Companies are competing to become leading IoT solutions providers and here is the list of the top players within the industry.
By Polina Chernykh
Updated
4 mins read
Internet of Things (IoT) is still at a relatively early stage, but the sector is quickly growing. BI Intelligence predicts the amount of connected objects will reach 24 billion worldwide by 2020 and almost $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions within the next five years.
IoT is a network of wi-fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, cars, door locks and computers, that collect and exchange data between each other. Enterprises can significantly benefit from applying the technology, which offers an increased security and higher efficiency of operations.
The world’s leading companies today are recognizing the potential of the technology and the number of new IoT devices is quickly growing. According to the report from Research and Markets, the IoT software revenue will reach $379 billion by 2021, while the global IoT platform enabled profits are forecasted to achieve $9.1 trillion over the same period.
There are now more than hundreds of IoT companies and their number will continue growing in the next years. Here are some of the top Internet of Things platforms on the market today:
Introduced at the AWS Re:Invent conference last year, the platform offers a registry for recognizing devices, a device SDK, secure device gateway, device shadows, and a rules engine for inbound message evaluation. The company says its IoT system allows developers to easily connect sensors to a wide range of applications. Amazon has also teamed up with hardware producers Broadcom, Qualcomm, Intel, Mediatek, Texas Instruments and others, to develop and sell starter kits compatible with its platform.
The platform makes it easier for customers to deploy IoT solutions with a support for a wide range of devices, interactive dashboards, preconfigured solutions, and systems. Microsoft Azure IoT suite provides such features as identity registry, a rules engine, information monitoring, and device shadowing. Besides, the platform integrates Azure Stream Analytics that allows to process huge amounts of data in real-time.
IBM invested $3 billion in the development of its IoT business. It has also partnered with AT&T and other companies to create IoT solutions for a range of sectors, including energy and healthcare industries. The Watson IoT system lets users to install and manage internet-connected devices via its Bluemix, a hybrid cloud platform as a service development platform. Its features include device management, data storage, real-time information exchange, and secure communications.
Cisco, which is known as a software and hardware manufacturer, is heavily focused on the IoT business. The company has recently partnered with the Australia-based National Farmers’ federation to develop IoT solution for the agriculture industry. Cisco is also the host of the IoT World Forum. Cisco IoT Cloud Connect provides IP session control, data and voice connectivity, customisable billing and reporting, and SIM lifecycle management.
Powered by real-time processing engine Thunder, Salesforce’s IoT platform is mainly focused on customer engagement. The platform can create business rules and collect information from sensors and devices to send automated messages to consumers. It provides a new opportunity for marketers to get deeper insights into their prospects and customers.
Oracle Internet of Things Cloud Service
Oracle’s IoT cloud service platform is designed for a variety of apps, such as asset tracking for logistics, remote equipment monitoring and maintenance for industrial applications. The platform offers high-speed messaging, device virtualization, big data analysis for real-time IoT data and endpoint management. Besides, it provides an analytics platform for IoT applications.
General Electric’s Predix is targeted at mainstream sectors like healthcare, aviation, transportation, and energy. Predix is a platform as a service that supports apps that can use real-time data to ensure better and faster decision making. The platform runs a Digital Twins for making small changes and a Predix Machine to offer a communications layer which brings together controllers, cloud, sensors and analytics.
Polina is an undergraduate student at Belarusian State Economic University (BSEU) where she is studying at the faculty of International Business Communication for a degree specializing in Intercultural Communication. In her spare time she enjoys drawing, music and travelling.
