PODTECH Launches Secure Edge Telemetry Platform for Critical Infrastructure
UK-based technology consultancy PODTECH has announced the general availability of its edge telemetry platform, designed to securely collect and transmit on-site system data — from sensors and operational hardware — into cloud environments for real-time monitoring, analytics, and alerting.
The Problem: Data Trapped at the Edge
For operators of critical infrastructure — including data centres, industrial facilities, and life safety installations — vast amounts of operational telemetry is generated locally but rarely makes it into centralised cloud systems in a secure, structured way. Legacy SCADA systems, proprietary hardware interfaces, and the security risks of direct internet-facing connectivity have historically made cloud integration a complex and expensive undertaking.
PODTECH's Approach
PODTECH's platform deploys a hardened edge compute node on-site — the POD-A1 — which aggregates data from connected systems via MQTT, SNMP, and serial interfaces. The device runs a secure containerised runtime that preprocesses telemetry locally before forwarding structured data to cloud environments via encrypted outbound-only channels, eliminating inbound attack surface entirely.
“The fundamental shift is that the edge device initiates all cloud communication,” said Harry Pod, Founder and Director at PODTECH. “There are no open ports, no VPN tunnels to manage, and no dependency on the customer’s network perimeter. The data leaves the building securely and arrives in the cloud with full provenance.”
Key Capabilities
- Multi-protocol ingestion — MQTT, SNMP v2/v3, Modbus, and serial integrations out of the box
- On-device preprocessing — filtering, aggregation, and anomaly flagging before transmission to reduce cloud ingestion costs
- Hardware security module (HSM) integration — cryptographic attestation ensures data integrity from device to cloud
- Zero inbound connectivity — all cloud communication is outbound-initiated, removing the need for firewall rule changes or static IPs
- Azure-native delivery — structured telemetry lands directly into Azure Container Apps, with support for custom webhook targets
- Remote management console — web-based operational dashboard accessible over secure tunnel for configuration, diagnostics, and firmware updates
Designed for Life Safety and Critical Environments
The platform has been developed with particular focus on life safety environments, where data integrity and operational continuity are paramount. PODTECH's LifeSafety division uses the same edge node to deliver real-time occupancy, environmental, and alarm telemetry to cloud-hosted dashboards — enabling facilities managers and emergency services to monitor conditions remotely without any dependency on on-premise servers.
The POD-A1 is built on a hardened Raspberry Pi CM4-class platform with a Zymbit hardware security module, 4G cellular fallback, and an industrial-grade enclosure. The full software stack — including the MQTT broker, Redis cache, API layer, and Node-RED visual logic engine — runs in an isolated Docker Compose environment with automatic watchdog restart and remote update capability.
Availability
The POD-A1 edge telemetry platform is available now through PODTECH directly. Pricing is on a per-device basis with optional cloud hosting managed by PODTECH. Interested parties can contact the team via podtech.com.
PODTECH is a UK technology consultancy specialising in edge compute, IoT, and AI-powered infrastructure solutions. The company operates across data centre, life safety, and enterprise sectors.