KMC Controls, a  building automation and IoT solutions company, announced they are a founding member of EdgeX Foundry, a new project hosted by The Linux Foundation. EdgeX Foundry is an open source project to build a common open framework for Internet of Things (IoT) edge computing and an ecosystem of interoperable components that unifies the marketplace and accelerates enterprise and Industrial IoT. 

IoT is delivering significant business value by improving efficiencies and increasing revenue through automation and analytics, but widespread fragmentation and the lack of a common IoT solution framework are hindering broad adoption and stalling market growth. The complexity of the current landscape and the wide variety of components creates paralysis. The EdgeX framework solves this by making it easy to quickly create IoT edge solutions that have the flexibility to adapt to changing business needs. 

Joining over 45 other companies, KMC is proud to continue its commitment to open solutions. "As IoT adoption grows, interoperability is crucial. Without it, IoT doesn't work," said Richard Newberry, Chairman Strategic Advisor and CEO of KMC. "We've always been known in the building automation industry as having some of the most open products on the market, and as we continue to dive into IoT with our KMC Commander platform, embracing open standards is a very natural step for us. We believe EdgeX Foundry will be a key." 

Having partnered with Intel and Dell for several years, KMC is excited to see Dell helping to drive an interoperability movement. Plus with existing relationships with other founding companies, like Project Haystack, KMC is well positioned to reap the full benefits of this collaboration. This is important, because IoT has unprecedented potential. 

According to a Gartner report, there will be 20.4 billion connected things in use globally by 2020. The sheer quantity of data that will be transmitted from these devices is driving adoption of edge computing, where connected devices and sensors transmit data to a local gateway device instead of sending it back to the cloud or a central data center. Edge computing is ideal for deploying IoT applications, because it allows for quicker data analytics and reduced network traffic. This is essential for applications which require localized, real-time data analysis for decision making such as factory optimization and building automation. "We want to accelerate the market by enabling enterprises to quickly and easily deploy IoT solutions that deliver real business value and ROI," said Philip DesAutels, PhD and Senior Director of IoT at The Linux Foundation. "Having KMC Controls as a member of EdgeX Foundry makes it easier for businesses to deploy IoT for building automation, which can drive significant enterprise efficiencies." 

Newberry ends by saying, "As we've rolled out the KMC Commander IoT Platform, what we've discovered is you have to start small before you go big. There's no other way to do it without making a burdensome investment. Though when you start small, the ROI can lag. Partnering with EdgeX Foundry will help reduce that lag by making it easier and faster to connect to more systems and devices."