Originally published by Abhishek Shukla on the HPE newsroom

When we look to the future at HPE Pathfinder, we see two overarching themes that guide our investment strategy. One of these themes, along with Hybrid IT, is the evolution of the Intelligent Edge. IDC estimates that up to 43% of data will soon be analyzed at the network edge. In this environment, the ability to position intelligence closer to users and devices represents a huge opportunity to impact business outcomes. Indeed, we believe the convergence of mobility, information technology, and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be the next frontier of innovation and value creation.

With that in mind, you can understand why we’re so excited to get behind PubNub. PubNub is already transforming the consumer IoT landscape by making it easy to connect and control practically any device over the Internet. In fact, PubNub’s real-time Data Stream Network already processes more than 43 billion messages every day—double the number of global SMS messages in a day. And yet, PubNub is just starting to scratch the surface of use cases in the larger enterprise market.

"PubNub processes more than 43 billion messages every day—double the global SMS messages in a day"

Working together, we see a huge opportunity to expand PubNub’s technology and value to a wider range of industries and applications. And we see a framework for tremendous value, both for HPE and our customers, in enabling the Intelligent Edge. It’s all part of the strategy laid out by Antonio Neri, our president and chief executive officer, when he announced HPE’s plans to invest $4 billion in Intelligent Edge technologies and services over the next four years.

Inside PubNub

PubNub’s Data Stream Network is a real-time, global data streaming infrastructure to easily connect, manage and control all manner of edge devices over the Internet. Across connected exercise bikes, smart locks, cameras, messaging apps, and hundreds of other applications, PubNub provides a back-end “universal translator” to pull data from any device, process it, and take action at the edge.

The PubNub platform uses a basic publish/subscribe model that anyone familiar with networking will understand. But it extends this capability out to diverse edge devices, so companies launching IoT business models don’t have to worry about building up a connectivity and control infrastructure themselves. Instead, they just plug into PubNub’s ready-to-use framework—complete with dozens of secure SDKs and all the common APIs that developers might need. Voila, edge intelligence.

PubNub handles all the technical complexities around collecting, backhauling, and managing device data. So, their customers can focus on what matters most to their businesses: building amazing, profitable connected devices and applications.

A Winning Partnership

Why do we think PubNub can be a great partner? Because the capabilities they provide fit perfectly within the vision of the Intelligent Edge that Aruba has laid out for HPE. We can imagine all manner of enterprise and industrial applications that could benefit from simplified edge connectivity and control.

For HPE Aruba solutions in particular, PubNub could support advanced indoor geolocation services, smart retail, location-based marketing and analytics, and many other Intelligent Edge use cases. In these cases and others, PubNub would make it easier to provision, manage, and centrally update devices in the field. Just as important, with the ability to connect third-party devices and appliances to these deployments with minimal effort, HPE and our customers can explore a wide range of new Intelligent Edge solutions. Effectively, everything at the edge becomes plug-and-play.

From Consumer to Enterprise

Today, PubNub focuses largely on consumer-facing solutions—and they do it very successfully, at scales no other business of this type is even approaching. But PubNub’s core technology is basically horizontal. Even though the velocity and volume of the data might be quite different, connecting and managing a connected exercise bike isn’t all that different from connecting a jet engine.

We look forward to collaborating closely with PubNub to help them expand into new enterprise-grade use cases. That world includes industrial IoT, enterprise security, building automation, smart retail, and dozens of other opportunities. If it’s happening at the edge, HPE wants to be there. And we think PubNub can help make our vision of Intelligent Edge value even simpler and more accessible to our customers.

"PubNub makes our vision of Intelligent Edge value even simpler and more accessible to our customers"