The Story Behind the World’s Most Sensor-Agnostic Data Logger

Ackcio’s collaborative, forward-looking approach put it at the front of the industry

Flexibility is foundational to Ackcio’s industry-leading technology, the world’s most sensor-agnostic data logger offering truly out-of-the-box plug-and-play functionality.

“From day one, this was our core value proposition to our clients,” says Ackcio co-founder and CTO Mobashir Mohammad. “We set out to build the most flexible product on the market.” 

Today, Ackcio’s data loggers, or Nodes, integrate with more industrial sensor types and manufacturers than any others on the market by at least a three-fold margin. And the company continues to add new sensors and partners to its ever-growing portfolio of technology partners, offering ever more end users greater flexibility and choice.   

Future-proof by design

In Ackcio’s early days, Ackcio’s founding team established technology partnerships with some of the biggest names in the sensor industry.

“Right from the start, we emphasised a collaborative approach towards making our product work,” Mobashir says. 

They deeply researched their client’s use cases and sensor technologies, creating a wishlist for a “super data logger” that guided the design and development of their product. They intentionally overbuilt their device to ensure it would remain compatible with new and evolving standards. 

“We put a lot of thinking into designing a future-proof product,” Mobashir says. 

For instance, if a sensor has a certain level of precision, Ackcio’s Node captures an order of magnitude higher. If there’s ever an upgrade to the sensor technology, that Node will not go out of spec.

A no-compromise solution 

When it launched, Ackcio filled a crucial gap in the monitoring industry, which was fragmented between companies specialising in sensors, data loggers or software. 

Many of the products were not compatible, so some sensor manufacturers had started building their own closed-box data loggers that often only integrated with their sensors. They would market these packages as “complete solutions,” even though they may have lacked the functionalities needed for a specific application. 

“The client would have to compromise,” Mobashir says, “locked into buying the sensor and data logger from the same company. Compare that with Ackcio, which provides full sensor flexibility so users can select for the best fit for their use case. ”

“It gives the end user a lot of freedom to choose what they want, rather than us defining what they can have,” Mobashir says. “Buy whatever sensor you want. Our data loggers are compatible.” 

A complex ecosystem 

When it comes to sensors, there’s a vast range of products using a variety of technologies for a number of applications and project types in mission-critical industries like construction, mining, rail, and infrastructure.  

For end users, many factors influence sensor selection, including cost, accuracy, availability, regulatory requirements, project type, and tender specifications. And each sensor has particular standards and protocols depending on geography, application, sensor type and manufacturer. 

It’s a complex ecosystem, but Ackcio’s agnostic data logger is compatible out of the box with the three main types of sensors – analogue, vibrating wire, and digital – and integrated with a long and growing list of major sensor manufacturers around the world, including the leading brands in the industry.

“What we have done at Ackcio is build a framework or architecture for our solution where onboarding any of those sensors is quite easy,” Mobashir says. “We just keep adding sensors and doing software-level implementations to make it compatible.”

An ever-expanding partner portfolio

In its pursuit of ever greater sensor agnosticism, Ackcio is constantly integrating more instruments. 

It has a dedicated engineering team focused on new integrations that works in close collaboration with its sensor partners. 

“There is a lot of very active testing and development that goes on from the moment we start to bring on a new sensor,” Mobashir says. 

Depending on the technology’s sophistication, it takes a month or two for Ackcio to fully integrate a new sensor into its system. In 2022, Ackcio onboarded six new manufacturers, each with portfolios ranging from 10 to 50 different sensor types. They are on track for a similar expansion in 2023. 

Along with sensor-agnostic compatibility, Ackcio strives in every way to offer a smooth, seamless experience to its clients. 

“You don’t have to have a PhD to configure or install our units,” Mobashir says. 

And Ackcio provides robust customer support for clients who want to use a particular sensor, including troubleshooting, training, and even on-site field support.

It’s all in the service of driving efficiency, flexibility and ease for its clients. 

“Our initial thought process helped to build a product that has been and will continue to be relevant to the industry for many years.”