Alliances for IoT Marketplace: Evolving Alliances

What is the Internet of Things (IoT)? Is it viable? Should my company be part of it and if so, how do we go about it? All good questions.

The IoT, loosely defined, is the ability of objects to share data with other objects wirelessly to enable that data to be used to control or manipulate devices intelligently. IoT is the next generation of connected devices. We have moved from having computers in dedicated rooms, to mobile devices to connected devices. Devices consist, as a minimum, of a controller chip and software. Chips are getting smaller. Alliances are a must!

IBM announced this summer a breakthrough in developing new microchips. They shrunk the circuits, again. They use a 7 nanometers process, compared to today’s processes, which are either double or triple in size. Today’s duo core processors may have just fewer than 2 billion transistors, and using this new process, they can create processors with 20 billion transistors. IBM partnered with GobalFoundries, Samsung and other providers at SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. To put that in perspective, the human DNA is 2.5 nm wide. The chips using this process won’t be out for at least another 4-5 years. This could be groundbreaking for new IoT applications.

An easy example of IoT today is a thermometer sending the temperature to a HVAC unit to control turning on AC or a furnace. But, don’t let your imagination stop there! People conceived and are testing having an automobile sending its information on speed, location, acceleration, etc. to surrounding vehicles and monitoring stations for traffic control and crash avoidance. In addition, each vehicle would transmit data on its operation to diagnostic computers for preventive and corrective maintenance.

Stream Technologies recently announced global support for connectivity options for all devices using one simple platform with low power wide area networks (Market Watch, August 12, 2015). That is major! Of course, they didn’t do this by themselves. This effort partnered with Kerlink, LinkLabs, MultiTech, and SemTech.

Trade groups are already lobbying Congress asking that it hold off on major regulations on IoT for security and privacy of data, arguing that industry groups and individual vendors can work those issues out for themselves (CIO, Grant Gross, July 29, 2015). There are obviously many concerns about the possibility of invasion of privacy, loss of security, and damage to the rights of companies and individuals with the transmission of all this data.

The trouble is that the Internet of Things is here now (The News, Nick Costura, August 25, 2015) and it is also recognized that alliances must be formed to take advantage of the opportunity. “Establishing partnerships and alliances with consortiums and IoT providers will enhance the opportunity to bring innovation to IoT- enabled devices and software frameworks,” said Anirudh Bhaskaran, energy and environmental research analyst, Frost & Sullivan.”

Your company can join this alliance for the IoT marketplace and get ahead of the tremendous opportunities available for first movers in a new field. Companies will not succeed in IoT without alliances, as it is too big and complex. Here in Colorado, USA, we have an IOT ecosystem being created through TechrIoT – www.techriot.org. Come participate.

To learn more about strategic alliances around the world and how to create successful ones, check out the Association of Strategic Alliance Processionals (ASAP – www.strategic-alliances.org).

We can help you find, reach out to, negotiate with, and form alliances with companies and still protect your proprietary technology, designs, and customer base. We are a group of serial entrepreneurs who formed to focus exclusively on strategic partnerships. We instruct, mentor, and advise companies on how best to create these partnerships. Done correctly, and the rewards are more customers, more sales, with less effort! That is certainly worth the effort. Contact us and let us help you partner for success.

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