Solutions Overview
Cognizant BlueLink – Reinventing the ConnectedFuture
solutions overview | September 2015
The Prelude – Assuring quality in a connected world is vital
Cognizant BlueLink – The whole is greater than sum of the parts
Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting
machines, devices, people, tools and
instruments and improving the quality of life
in ways not witnessed before. From
connected cars that already know our
destination and guide us through traffic to
intelligent heart rate monitors that could fix
appointments with physicians, we are at the
threshold of a technological upheaval – one
that could very well undermine the invention
of the wheel and its everlasting impact on
mankind.
However, Quality Assurance (QA) for this
connected world is of supreme importance,
simply because that will ensure devices talk
to each other in a consistent manner to
achieve their ultimate objective for which
they were built – transforming human lives. At
the same time, executing these real time
scenarios means bringing the world at your
doorstep.
Essentially, it is the sensors that intelligently
monitor elements such as air pressure, temperature, flow, etc., communicate using
energy-conserving networking technologies
such as BLE, WiFi, ZigBee, and the computing
environment that encapsulate the IoT
environment. Though guaranteeing superior
quality for each of these components is vital,
overall success depends on how well these
components work well together in the
ecosystem.
Cognizant's BlueLink is a software-based
solution that runs on Raspberry Pi, which
Introducing Cognizant BlueLink – an
smart and innovative IoT Test
Workbench solution replete with
various plugins to simulate real
w o r l d i m p l e m e n t a t i o n a n d
scenarios. Enterprises can now
leverage BlueLink components for
Integration Testing as an alternate
to the actual environment, so that
development or testing of IoT
solution can happen more or less in a
continuous manner.
In a world that is fast hurtling towards connecting everything under the sun, CognizantBlueLink provides the much needed Quality Assurance ability to enterprises looking tounlock the true potential of Internet of Things and help them launch IoT solutions faster.
provide users with the complete plug-and-
p lay capab i l i ty w i th a l l requ is i te
communication modules plugged in to
provide a sophisticated QA solution to IoT
teams. BlueLink comprises modules and
plugins that include User Access module,
Sensor Simulation module, External plugins,
Business logic layer and the Notification
module. Based on the specific need of an IoT
project, developers and testers can leverage
the BlueLink solution to get started with IoT
solutioning on an end-to-end basis from day
one and replace them with real entities, as
and when they are available. In essence,
development and quality assurance teams
can use this simulated environment to check
for inconsistencies in their functioning and
monitor their performance real-time even
before the actual components become
available.
The User Access Module in BlueLink provides
The Components of BlueLink – Completing the Big Picture
a sophist icated Project and User
Management layer that enables sharing of
project workspace so that stakeholders such
as embedded systems developers, software
development teams and QA teams are on the
same platform. It also provides an easy way
to configure a unified test environment
which includes sensors, connectivity and
external interfaces. One of the key
components in the BlueLink solution is the
Sensor Simulation Module, which simulates
real-time sensors output, akin to data
streaming in from sensors in a real field
environment. It provides users the ability to
configure these sensors based on data
sheets, so that actual sensor characteristics
can be replicated. With the help of Sensor
Simulation Module, users will be able to
create real time field scenarios, all while
sitting at their desks.
The BlueLink solution also provides a series
of Plug-ins or adoption layers, which
facilitate communication with external
systems such as AWS, Azure, SAP Hana or
Hadoop. To support the dynamism of an IoT
solutions overview 2
The BlueLink Working Model
Fig 1: The BlueLink Working Model
Solution development, the BlueLink
platform provides components for use to
bui ld Business Logic f lows, Push
Notifications to Mobile devices, etc., so that
technology dependencies can be easily
mitigated.
Let us take an example to illustrate how
BlueLink works. Let us assume an OEM
wishes to provide a 'No-breakdown'
guarantee to their customers using their
product and establish an automated
maintenance routine to prevent unforeseen
breakdowns. Logic analyzer that picks up
any unusual data patterns.
