Siemens subsidiary J2 Innovations has launched Fin Edge2Cloud, a secure, open, scalable way to connect to building automation and IoT systems.
 
California-based J2 Innovations is the maker of the Fin Framework software platform for building automation and IoT applications in buildings and built-environments. It has launched Edge2Cloud to support users of Fin to access building data, and service and upgrade their Fin-based building automation systems remotely and securely. Until now, this has required IT support, including the use of a VPN connection, or having to visit the site, using up time and resources.
 
Building automation is predicted to have the largest annual growth rate in 2020 – 42%, up from 0.31 to 0.44 billion of units – in IoT endpoints, making the need for easy and secure access to building data more significant. OEMs, system integrators, facilities managers and end-users can all benefit from the Edge2Cloud technology by reducing the need of on-site servicing, better user and access management, and reducing long-term costs by ensuring building automation systems are fit for the future.
 
Edge2Cloud uses IoT web services technology from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to push a secure, certificate authenticated link, encrypted to TLS 1.2, between an instance of Fin Framework on site, and the cloud. Users log-on to the cloud service and access the Fin and building data remotely from anywhere, using any browser.
 
It can be deployed across multiple sites within minutes with a plug-and-play set up via an optional QR code and is easily connected and integrated with other cloud platforms via an open API framework based on Haystack 4.0.
 
“The release of Fin Edge2Cloud is a game-changer for the building automation industry,” said Gareth Johnson, senior cloud architect at J2 Innovations. “For the first time, organisations can now procure an open framework that enables highly secure remote access to data from multiple systems on their sites that use Bacnet, Modbus and other protocols, without the hassle and cost and complexity of VPN.”
 
A user and device management portal provides user management, with control over access permissions, enabling large multi-site organisations to determine the appropriate level of access for maintenance subcontractors and other user groups.
 
The service will become a standard part of Fin Framework when fully released this summer. The initial package is called Essentials and will cover user and device management, portfolio management, and remote access and will be provided free of charge for Fin Framework server licences that are under maintenance. Future planned enhancements will add remote updates, upgrades, cloud APIs and more.
 
Fin provides features such as monitoring, control, alarming, scheduling, visualisation, reporting, integration and analytics. The Fin Framework is for OEMs, system integrators and end users.