ista is a leading company in the field of energy efficiency, providing a comprehensive suite of services that includes heating and ancillary cost billing, drinking water analysis, and the monitoring and maintenance of smoke detectors.
Development of a Complex Application for Monitoring, Capturing and Providing of Changeable Building Data
Structr Use Case
ista is a leading company in the field of energy efficiency, providing a comprehensive suite of services that includes heating and ancillary cost billing, drinking water analysis, and the monitoring and maintenance of smoke detectors.
The company is dedicated to enhancing transparency in energy and water consumption through digital technologies, aiming to reduce both energy use and costs while lowering CO₂ emissions.
With over 60 million devices installed worldwide, ista leverages innovation and IoT integration to develop intelligent building infrastructures. Supported by Structr, ista seeks to optimize data management efficiency of building data and speed up the market launch of new products.
Key Highlights
Key Highlights
ista faced the challenge of developing a comprehensive building representation that accurately reflects different perspectives, meets performance requirements, and remains flexible for future expansions. The core issue was to combine “where something is” with “when it applies” to create a dynamic, evolving data model. The following requirements were especially critical:
ista Product Owner Yaroslav Welters recognized that, compared to standardized apps and custom-developed solutions, Structr is the optimal choice to meet challenging requirements within the given time frame.
By leveraging graph technology from Neo4j, Structr enables efficient modelling and management of complex, evolving relationships. This capability ensures the accurate representation of diverse perspectives while effectively addressing the specific needs of various services, including demanding performance requirements.
Thanks to the graph database, data retrieval occurred quickly within our strict performance limits—something no other solution had achieved before Structr.
With the help of Structr, ista successfully implemented a Proof of Concept (PoC) that addressed all complex requirements. Targeted optimizations ensured the desired query speed, empowering ista to develop innovative services and enhance existing processes.
Compelling Arguments for Structr
Testimonial ista
A key moment was a presentation by Axel Morgner, where he demonstrated the functionality of Structr on YouTube. The video '21 - Endless Possibilities: Building a Customer360 with Neo4j, Structr, and Vendor APIs' showcased the diverse applications and the powerful capabilities of the platform.
ista needed a solution that was not only scalable , flexible and performative but also ensured high data integrity and security. Additionally, a user-friendly interface was essential to make the application accessible to various user groups.
To address the challenges, in close collaboration with ista the Structr team developed a Proof of Concept (PoC), successfully meeting all the specified requirements. Building on this success, they swiftly developed and completed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Graph Database TechnologyThe foundation of the solution is the graph native database Neo4j, which enables efficient modeling and retrieval of relationships between data. This technology is particularly suitable for applications that need to process complex and highly interconnected datasets.
Schema EditorThe Schema Editor is a central tool that allows for the visual design and adjustment of the data structure. This simplifies the modeling of complex data structures and allows for flexible adaptation to changing requirements. Users can create both simple and complex data models without deep programming knowledge.
Data EditorThe Data Editor provides an intuitive interface for managing and editing data. It supports CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) and offers advanced features such as type inheritance and import/export capabilities. This enables efficient management of large and complex datasets.
Security and Access Control MechanismsStructr offers a robust security framework that enables comprehensive access controls, allowing for granular management of users, groups, and roles to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data. This is crucial for maintaining data integrity and protection. Additionally, integration with AzureAD for both technical and real users can be achieved with minimal effort, further enhancing the system's security and ease of use.
User-Friendly InterfaceThe solution includes a visual web application builder that makes it easy to create and manage custom applications. This includes the ability to design dynamic HTML pages and custom UI components, simplifying the use and navigation of the application.
Integration and ExtensibilityStructr supports seamless integration with other technologies and existing systems. By supporting open standards and APIs, the platform is flexible facilitating integration into existing IT infrastructures.
Testimonial ista
Structr makes our work easier by handling complex and labor-intensive tasks without limiting our professional capabilities. It abstracts the complexity of the database and reduces the need for specific know-how within the team.
The Structr team was perceived as highly motivated and extremely competent. The collaboration was positive and efficient from the start, with quick responses to inquiries and targeted solutions. The quality of the work, adherence to schedules, and meeting performance requirements were outstanding. Even when faced with challenges, Structr demonstrated flexibility and quickly developed new features.
For ista, having an influence on the roadmap was particularly valuable. Needed features were not only identified promptly but also implemented in Structr in the shortest possible time. This flexibility and adaptability significantly contributed to the success of the project.
ista adds sustainable value to buildings for their residents and owners. To achieve this, they manage data and processes that make buildings climate-friendly, safe and comfortable. With their products and services, residents and owners can save energy and together contribute to climate protection. istas product and service world is digitalbased.
As a driver of innovation, they are systematically gearing our infrastructure to the Internet of Things. Worldwide ista already has over 43 million connected devices in operation and are developing solutions for the intelligent and energy-efficient building of tomorrow. They employ more than 6,000 people in 20 countries, their products and services are used worldwide in over 14 million units (apartments and commercial properties) by more than 450,000 customers. The extended ista Group recorded sales of EUR 1,171 million in 2023. More information at www.ista.com.
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Axel Morgner
CEO & CTO
Call 0800-STRUCTR
+49 800 / 78 78 287
Advantages
Build individual software solutions in no timeFeature-rich applications in minutes with the flexibility and speed of Graph technology
Control complexity through graph technologyNo-compromise back-ends and front-ends optimized for each role
All-in-one software stack with all necessary toolsBuild real end-to-end solutions without any additional tools or services needed