FAQs

The Inuatek Data Collection Cloud (DCC) is a platform agnostic data collection solution that integrates tightly with selected IoT Gateways, particularly Secomea SiteManagers. The DCC has specific focus on giving clear overview of raw-data and the ability of using this for building dashboards by the integrated tools, or to trigger notifications to be sent by email, SMS or displayed in dashboards.

Three points stand out:

1. DCC is designed without reliance on Azure or AWS technologies and can also run on-premises. As a result, it is incredibly portable and cost effective.
2. DCC contains distinct data analytics functions, such as event triggers based on the correlation of different data points and other elements for enriching the acquired data.
3. Finally, its strong interaction with Secomea SiteManager gateways provides various benefits, including fast and instant configuration management, a very high security level, and the possibility to access VNC and Web-visu applications of PLCs and HMIs directly from a user dashboard.

Not currently, because different devices use different data formats. For more exotic use, we recommend looking at the Teltonika product range where you have a large variety of IoT Gateways for different use cases and industries.

There are in fact several advantages:

1. The native protocol used between the SiteManager and DCC is not only highly secure, but extremely compact, which minimizes the total amount of data transmitted,
2. The same protocol allows for real-time changes to the data collection configuration inside the SiteManager,
3. The GateManager allows the DCC to perform additional authentication of the SiteManager, thereby elevating security beyond other IoT solutions,
4. The SiteManager can be used concurrently for Remote tunneling access to the equipment for troubleshooting and programming,
5. The LinkManager Mobile API allows for remote VNC or Web-visu access to a PLC or HMI from a DCC dashboard,
6. The same mechanism allow a dashboard to not only read values, but also to write a value to a PLC (Currently supported for ModBus).

No. We have built the platform completely cloud agnostic, which enables us to make it very portable and even installable on-premises. We do have a preference using Azure or AWS for hosting the solution, which means it is easy to deploy in a private tenant. But since we are not using any of the IoT tools of the cloud platform, the solution is extremely cost effective.

Typical protocols are Modbus, S7, OPC-UA, EtherNet/IP or plain http/https, since these are natively supported by a Secomea SiteManager that is the recommended choice of IoT gateway. We also support Teltonika and SIA Connect, which support additional data sources via CANbus SQL DBs etc.

DCC does not feature a dedicated Google or Apple mobile APP, but it is possible to create a dashboard that is specifically adapted to a mobile form factor

DCC is based on a monthly subscription based on number of connected IoT Gateways and amount of data, but the price model is designed to allow starting small and with minimum cost, and scales with your needs. Furthermore, all new IoT Gateways connected will be free of charge for the first 30 days.
Special agreements can be discussed for fixed fees depending on the business case, so the cost is 100% known.

Yes. Contact us to get an administrator account and use an existing SiteManager to connect. It will be free of charge for 30 days. Should you need more time, just contact us. We can also arrange a demonstration online, where we show you around.

We base our services on B2B and will invoice you based on your VAT number. There are no upfront payments. If we have a local distributor in your region, we will refer to that.

We generally bill quarterly, but individual arrangements can be negotiated.

Yes, your plan is based on the number of IoT Gateways registered. You can always remove redundant devices, and they will not be billed. Your selected plan is based on the number of sample points per hour. If you exceed your chosen plan, we will notify you of a potential change of plan, or assist in reconfiguring your IoT Gateways to fit your budget.

Yes. A unique feature of the solution is that you can apply aggregation of data in the SiteManager IoT Gateway. E.g., by sending an average over a time period, or only sending certain data, when another sample point has a certain value. Adjustment of such aggregation are done in the DCC IoT Admin menu and automatically pushed to the SiteManager and becomes active immediately.

Yes, In the IoT Administration menu, you can follow real time, how much data a given IoT Gateway collects per hour for the last 24 hours, and for the last 7 days. Additionally, the Usage menu will give you a list overview of all your attached IoT Gateways and their consumption.

You simply delete the device but remember that it will also delete the data history. In case you are running a test, you can contact your point of purchase and request a 30-day trial period.

One of Inuatek’s core competencies is the compaction of data over cellular connections. And the collection protocol between the SiteManager gateway and the DCC is designed to be more compact than any other collection protocol incl. MQTT. In addition, there are several ways you can aggregate data in the SiteManager before submitting to the DCC cloud, E.g., by sending an average over a time period, or only sending certain data, when another sample point has a certain value.

Yes. We can provide you with IoT Gateways, such as SiteManagers, Teltonika, SIA Connect etc., and we also assist with configuration. But you are welcome to contact a local dealer of these devices, and we will still happily assist you.

We typically retain data for 12 months, but we arrange longer retention for up to 7 years. Contact us for details.

