• Cool Vendors in the Internet of Things, 2015
• Alfonso Velosa | Benoit J. Lheureux | Eric Goodness | Earl Perkins | Anshul Gupta
• 30 April 2015
• Innovative approaches for the Internet of Things focus on core building-block technologies in communications, IoT platforms and security. We profile five Cool Vendors that can help CIOs, IT leaders and decision makers build IoT solutions.

Key Findings

• The level of interest and hype for the Internet of things is translating into proof-of-concept Internet of Things (IoT) projects for many enterprises. They want to understand key requirements for building block technologies as well as business models.
• Many companies are developing IoT platforms for leveraging gateway-based architectures to connect IoT endpoints to enterprise IT and OT systems via the cloud. Axiros, Ayla Networks and Concirrus are three companies in this crowded space that have interesting business models and technology approaches.
• A core requirement for IoT projects is securely connecting to IoT endpoints. Two IoT vendors focused on these core building-block technologies are Sansa Security with its embedded security code for chipsets and Sigfox with its efforts to build a UNB-based dedicated cellular network.

Recommendations

• Build a matrix of requirements based on an assessment of your IoT pilot projects to understand the general set of requirements you need to meet. Map this matrix against the capabilities from vendors, including these Cool Vendors, to build a scenario analysis for your enterprise on adoption trends and general issues related to the IoT.
• Work with your business unit colleagues to build, by 3Q15, a shortlist of IoT platform vendors that your enterprise can leverage for upcoming IoT projects. Generate the list based on vendors' flexibility, vertical market expertise, partners, price and so on.

AXIROS Content

AXPERIENCE – Lower IoT operational costs
Emerging from the M2M experience, IoT services are now distributed on a wider geographical space and more open technology infrastructure, with the net result of increased operational complexity at all phases of the lifecycle. AXPERIENCE, which stems from over a decade experience in managing connected devices and distributed services, incorporates tools that enable Service Providers to design, execute and control their devices and services. This is a key advantage for IoT players in the “renting and sharing” economy.

AXPERIENCE – Manage IoT devices on any network
Whereas simple telemetry might operate on a single communication network, the need for complex application functions, reliability and geographical reach pushes for managed devices on any network. AXPERIENCE sets itself ahead of the competition with connectors ready on xDSL, FTTx, 2G/3G/4G cellular, VSAT, and TVWS on the WAN side, and Wi-Fi, Zigbee, ZWave, W-Mbus, and BLE on the LAN/PAN side.

AXPERIENCE – Build, Operate and Transfer for IoT
Development of an IoT application – in the current booming emergence of tools and standards – isn’t a major challenge. The key challenge is to instrument all technology elements of an heterogeneous solution such that the activation, maintenance, support, monitoring and performance management becomes effective on a large scale. And, at later stage in the lifecycle, it allows transfer of a managed domain to different entities. The expertise of a vendor that implemented the “Build, Operate and Transfer” for large telco infrastructures is now available in AXPERIENCE for large IoT networks.

AXPERIENCE – Smart Grid and Smart Home
The Norway ultility, Lyse, used AXPERIENCE to operationalize a large Smart Grid/Smart Home deployment in the Scandivian region shows the advantages of the operation centric approach. Automatic provisioning, end-to-end control of the lifecycle, self care features and dynamic application provisioning for their end users are just some of the features that Lyse was able to leverage when working with Axiros.