As operational technology continues to merge with IT networks, the internet, and the cloud, security measures like those described above are becoming increasingly vital.
The backend improvements in ThingWorx 10.0, such as the revised Java, Tomcat 11, Kafka connectivity, cache management, database partitioning, and reporting subsystems, are significant. While the new mashup widgets, enhancements to the Web Component SDK, and additional dashboard features may not impact all users equally, they signify a substantial frontend investment as well.
ThingWorx is predominantly utilized by large manufacturers to monitor and manage extensive fleets of IoT devices, as well as in smart building installations. It can be seamlessly integrated with a company’s CRMs, business intelligence tools, reporting software, and other systems. While marketed as an off-the-shelf application, most installations require some level of customization to smoothly integrate ThingWorx with existing systems.
Improvements have also been implemented in data visualization dashboards, including the addition of filters for segmenting asset fleets. This feature allows facilities with multiple devices to organize and exhibit data based on device type, purpose, alerts, and more. Deployment histories now offer insights into download failures, successful retry attempts, asset-side logs, and patterns of connection issues with devices.
For example, real-time data collected from sensors and machinery enables businesses to create digital replicas of their physical systems, allowing them to test operational changes without disrupting daily operations. This data also facilitates preventive maintenance, ensuring that plant equipment can be offline for repairs with minimal impact on production. While some functions can be executed within the ThingWorx platform itself, many companies rely on their own systems to manage and interpret data according to specific requirements. Integration plays a crucial role in any ThingWorx deployment, with many end-users acquiring the platform within a comprehensive service bundle from industry-specific resellers and value-added service providers.
Introducing the latest feature, ‘CacheThing,’ designed to store entity data in memory for immediate processing of critical events. Administrators now have the ability to establish range-based partitions on Postgres value_stream_tables on a weekly or monthly basis in order to optimize database query speeds and operations.
Among the enhancements in ThingWorx 10.0 are improved compatibility with IT infrastructures. The introduction of ‘IoT Streams’ now allows for the recording of property-value changes to Apache Kafka or an Azure Event Hub. Data queues have been strengthened to ensure the persistence of events and property changes even during service disruptions. Developers are provided with various configuration options to tailor batch and cache sizes based on asset reliability.
PTC Inc., headquartered in Boston, has recently released the latest version of its IoT/M2M platform, ThingWorx. Version 10.0 introduces a host of enhancements, improved data management capabilities, enhanced security features, and updates to its user interface within Software Content Management screens.
The platform upgrade includes the transition to jQuery version 1.14.1, resulting in potential adjustments for older widgets operating on previous versions. PTC recommends that custom extensions utilizing jQuery versions below 1.9 may require modification for compatibility.