It is in fact free. If you do not want to retain the data, but just display real time in a dashboard, you can mark the datapoints for streaming. You will not be charged for this data. You only pay for data stored in the DCC database.

Yes. DCC allows for complete private labelling, so your customers will experience it as logging into your own portal. Contact us for more information and possibilities for adapting URLs, logo colors etc.

Yes. Although the shared DCC cloud service is designed for strict customer separation, it is also designed for deployment as a unique instance. Three options exist: 1) A private instance hosted in the Inuatek Azure tenant, 2) A private instance hosted in your own AWS or Azure tenant, og 3) A private instance installed in your server infrastructure based on Docker.

Yes. DCC has been designed with cybersecurity in mind. All connections are strong encrypted, and you can apply 2FA for user logins. Connection of SiteManager IoT Gateways are also using and additional authentication and authorization by validating the SiteManager against the GateManager it is connected to.

Yes. We comply with GDPR regulations, and we do not use your information for any other commercial purposes. Refer to the privacy policy when logging in.

Simply enter your email and select forgot password, and you will be requested to define a new password

You can have one account associated with one email. This account can, however, have multiple roles, like administrator, dashboard designer etc.
Otherwise you can, as administrator create as many accounts for your users as you like.

Yes, as an example you can elevate a dashboard user to dashboard designer or even administrator, and vice versa.

Support is provided via email based on a first come, first service principle with minimum 6 hours response time. Our Premium Support agreement gives you further privileges, incl. a hotline for our 2nd level support staff.
If dealing via our distribution partners, the support is directly with them as 1st level support.

We have regular support hours between 9-16 during normal weekdays. Systems are monitored and maintained outside working hours.

The hosting center is architected and maintained to ensure an uptime of +99,6%, and historically the uptime has been higher for the last 4 years.

Generally, support is via email, but with an Inuatek Premium Support agreement, you have a direct hotline number during working hours.
If your point of purchase is an Inuatek distribution partner, you may have extended support with a standard agreement.

We are always interested in your opinion that can improve the product. In fact, most features in the product are based on customer feedback. Additionally, Inuatek offers to build custom features on top of the DCC for specific purposes, which can be related to data analysis, machine learning etc.

Check the Secomea knowledge base on how to configure a SiteManager to connect to the DCC. But basically, the steps are:

1. Create a LinkManager Mobile account in the Domain on the GateManager to which the SiteManager is connected.
2. In the Account setup select New Domain, and enter the credentials of the LMM account,
3. In and Once connected, all configuration of sample points can be done directly from the IoT Administration menu.
4. A new Domain will appear in the IoT Administration menu, and you can select the “Create an initializing SiteManager configuration”
5. Load this configuration into the SiteManager via its local web UI.
6. Reboot the SiteManager and it should appear on the DCC.
7. Under IoT Administration in the DCC you can now configure all your sample points, which will automatically be pushed to the SiteManager

More info 

Yes. In the DCC you can download the entire DCM JSON config from one device and upload to another. You will still have to create unique certificates for the new SiteManager, but that is easily done in the IoT Admin by creating and downloading a configuration profile.

Yes. The easiest way to do this is to perform a “Replace SiteManager” operation on the GateManager. This will result in all settings and certificates to be transferred to the new SiteManager, and this will be accepted as direct replacement on the DCC.

Yes, this I quite easy to define a trigger for a specific event, such as a value chance, a specific threshold or even conditional based on other data points. The notification can then be sent as email, SMS or be used to trigger a visual element on a dashboard.

Yes. It is a typical scenario that to check one sample point, and that has a value, then check another sample value, which combined represent the condition for triggering a notification.

The Data Refinement module is capable of writing results of calculations into the data storage for the device. This could for instance be the resulting OEE KPI for a batch.

Yes. This is one of the use cases that can be applied. But often modern machinery does not follow the traditional OEE calculation methodology, so we typically look at individual cases, and determine what information would create most value to you, and then we adapt to that.

The SiteManager IoT Gateways natively offer VPN tunnelling support, which can be used concurrently with data collection using GateManager and LinkManager. In the DCC you can define a widget that allows you to embed a VNC or Web-visu connection towards PLCs and HMIs, utilizing the SiteManager LinkManager Mobile API.

Yes, it is possible from a DCC dashboard to write a value back into a PLC from a Dashboard using the SiteManager LinkManager API. For instance, to clear an alarm, stop/start functions or change a threshold. Currently this is only supported by Modbus.

Yes, the Nortbound API allows for other applications such as your MES or ERP system to access the data. Another method is to use the Report module to email a scheduled report in form of a CSV file.

Yes, you can use Power BI to access static data in the DCC (available Q3 2023)