Mars by comparing to reflectance spectra of know materials in a lab. But to figure that out, we had to correct for the Solar illumination, atmospheric illumination, the angle of the rock face, camera sensitivity at different wavelengths, data compression, etc. That was my first professional software project, and I have fond memories of it. ______________________________ Enjoyed learning about what our line of talented experts have to say? Stay tuned for the next Intelligent Edge conversation! In the meantime, catch up on all the blogs in our series here.
FreeWave Technologies Poised to Grow Market Share in IIoT and Edge Computing; Appoints Kirk Byles as Chief Executive Officer
BOULDER, Colo. – Sept. 6, 2018 – FreeWave Technologies, the leader in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) wireless connectivity and edge computing, today announced that it has successfully completed a transaction redeeming the shares of its private equity investor. As a fully private company, FreeWave is poised for further growth in the IIoT market. New CEO Kirk Byles will lead FreeWave through its next phase of innovation and growth. An accomplished sales executive who joined FreeWave in 2016 and formerly served as Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Byles has successfully led business development and was largely responsible for 21% sales growth in the past two years across FreeWave’s global markets. “FreeWave is well positioned to take advantage of the rapidly growing IIoT market,” said Kirk Byles, CEO of FreeWave. “We have a solid foundation with our new programmable Zumlink radio platform and recently introduced new products that address our customers’ needs in edge computing. This transaction maintains our financial flexibility to quickly react to opportunities in the marketplace.” FreeWave will be showcasing its Zum product lines at Inductive Automation’s 2018 Ignition Community Conference in Folsom, California on September 17-19. About FreeWave Technologies FreeWave Technologies (freewave.com) is a leading provider of wireless Machine to Machine solutions that deliver reliable access to data for leading companies in the Industrial Internet of Things markets. As the No. 1 provider of wireless IIoT to the oil and gas industry, FreeWave’s fast, flexible and easy-to-deploy solutions streamline connectivity over long distances to also create significant operational efficiencies for government and defense, UAV/Drone, precision agriculture, original equipment manufacturers, energy and smart grid networks, municipalities and more. With 25 years of experience in the M2M market and millions of radios deployed in the field, customers repeatedly turn to FreeWave to maximize their value in connecting M2M devices to optimize real-time decision making.
What’s new from FreeWave? The ZumIQ App Server
Introducing the first programmable ZumIQ™ App Server network appliance to deliver ruggedized edge intelligence for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and sensor ecosystems. Industrial users want to harness the power of edge intelligence by deploying applications in their wired and wireless networks. Our customers tell us they are developing software applications on developer platforms and require a rugged C1D2 device, like the ZumIQ App Server, for application This programmable network appliance provides a secure home for applications relying on sensor or device data to deliver industrial process intelligence. Utilizing the same ZumIQ Application Environment as FreeWave’s ZumLink 900 Mhz Industrial Radios, the product works with either custom or third-party applications and can execute multiple applications. Key benefits of the ZumIQ App Server include: Versatile App Development and Deployment utilizing any Linux-compatible language. App Deployment to Wired or Wireless Networks in combination with FreeWave ZumLink 900 MHz Industrial Radios or other wired or wireless devices. Edge Intelligence in Harsh Outdoor Conditions with a rugged C1D2 designed to withstand extreme weather conditions and can last for years in the field. Low Power Consumption ideal for remote deployments requiring batteries, fuel cells, solar, wind turbines or DC non-grid power sources. Enclosed and Board-level Versions which provide enclosure and deployment flexibility. Want to learn more? Click here.
