Dana Farbo, COO of Augmate – Interview Series

Dana Farbo is the Chief Operating Officer and an investor in Augmate. He is driving growth and building the ultimate platform for device management for the Internet of Things (IoT). Using distributed ledger technology, Augmate brings better control and security for the billions of devices in use by enterprise and consumers.

AT: Augmate started in 2014 and was one of the first companies to offer IoT device management. Could you tell us how you got started?

DF: Augmate began as a Google Glass at work partner to help make the introduction of Google Glass in enterprises work well. We became one of a select group of 10 companies certified by Google to provide solutions for this new technology. Rather than focus on consumers, we saw the use on manufacturing floors, logistics and in other businesses as being the best use cases for the growing head-mounted-wearable business.

AT: In 2015 you introduced the Augmate Wearable Environment Manager (WEM). What is this exactly?

DF: W.E.M. is a centralized platform for IT management to control and command the head-mounted-wearable devices that they were putting on their networks. There wasn’t anything in market that could help these companies deploy and manage for things like over-the-air updates, permissioning to the right user at the right time, security for the devices including the ability to individually lock and manage content and much more. W.E.M can be used as a SaaS or as a server based on-premise solution. IT has the full control of the devices through the platform because we work with equipment manufacturers of wearables to have them sign our code and the code to be placed at the core of the device.

AT: What are some of the more popular use cases for WEM?

DF: View this link for detailed background information. The easiest is in remote worker support:

Companies around the globe are leveraging their distributed work forces by giving them technology such as head-mounted wearable computers with video and audio capabilities. Imagine a worker who is repairing a generator in the field but needs expert help that may be located 1000 miles away. By using a wearable device with a camera and audio, the worker can keep both hands free to work while a support person guides them by seeing-what-they-see. Augmate is the layer of device management and control that enables these devices to be managed remotely and updated effectively so that there is not an interruption in their usage. Augmate gives addition capabilities to the management staff such as automatic wifi connectivity for approved networks, restricted access control so that only the workers allowed to use them are able to log in and much more.

AT: Could you tell us about Augmate Connect?

DF: Augmate Connect brings a new paradigm to device management. It is built using an open architecture framework to allow for unlimited device types to be added to it for management. It can be “plugged” into other systems to extend their capabilities using API’s or built upon using a SDK so that additional components can be added from a community of developers. It is built with the ability to integrate blockchain and distributed ledger technology without being locked into any single solution. This flexible framework is the key to a solid foundation that can extend over time and scale to unlimited potential.

AT: How does Augmate Connect keep IoT devices secure?

DF: Security is both built in and supported via add-on technology. Security can range from the types of encryption for data during transmission to use of blockchain and device identification on the blockchain. As stated, 3^rd party integrations such as network health can be done with single dashboard monitoring. Policies can be written to give management the opportunity to write security protocols directly to the system. Security is core to the Augmate Connect framework planning and implementation with all effort focused on maximizing protection and minimizing disruption.

AT: Since Augmate uses the blockchain, what makes this more secure than using a database?

DF: Blockchain holds the promise of a scaling, decentralized environment where secure authentication is paramount. Centralized databases can be breached, and, in many cases, this is due to human error in password management. Hacking can also penetrate via known or unknown vulnerabilities. Blockchain can still be prone to human error but the vulnerabilities of direct hacking are lessened considerably due to the way transactions are validated.

AT: In 2017 you successfully completed a proof-of-concept with IOTA. Will this be the blockchain that is used on a going-forward basis?

DF: Augmate is an OS and blockchain agnostic platform. We are evaluating and using several technologies based on use-case need. IOTA holds the promise of scale and no or minimal transaction costs. Other DLT technology is being developed that are purpose built for IoT.

AT: Augmate was initially wrestling with the idea of launching an ICO versus an STO. What swayed you to raising via an STO?

DF: It became clear during early 2018 that SEC guidance was indicating a need for companies to consider an investment raise using tokens to be compliant with securities laws. Augmate has customers, employees and shareholders and it was important that we not put any of those at risk by trying to force a new way of thinking about investment raises based on a desire to be an ICO versus a STO. Our own team debated this many times as the advantages of an ICO were enticing. However, we took counsel’s advice and the common sense approach that led us to making sure we were doing everything possible to protect our stakeholders while participating in the new area of investing that we feel will continue to grow.

AT: You have an impressive list of partners which includes Toyota and UPS. Could you tell us more about these partnerships?

DF: Partnerships are the basis for our growth strategies. We have strategic investors and customers such as UPS and we have application partners that showcase us to their customers. Hardware partners allow us to dig deeper into what helps them succeed while we prepare the future solutions to maximize their impact. We are all in this IoT ecosystem together and our belief is that by making our partners stronger, we become that much stronger ourselves.

AT: Is there anything else that you would like to share about Augmate?

DF: Augmate has built a world-class team and we have some of the best customers in the world. We are excited to be a leader in blockchain and DLT and focused on providing solutions for managing the massive opportunity that IoT is bringing to enterprises.

To learn more please visit Augmate or our Augmate Token Listings Page.