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IoT market. For example, Presidio
Inc. provides a fleet manage-
ment solution for a Texas school
district, allowing administrators
to track student safety and bus
routes across 625 square miles.
Dimension Data empowered the
Tour de France with a range of IoT
applications – including custom
network transported sensor infor-
mation from bicycles – to deepen
fan engagement. Axians helped to
develop an in-building IoT lighting
system that enabled a European
energy network company to slash
its energy consumption by up to
70 percent; and Impetus Tech-
nologies created a factory-floor
IoT system that helped a customer
improve its manufacturing pro-
cesses and reduce the volume of
product defects.
Distributors Ramp Up
Distributors are leading the way
on this as well. Tech Data, for in-
stance, officially launched its IoT
solutions practice in 2016 to target
specific verticals such as smart spac-
es, transportation/logistics, manufac-
turing and retail. It recently expanded
its SmartForce IoT portfolio through
a strategic partnership with Propel
GPS. Propel GPS, a Virginia-based
solution provider, also with an of-
fice in North Carolina, offers an IoT/
cloud-based platform for assets of
all types, with vertical market appli-
cations in commercial vehicle fleet,
transportation, utilities and construc-
tion equipment management.
The solution delivers asset and
temperature monitoring, along-route
virtual geographic boundaries and
fleet tracking. The software sup-
ports full reporting capabilities by
vehicle, fleet, driver or team, allow-
ing for a reduction in cost and an
increase in productivity. From the
truck to the back office, Propel GPS
can be used to monitor all metrics
pertaining to truck maintenance,
driver performance and the protec-
tion of the contents of the trailer –
including the key element of driver
hours through e-Log reporting to
meet legal requirements.
“We founded Propel GPS as
a cloud-based IoT business five
years ago as a platform to posi-
tively disrupt the status quo asset
management and sensor service
providers,” said Rick Burtner, CEO,
Propel GPS. “With our cloud plat-
form, customers have real-time ac-
cess to their data and don’t have to
worry about their legacy infrastruc-
ture in the transportation, telemat-
ics, agriculture and oil and gas
markets. Partnering with Tech Data
is an example of this philosophy,
where we can synergize our two
companies’ respective strengths to
create and build innovative solu-
tions as a go-to provider for our
combined customers.”
Avnet also is eyeing IoT for
partners. Available to the channel
via Avnet’s Technology Solutions
business, relayr’s 5-4-3 Innovation
Acceleration process is geared to
dramatically shorten partners’ cus-
tomers’ development time for IoT so-
lutions, transforming an idea into a
functioning IoT prototype in as little
as five weeks, the company said.
This is offered in three focused
stages. The Kickstart stage lasts
five days and includes a hands-on
workshop that enables customers
to identify three leading ideas and
create an implementation roadmap
for IoT solutions specific to their
enterprise. The workshops can be
led by IoT experts from relayr or
certified partners.
In the Accelerate phase, over
four weeks, the selected idea from
the Kickstart phase is rapidly devel-
oped and tested to create a working
prototype. IoT experts from Avnet
and relayr are available to help
partners throughout the prototyping
process.
And finally, in the Traction
phase, spanning 3 months, the pro-
totype is fully tested, giving the cus-
tomer a real-life use case to provide
critical insights for mass production
and rollout planning, and accelerate
their time to market.
“relayr’s 5-4-3 Innovation Ac-
celeration process addresses the
greatest challenge many of our
partners are facing – how to help
customers initiate an IoT project,”
said Colin Blair, vice president of
data analytics and IoT solutions,
Avnet Technology Solutions,
Americas. “Our partners will be
able to use this service to fast
track IoT solutions – within one
From a Singular
Department/Business Unit
Other
21%
4%
Source: 451 Resea ch
IoT Revenue Expectations Convey Optimism
Source: CompTIA
Small Channel Firms
Medium Channel Firms
Large Channel Firms
Already making
money
Expect to make
money in next
12 months
Expect to make
money in next
1-2 years
Not sure
Unlikely
15% 15%
36%
25%
40% 39%
22%
26%
16%
27%
14%
6%
12%
5%
3%
Channel
Vision
|
May - June, 2017
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