PRTG Launches Integration with Node-RED Platform

Date : 27-Feb-2020
Location: Kuala Lumpur

Key Takeaways:

• Paessler AG, announces the launch of PRTG Node-RED Connector as an offering of advanced monitoring capabilities for manufacturing, IIoT and IoT environments.

Spokepersons:

• Helmut Binder, Paessler AG CEO, said, the launching of PRTG Node-RED Connector marks one step closer of the company towards becoming a major player in the development of the IoT.

 Offering:

• The PRTG Node-RED Connector will be available in BETA and enable all professionals in charge of manufacturing, IIoT or IoT environments to integrate their devices and processes into PRTG Network Monitor.
• The connector allows users to automatically feed information gathered by the Node-RED Connector into PRTG Network Monitor– thereby opening up the possibility for users to monitor their IoT and IIoT space and to combine the results with their IT infrastructure monitoring if required.
• Node-RED can pre-process collected data and gives users comprehensive data analysis whilst offering them the possibility to forward the data to PRTG using the new PRTG Node-RED Connector – without coding, just based on Node-RED’s user-friendly interface.
• Benefits of Node-RED:
  • Reduces the time it takes to create a fully functioning application and minimises the costs.
  • Accessible to a wide range of users, including those without coding skills, as well as developers who want to save time.
  • The visual nature of the software tool helps users to easily see their application and understand the logic to successfully run the program.
  • Direct and easy connection of IoT and IIoT specific communication protocols in PRTG.
• Benefits of PRTG:
  • Mature and established IT monitoring solution with >200,000 users worldwide
  • Optimised for ease of use
  • Comprehensive monitoring feature set
  • Customisable and flexible
  • Simple licensing, affordable pricing
  • Brings together IIoT, IoT and IT in one single solution, even in one dashboard

Insights:

• Node-RED, developed by IBM’s Emerging Technology Services team, is a flow-based, visual programming tool with a web interface, for connecting IoT and IIoT hardware devices, APIs and online services. Since 2016, Node-RED has been an open source project.
• PRTG, as one of the most popular and established IT monitoring solutions, allows users to define thresholds and escalation levels for alerts, create dashboards and maps by using drag and drop, and publish monitoring data in reports. It stores data in the original monitoring interval enabling historic reports based on non-aggregated, real values.

Best Practices:

• Node-RED software enables users to click and drag nodes, link them together and integrate them with PRTG Network Monitor. It features a user-friendly interface allowing integrators without coding skills to easily create a working application within just a few clicks.

Editor's comments:

• The PRTG Node-RED Connector is an offering where the PRTG platform officially supports and integrates with the Node-RED platform.
• Natively, the PRTG platform supports monitoring of IoT directly. Granted, this offering allows PRTG to encapsulate users from the Node-Red platform as well, potentially increasing the user base - it allow serves as a strategy to level the competition in the IT monitoring space. 
• Think of it as the strategy of Apple computer allowing Google maps app to be installed onto iOS devices.

Luke Chesser