An abnormality triggers an alarm and
initiates a maintenance workflow notifying
the field-engineer with all details from the
CRM system, In a real world situation, a
product is embedded with numerous
sensors that continuously stream system
Making BlueLink work
data to a backend system (e.g., cloud
services), which in turn provides data to the
Business issue data log, possible root cause,
etc., so that Field engineer can setup an
appointment with the customer. So, in this
instance, IoT helps in providing a seamless
experience to the customer by avoiding a
complete breakdown, OEM to meet the 'no
breakdown' commitment, and the
Maintenance Department to manage their
field resources effectively.
Co n s i d e r i n g t h e a b ove exa m p l e ,
Development and QA team might find it
difficult to simulate a real field situation with
real sensors, whereas, BlueLink cracks the
code with ease – it simulates sensors such as
pressure, temperature, and humidity and
helps IT teams ensure the application being
built responds to the real time events as
expected. QA teams can test the application
with data pouring in from these simulated
sensors to validate real-time performance.
solutions overview 3
Making BlueLink Work
Fig 2: Making BlueLink Work
A case in point
About the Client And Situation
The customer is one of the world's largest manufacturing company in the world, with
capabilities across industries such as mining, chemicals, automobiles, etc. In order to ensure
the safety of miners, the customer was looking to leverage 'Internet of Things' solutions to
provide real time data on the hazardous conditions down in the mine, so that miners could be
equipped with correct products for their safety. Various sensors for monitoring elements such
as Gas, Sound, Temperature, Humidity would be deployed, which would sent back data on
mining conditions to a mobile application.
The Business Challenge?Simulating real mining conditions for hazardous gases, sound levels, could be dangerous
and needs special labs?Non-availability of real sensors and additional circuitry needed for operation?The paucity of time needed to execute use cases?Unable to support agile development, due to the restriction in the test environment
The Solution?To overcome the IoT Environmental challenges, Cognizant deployed the BlueLink
solution?Support for Gas Sensors (that could detect 6 different gases and sound sensors?Existing WiFi communication channels leveraged to send sensor output on various
conditions to the mobile application
The Benefits?Substantially reduction in QA efforts and cycle time?Optimized test environments and reduced environment downtimes ?Enhanced customer satisfaction, higher product quality, substantial cost savings?Faster time to market gaining on competition
About Cognizant
www.cognizant.com Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process
outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in
Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry
and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 100
development and delivery centers worldwide and approximately 218,000 employees as of June 30, 2015, Cognizant is
a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top
performing and fastest growing companies in the world.
Visit us online at or follow us on Twitter:
© Copyright 2015, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
European Headquarters
1 Kingdom StreetPaddington CentralLondon W2 6BDPhone: +44 207 297 7600Fax: +44 207 121 0102Email: [email protected]
India Operations Headquarters
#5/535, Old Mahabalipuram RoadOkkiyam Pettai, ThoraipakkamChennai, 600 096 IndiaPhone: +91 (0) 44 4209 6000Fax: +91 (0) 44 4209 6060Email: [email protected]
World Headquarters
500 Frank W. Burr Blvd.Teaneck, NJ 07666 USAPhone: +1 201 801 0233Fax: +1 201 801 0243Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277Email: [email protected]
About Cognizant
www.cognizant.com Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process
outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in
Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry
and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 100
development and delivery centers worldwide and approximately 218,000 employees as of June 30, 2015, Cognizant is
a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top
performing and fastest growing companies in the world.
Visit us online at or follow us on Twitter:
© Copyright 2015, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
European Headquarters
1 Kingdom StreetPaddington CentralLondon W2 6BDPhone: +44 207 297 7600Fax: +44 207 121 0102Email: [email protected]
India Operations Headquarters
#5/535, Old Mahabalipuram RoadOkkiyam Pettai, ThoraipakkamChennai, 600 096 IndiaPhone: +91 (0) 44 4209 6000Fax: +91 (0) 44 4209 6060Email: [email protected]
World Headquarters
500 Frank W. Burr Blvd.Teaneck, NJ 07666 USAPhone: +1 201 801 0233Fax: +1 201 801 0243Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277Email: [email protected]
For more information, mail us at [email protected]