Big data and cloud computing enable rapid field testing

• Firm foundation for choosing an architecture 

• Objective evaluation of potential solutions based on costs and migrateability 

• Easy assessment of implementation in the event of future strategic realignment 

Large volumes of field testing data from extensive field testing needed to be automatically collected and evaluated. Zühlke designed a system architecture and developed a prototype.

Task

Viessmann Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heating systems. Their next major product innovation was set to be a fuel cell, and, to reduce time to market, the company undertook systematic preparations for field testing. Extensive operational data needed to be collected during field testing in order to complete system optimisation as rapidly as possible. It was quickly apparent that non-functional requirements for the system were highly complex, ranging from variable data transfer intervals to dynamic growth in deployed unit numbers. Engineers also needed to be able to continuously monitor all systems and make individual adjustments as required. Zühlke was commissioned to develop a system architecture and realise a prototype. 

Solution

Zühlke’s experts defined general requirements for the solution in preliminary meetings prior to identifying key use cases in close collaboration with specialists at Viessmann and clarifying the technical and organisational framework. Many years of collaboration have built a firm foundation of trust between the two companies. Cloud com-puting was quickly identified as the best solution for fulfilling flexibility requirements and reducing in-house IT workload. Zühlke analysed Amazon Web Services and Microsoft’s Windows Azure in terms of specific project requirements and compared quality attributes for the two platforms, enabling Viessmann to choose the ideal solution for its needs.