Apprion Inc., founded in 2004 to address the problem of managing wireless networks in process manufacturing environments, is the developer of the ION System, a combination of software and services to help manage multiple wireless environments from a single platform.
Manufacturers often deploy different technologies, requiring a different management system for each wireless platform. The Apprion environment lets organizations manage multiple wireless technologies — including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and WiMax — from one reusable platform, says Apprion co-founder and CEO Stephen Lambright. "We provide things like management and security across wireless environments so manufacturers can more easily get ROI based on each wireless device they add to their network," he says.
The ION System includes an on-site controller, the IONosphere, that provides data services, workflow, security, and monitoring of multiple technologies; network appliances, called IONizers, that tie multi-vendor wireless sensor and device-based systems into the ION System; and applications to support security, asset tracking, provisioning, and diagnostics.
Apprion has entered into a partnership with process industry control system provider Invensys PLC, to resell the ION System. Harry Forbes, a senior analyst at ARC Advisory Group, said of the partnership: "It helps them get into large process environments where a venture-backed small company might not have entry."