Optus Business has partnered with Australian software company workM8, to offer enterprise customers access to the workM8 platform, which simplifies vehicle tracking, asset monitoring, and lone worker safety into a single, easy to use cloud-hosted solution.
From in-building staff to outside field workers, the workM8 platform and mobile app cuts across industries by tracking people and assets and delivering automated business logic and workflows that are defined by the customer and based on location triggers.
workM8 improves lone worker safety by logging the real-time or last known location of staff in the field and responding to assistance requests; providing safety checklist and procedures based on location; alerting workers if they have spent too long in an area deemed dangerous; and broadcasting alerts to lone workers in the event of a nearby major incident. It incorporates protocols if there is no data connection.
Worker safety is further improved by workM8’s ability to track large or small vehicles and monitor driver behaviour by measuring key metrics such as speed, heat and g-force. If a vehicle rollover occurs, a sudden stop or engine trouble is detected, or a driver exceeds a safe journey time and risks fatigue, workM8 will automate alerts and the deployment of help.
The workM8 software brings together connected devices via IoT and critical personnel monitoring into a simple, single platform with easy to interpret reporting dashboards. A key benefit is the ability to input and manage data from many sources, across multiple networks, people, devices, and existing IT infrastructure.
Optus Business Vice President Product Innovation, Deon Liebenberg, sees workM8 as an important fit to Optus’ growing IoT ecosystem to help customers transform and adapt their businesses quickly, and extract greater value from their investment in connecting to Optus’ 4G, NB-IoT, and 5G networks.
“workM8 allows customers to take data from devices, staff in the field, vehicles and other sensors that are connected via Optus’ IoT network, to streamline and automate business and safety processes quickly and easily, with no large implementation costs,” explained Deon.
“For field-based teams, workers can use workM8 to capture video, photographs, GPS locations and voice recordings and automatically trigger other business processes such as safety and welfare checks. Our customers can now design real digital transformation programs no matter how large or small the organisation,” he added.
According to workM8 co-founder Stephen Snell, who has worked with mobile communication technologies for more than 25 years, many organisations have yet to unlock the potential of IoT networks, hardware, connected staff and infrastructure.
Stephen believes that a scalable, reliable, secure, and programmable IoT network is fundamental to reaching that potential, and Optus’ recent investment in NB-IoT and 5G will further lower the barrier of IoT adoption.
“We saw a gap in the market as the existing platforms required bespoke development or integration. Our product, however, is a self-administered solution, which customers can easily adapt, deploy and use.”
workM8 is designed to be device and hardware agnostic, meaning organisations are not restricted to a specific piece of hardware or data network. Importantly, the workM8 mobile app allows field staff to become part of the IoT data mix, receiving data real-time and providing additional interaction.
work8M is Australian-developed technology with the company located at the nandin Innovation Centre at ANSTO’s science and technology facility in southern Sydney.
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