From Mobility Equipment to Connected Platforms: A Complete IoT Case History

The challenge: connecting a distributed product ecosystem

A leading European manufacturer of mobility and accessibility solutions wanted to evolve its product portfolio into a connected ecosystem.

Its platforms operate across residential, public and commercial environments. This distributed installed base created a complex technological challenge: connecting products securely while providing users, service teams and technical personnel with the right digital tools.

The project required much more than adding connectivity to an existing device. The manufacturer needed a complete IoT architecture capable of supporting the entire connected-product lifecycle—from field communication and data collection to cloud services, user applications, cybersecurity monitoring and system validation.

The main objectives included:

• securely connecting installed products to the cloud;
• collecting and organizing operational and diagnostic data;
• giving users and service teams access to dedicated applications;
• enabling remote monitoring and technical support;
• managing devices throughout their operational lifecycle;
• continuously monitoring the cybersecurity status of the ecosystem;
• validating product behavior through Hardware-in-the-Loop testing;
• creating a scalable foundation for future digital services.

Delivering these capabilities through separate suppliers would have introduced additional integration effort, fragmented responsibilities and greater maintenance complexity. The manufacturer therefore needed a technology partner able to manage the complete edge-to-cloud architecture.

The solution: one integrated IoT ecosystem

DAVE Embedded Systems designed and delivered a complete IoT solution covering the entire data path, from the connected product to the cloud and the applications used to interact with it.

The solution combines five main elements:

1. an embedded communication gateway;
2. secure edge-to-cloud connectivity;
3. cloud services for device and data management;
4. dedicated user and service applications;
5. cybersecurity monitoring and HIL validation.

By developing these elements as part of a single architecture, DAVE reduced integration complexity and created a consistent environment for connectivity, monitoring, maintenance and future service development.

The communication gateway: connecting products to digital services

At the edge of the system, the communication gateway acts as the bridge between the customer’s platforms and the cloud infrastructure.

It collects relevant information from the product, manages communication with the remote platform and provides the foundation for secure digital services.

The gateway was designed to address key industrial requirements, including:

• reliable communication in different installation environments;
• secure identification of connected products;
• structured acquisition of operational and diagnostic data;
• controlled communication between the product and cloud services;
• support for remote service and lifecycle-management functions;
• scalability across multiple product families and configurations.

This approach allows connectivity to become an integral part of the platform architecture rather than an isolated add-on.

Cloud platform and applications: turning data into services

The cloud layer centralizes information from connected products and makes it available to authorized users through dedicated interfaces.

Different applications and access profiles can support the needs of end users, service personnel and technical teams. Depending on the assigned role, users can access relevant product information, status data, notifications and diagnostic functions.

The digital ecosystem was designed to support:

• product registration and association;
• connected-device management;
• operational status monitoring;
• event and alarm visualization;
• diagnostic-data access;
• service and maintenance workflows;
• product-history traceability;
• user and permission management;
• integration with additional business services.

This architecture transforms field data into actionable information, helping technical teams understand product status and respond more efficiently when support is required.

Cybersecurity as a continuous process

For connected products, cybersecurity cannot be limited to the initial design phase. It must remain active throughout the product lifecycle.

DAVE integrated cybersecurity into the complete architecture, from the communication gateway to cloud services and applications.

The solution includes measures designed to support:

• secure device identity and authentication;
• protected communications between edge and cloud;
• controlled access to data and functionality;
• role-based user permissions;
• monitoring of connected assets;
• detection and analysis of anomalous events;
• vulnerability and security-status management;
• traceability of relevant operations;
• long-term security maintenance.

The monitoring layer gives the manufacturer greater visibility into the security posture of its connected ecosystem and supports a proactive approach to emerging risks.

Hardware-in-the-Loop testing: validating the complete system

A connected service must be validated not only at software level, but also against the behavior of the physical product.

For this reason, Hardware-in-the-Loop testing was included in the solution. The HIL environment makes it possible to reproduce operating conditions and verify how the customer’s platforms interact with the gateway, cloud services and applications.

The test infrastructure supports activities such as:

• simulation of product signals and operating states;
• verification of communication flows;
• reproduction of alarms and fault conditions;
• validation of diagnostic functions;
• testing of cloud and application responses;
• execution of repeatable regression tests;
• evaluation of abnormal and edge-case scenarios;
• verification of new software releases before field deployment.

By combining physical interfaces with automated test scenarios, HIL testing reduces dependence on manual field validation and helps identify integration issues earlier in the development cycle.

From individual components to a complete managed architecture

The outcome: a foundation for connected mobility services

The project created a unified technological foundation for transforming traditional mobility equipment into connected platforms.

The manufacturer can now build digital services around product data while maintaining a consistent architecture across the gateway, cloud, applications, cybersecurity processes and validation environment.

The solution was designed to deliver several strategic advantages:

• centralized visibility over connected products;
• more structured technical-support processes;
• improved access to diagnostic information;
• greater product and event traceability;
• scalable management of the installed base;
• continuous cybersecurity supervision;
• repeatable validation through HIL testing;
• a shorter path from new service concepts to deployment.

Most importantly, the project established an architecture that can evolve over time. New product families, application features, monitoring functions and service models can be introduced without redesigning the entire ecosystem.

A full-stack approach to Industrial IoT

This case history demonstrates that a successful IoT project is not simply a connectivity project.

It requires coordinated expertise in embedded hardware, communication technologies, cloud software, application development, cybersecurity and system-level testing.

By taking responsibility for the complete solution—from the field gateway to user applications and validation infrastructure—DAVE Embedded Systems helped the customer manage this complexity through a single technology partner.

The result is an integrated and scalable IoT ecosystem designed to support safer, smarter and more service-oriented mobility platforms.

Are you looking to transform your products into secure, connected platforms?

DAVE Embedded Systems can support the complete journey—from embedded gateways and cloud integration to applications, cybersecurity monitoring and Hardware-in-the-Loop validation.

Contact our team to discuss your next IoT project.