Managing Critical Assets with Industrial IoT Communications
Whether you’re a long-time employee at an industrial organization, or someone who is new to the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 – you likely understand what it means to be agile. To be ahead of the game and thrive in a quickly evolving industrial landscape, you must start with data. Edge Intelligent, rugged and app-programmable platforms and devices like the ZumLink 900 Series and ZumIQ App Server from FreeWave can get you there. The proliferation of data created and collected in remote areas has led companies of all sizes to search for technology that maximizes data efficiency and protection while keeping costs down. Managing and monitoring assets in rugged environments is a priority and innovative technologies continue to be introduced to provide industrial organizations with solutions to these issues. However, there exists a communications technology that has been around for decades, but continues to work effectively in relative obscurity. For collection and control of data in remote Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks, Frequency-Hopping, Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology provides a proven, resilient, robust and industrial cyber-secure data transmission technology. It’s an ideal technology for areas without cellular or WiFi coverage – such as in the APAC region. And it’s been around for a very long time. What is Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum? FHSS is a wireless Radio Frequency (RF) technology that spreads its signal over rapidly-hopping frequencies. It transmits much longer distances and requires lower power than traditional IoT wireless infrastructure including WiFi, Bluetooth, LoRa or ZigBee. It is also highly resistant to interference and difficult to intercept – there are 186,000 possible parameters to be on the same channel with an FHSS radio and data is only on a specific channel for 1/100th of a second. Why is this technology critical in remote industrial settings? Currently, 60 percent of rural and remote Asia-Pacific does not have access to fixed broadband or WiFi. FHSS technology has been used for over 100 years by businesses, and governments can link wireless devices and smart sensors at long ranges – in 900MHz and 2.4GHz – for a long-range alternative to Bluetooth, ZigBee and LoRa. From a cost standpoint, significant CAPEX and OPEX savings can be realized with FHSS relative to cellular. How safe is my data with Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum? FreeWave FHSS radios utilize advanced encryption protocols to insure additional layers of cybersecurity, including: FIPS 140-2 Level 2 Encryption 128 or 256-bit AES Encryption Additional benefits? Coupled with the ZumIQ App Environment Platform, organizations can create custom industrial applications to control sensors and gather data in remote locations in real-time. Networks can extend up to 40 miles in remote areas and transmit data at speeds up to 4 Mbps for voice, video, data and sensor links. We are talking LONG range IIoT. Intelligent FHSS technology is leveraged in industrial settings across oil & gas, water/wastewater, precision agriculture, irrigation, unmanned systems, robotics, utilities, and more. At its inaugural Ingram Micro ONE APAC 2018 event in Singapore, Ingram Micro (a FreeWave Technologies partner) unveiled FreeWave’s ZumIQ Platform that combines rugged, intelligent, app-programmability with FHSS technology to link wireless devices at long ranges. Tough AND intelligent data. It’s win-win. For more information, click here.
The Intelligent Edge: Navigating the Transformative IIoT Landscape with Renee Garcia (Part 2)
The Intelligent Edge blog series continues with its eighth installment, bringing bring back Product Line Manager, Renee Garcia. In our previous blog, Renee spoke with us regarding the adaptation and transformation within the industry and how she’s experienced it throughout her career. In this installment, our conversation carries on as Renee provides additional insight on the benefits of edge computing versus solely the cloud, the impact of IIoT and FreeWave on the industry and the advice she’d give her younger self. FreeWave: As discussed last time, there’s a lot of digital transformation contributing to the IIoT. How has networking evolved to significantly impact the industry? Renee Garcia: It’s safe to say the cloud isn’t fast enough for crucial IIoT data to be transmitted efficiently. There’s a delay; it inherently has points in which things can break down. The issue with the cloud is its day-to-day latency. It’s always a tradeoff between the balance of power and data frequency. By the time a company gets their crucial data that may, for example, present an anomaly, the alarm to signal it may be delayed due to transmission frequency or system latency. Our model is to bring process awareness to customers as quickly as possible using edge computing instead of solely relying on the cloud. FreeWave: Where specifically does edge computing fit into this? Renee: We believe if you have mission-critical infrastructure, you have to have redundancy. There is always the potential for failure if you use just one method – like the cloud – for transmitting data. That’s why the edge is exciting – it allows access to data in real time, at the local level. The benefit of being able to do analytics locally has a significant impact because you can make changes quickly and prevent dangerous events from occurring. FreeWave: What’s been the most rewarding experience of working in the industry so far? What has been most beneficial to the industry? Renee: I’ve enjoyed talking to customers and listening to their stories about where they’re thinking of applying our technology. I like to think of FreeWave as a technology enabler; it’s enlightening from the perspective of creating a roadmap for their business. Listening to customers talk about what we offer, what we could offer and what they want to achieve can get philosophical at times. For example, I was in a discussion with an OEM looking at bringing edge computing to agriculture. The conversation ventured into population growth and the pressures on the world’s food production system. Will this evolve into something cool for the world? Probably. This is just one example of conversations that are exciting to me. We provide the platform for these conversations to evolve and grow into something real. FreeWave: After working in the industry and knowing what you do now, what advice would you give your younger self? Renee: My career has been more organic than I originally planned; I expected it to be more structured. My advice to my younger self would be to keep your eyes open, look for opportunities, consider new technologies and analyze the impact they’ll have on your life. There’s no need to worry about following a prescribed path. Learn what excites and motivates you and let that guide you to your future. Know that everyone is different; very inherent to personality and individual, remember to look internally. _________________________________ Enjoy learning about what our line of talented experts have to say? Stay tuned for the next Intelligent Edge conversation! In the meantime, catch up on all the blogs in our series here.
