The Cloud and Measurement Systems, How They Can Work Hand in Hand

In this interview, AZoSensors speaks to Thomas Markwitz, Product Manager for Test & Measurement Software at HBM.

What is the cloud and cloud integration?

The cloud is a global network of servers, where data can be stored which enables you to access that data from anywhere in the world. The cloud integration provides an interface  to the cloud. We specifically deal with our DAQ software EVIDAS, you can transfer data into the cloud or from the cloud back to your local PC.

What benefits does the cloud integration offer?

The benefits of the cloud integration are many and varied one of which is the availability of services and data all over the world. Technical companies or high tech companies act worldwide, they not only sell their product worldwide, but also develop in different countries and continents, which means that colleagues have to work together over long distances. Cloud integration is also useful if they are on a business trip, the cloud services or measurement data is always available and ready to be used or demonstrated, independent from the person who created it or someone who using it. In EVIDAS, our DAQ software, we provide five gigabytes of personal cloud storage to every EVIDAS user and the user just has to activate the cloud base in the desired location and store the data there. In addition to the cloud storage, we provide an interface to stream live measurement data to relevant global IT players, like Microsoft Azure and Bosch IOT or Microsoft Power BI so it is possible to visualize the data in various dashboards.

How does this help the end user?

The main functionality is the worldwide access of data for yourself as well as making it  possible to share the data with colleagues or stakeholders and it's very easy to visualize live data on dashboard which is key for properly demonstrating key points and messages clearly.

How is this going to become an essential tool?

First of all, the cloud can be used in various applications, for example, in the mobile data acquisition in structural health monitoring, or in any long-lasting tests, in all these applications, there is the demand for remote data processing as they are all long term tests so the data is not being observed all the time but access to the measurements part or to the measurement data from another location is highly beneficial to check on the tests. After the data acquisition it is automatically stored in a cloud space and someone else can access the data without being at the location where the data is collected.

Image credit: Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH

How simple is for cloud integration to be put into systems that don’t use it currently?

All devices supported by EVIDAS automatically get the cloud interface or a cloud connection; because EVIDAS receives the measurement signals from these devices and in addition to the local storage the data can be routed into the cloud.

So we could call EVIDAS also a “cloud gateway” that currently supports HBM DAQ hardware, but every intelligent sensor or device can be integrated in EVIDAS by developing a small driver and gain the cloud functionality.

How have HBM created this cloud working for measurement tested?

I want to stress that HBM is not an IOT company, our core activities involve  measurement technology.  The strategy for HBM was to look for an appropriate partner for the IOT area and we decided for Microsoft Azure, on which the HBM Cloud Storage is based. Furthermore we offer the Microsoft Azure services as an additional HBM service.

How does HBM see the future of measurement testing and cloud integration?

In general, testing is always mandatory if you develop a new product, if you redesign a product, if you add new features to a product. In addition to the testing, the demand for shorter times to market is very critical. The test cycles are becoming smaller and, in my opinion, the cloud integration helps this process to have a greater efficiency. So it provides additional benefits to share the data quickly, to visualize the data for others, and just helps to be more efficient.

Are there any drawbacks to the cloud integration, the data extradition and analysis?

I think many people or companies have concerns about security of data. They do not like the idea that confidential measurement data is stored somewhere in the cloud and we would like to mitigate the concerns. The global IOT players and the Microsoft Azure solution we provide in our HBM Cloud Storage have invested a lot in security and they fulfill various security standards. Also if our customers already have their own cloud solution established that they trust it's no problem because, in EVIDAS, we have the interfaces and we can connect to the company cloud solutions.

About Thomas Markwitz

Thomas Markwitz is Product Manager for Test & Measurement Software at HBM. He has a Diploma in Electrical Engineering and over 5 years of experience in test and measurement and 10 years of experience in automation.