Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has announced a new invention that means that Internet of Things (IoT) systems can decentralise all their processing and devolve decision-making to local areas. It has also unveiled plans to simplify the roll out of IoT services with the Meridian cloud service.

HPE’s new Edgeline IoT Systems 10 and 20 are designed to sit at the network edge, so that customers can aggregate and analyze data in real-time, more quickly and securely, and control devices and things, it says. By keeping data localised, they can also alleviate traffic across the network.

The systems come in ruggedized, mobile and rack-mounted versions and are aimed at a variety of industry sectors, with HPE specifically naming the logistics, transport, health, government and retail sectors. The new systems are certified to work with Microsoft’s Azure IoT Suite.

The Edgeline range is the fruit of a partnership with Intel to create open systems for the IoT market. Models include the HPE IoT System EL10, a rugged entry level priced edge gateway designed with long lifecycle components and the pricier but more powerful HPE IoT System EL20. The Edgeline range is built on HPE’s Moonshot system architecture, which is designed to use less energy and space than typical servers.

Meanwhile one of HPE’s companies, Aruba, has unveiled a cloud-based beacon management system for multivendor Wi-Fi networks.

The new, enterprise-grade IoT Aruba Sensor is the next wave of Aruba’s Mobile Engagement strategy, it says. The sensors combine a small Wi-Fi client and BLE radio, so that organizations can remotely monitor and manage Aruba Beacons across existing multivendor Wi-Fi networks from a central location using the Meridian cloud service.

The upshot is that any company can introduce location-based services more easily, using Aruba Beacons and Sensors at the edge and the Meridian cloud service to interface with business and analytics applications.

HPE’s goal is to simplify IoT for customers and drive more business, according to Antonio Neri, HPE’s general manager. “The new solutions today are important elements of our strategy to  deliver more connectivity and computing power at the edge,  help customers maximize the value and minimize the risks from IoT at the speed of business,” said Neri.