INSIDE IMS: Meet Peter Fountain

Peter is responsible for extracting data from legacy systems and turning it into tangible and actionable data; he plays an important role in our ecosystem and has been with IMS Evolve for 14 years. Having spent five years as an analyst on our support desk, Peter took it upon himself to learn C++ programming, and has been a C++ Developer with us ever since.

His role today involves working on the part of our IoT platform that is typically installed in sites to acquire data from various machines, including refrigeration, heating and air conditioning systems, to name a few.

“My day to day responsibility is to work out how to extract the data and to integrate it into our software,” Peter explains. “From here customers can then utilise this data and reap the benefits that it can provide to their business objectives.”

As part of IMS Evolve’s development team, Peter works across a range of projects and, specifically, is responsible for extracting data from both legacy systems and modern systems. 

“The best thing about my role is the problem solving element,” says Peter. Not only must he pull data from, often very old, machines, made by different manufacturers, programed in different languages, he must then translate all data into a single, unified format.  Peter works hard with a team of five to unlock the data within these legacy systems and to integrate it with IMS technology. With so many variables, he says, it’s the feeling of accomplishment when this challenge is overcome that is the most satisfying thing about his job.  

This communication between machines is key for our customers, as one of IMS Evolve’s key benefits is that it doesn’t take a rip and replace approach to IoT.  We instead make the most of legacy infrastructure, which not only cuts back on costs, but allows a business to tap into the mountain of data it already has, and make the most of it. For example, if we look at the cold chain; by having refrigeration systems that can provide granular, easy to action data, businesses can easily and quickly harness a range of benefits with minimal investment. By altering temperatures when necessary to provide the optimum conditions for the content of each fridge, businesses not only reduce energy consumption, but achieve a higher quality of product to offer a better customer experience.

There are numerous elements that go into creating and deploying this type of solution for our customers, but the common starting point that underpins all of our projects is figuring out how to extract data from an organisation’s existing infrastructure, which is where Peter and his team - and their love of problem-solving - are invaluable. 

If you would like to talk to us about our IoT solutions or careers at IMS Evolve contact us on: +44 (0)1908 351000 or on email: enquiries@ims-evolve.com