The Intelligent Edge: Navigating the Transformative IIoT Landscape with Renee Garcia (Part 1)
Today’s world is undergoing rapid digital transformation, from the technologies that shape it, business practices and strategies shifting in response and the workforce adapting to stay up-to-date. It’s nearly impossible to predict what’s next for the IoT and IIoT industries. It’s up to the businesses shaping the landscape to know how and when to adapt through innovative technologies and processes. It’s also up to individuals in the field to recognize the value of developing diverse skill sets. For the seventh blog in our series “The Intelligent Edge,” we sat down with Product Line Manager Renee Garcia to discuss her expertise with this adaptation and transformation, all of which she’s experienced through her roles in industry and academia. FreeWave: Tell us a little about your background. How did you end up doing what you do today? Renee Garcia: I started out as a mechanical engineer working in medical designs and diagnostics and learned what it took to develop and deploy products in regulated environments. I was really in the weeds addressing technical problems, but quickly realized I wanted a role with a broader impact on the world – one that I could directly participate in. So, I went back to school full time and got my MBA, concentrating on product management. My first job following that was down the road in Loveland with a water sensor manufacturer. After 10 years, I decided to try something a little bit different, so I joined the University of Colorado Boulder’s Office of Industry Collaboration, where I focused on connecting technology and biotech businesses with the school. I eventually decided I missed industry and being involved in product development. I’ve been with FreeWave since last August. FreeWave: Across your past roles, what’s been one of the most interesting changes you’ve seen in the IoT industry? Renee: At that water sensor manufacturer, I supported a wastewater flow meter that was deployed into collection systems. Wireless IoT technologies were adopted early in this space to consolidate data across the wastewater system. During my five years supporting that product, I saw the IoT revolution make a large impact on capabilities that were brought to the market due to the increased prevalence of cellular communications and cloud-based software. It was fantastic from a product development standpoint to be a part of this transition showing how technology is impacting the IoT. FreeWave: What about your time at CU Boulder? What drew you to the collaboration between universities and businesses? Renee: CU Boulder had formed a new office to better bridge industry and the university. They were looking for program managers with product development experience who could speak both languages. I was very interested in helping fulfill that mission and to improve the industry-university relationship. It’s a two-way relationship; you have masters and PhD-level experts from the school and specialists from a company like FreeWave that can teach each other something new. FreeWave: How exactly can that benefit each party? Renee: Future engineers need to think outside their discipline and not follow some kind of prescribed path. Having students work with businesses grounds a lot of the theoretical classes they take and prepares them for real-world applications. So, when it comes time for them to graduate, students have already developed different skill sets and are familiar with how the industry works. From the business perspective, it’s all about having students interact with a company’s technology. It’s great to see excitement and validation around it, like we saw with our hardware during our time at CU Boulder’s hackathon, HackCU. We received wonderful, instant feedback from this new generation of developers, scientists and engineers. Think of it this way – a beta test typically takes a month at minimum. Feedback during HackCU took only 24 hours. _____ Interested in more insights from Renee? Stay tuned for our continued conversation in the next Intelligent Edge blog!
9 Critical Reasons to add Wireless Thief Hatch Management
A thief hatch is a closeable lid at the top of a low-pressure holding tank for hydrocarbons such as oil or condensate, or water. It allows access for measurement, however, if left open it can allow hydrocarbon vapors to escape into the atmosphere as fugitive emissions. Hydrocarbon tanks are almost always Class 1 Div 1 hazardous locations. If your thief hatch pops open from overpressure conditions, or if an operator accidentally leaves it open, you could be in violation of strict air pollution compliance rules on fugitive emissions. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Regulation 7, Section XII, “Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations”, requires facilities to control venting of natural gas from many oil and gas emission sources. The CDPHE has determined that improperly secured thief hatches, visible emissions from a flare, and audible emissions from a thief hatch or pressure relief device (PRV) are violations of Regulation No. 7. Many of the 23 oil producing states (including Ohio, Utah, Wyoming) are looking at the CDPHE rulebook as a possible blueprint for their state rules. The minimum fine by CDPHE for an open thief hatch, visible emissions from a flare or audible emissions from a thief hatch or PRV is $15,000/day. The duration of each fugitive emission violation is assumed to be at least one day unless evidence gathered by the CDPHE and/or provided by the source proves otherwise. The USEPA’s new regulations affecting methane (CH4) and VOC emissions from the oil and gas sector became effective August 3, 2016. Updates to NSPS OOOO list storage thief hatches as one of the fugitive emission leak components that will be periodically checked for leaks using optical gas imaging (OGI). Thief hatches are usually easy to see and make easy pickings for regulatory compliance inspectors. Inspectors will often check thief hatches first, and use them as indicators of other violations for a site. Open thief hatch detection is a powerful tool to minimize fugitive emissions. Most solutions on the market to detect an open thief hatch are wired and expensive to install and integrate into an existing SCADA system. FreeWave delivers an inexpensive and easy to deploy Class 1 Div 1 wireless solution for Thief Hatch Monitoring with the WC30i-AXIS Angle Sensor. FreeWave’s new WC30i-AXIS Wireless Angle Sensor is a solid-state inclinometer that measures the opening angle of a Thief Hatch and reports as closed, cracked or open. It links wirelessly to the WC45i Gateway, which communicates to the PLC or SCADA system with Modbus communication protocol. Together with the WC45i Gateway, the WAVECONTACT system is easily and quickly deployed to implement industrial automation where wired installations are cost prohibitive. The WAVECONTACT System has been designed for deployment in Class 1 Div 1 locations. Contact Sales to Learn More