Summary Bullets:
- The enterprise IoT platform market continues to evolve. GlobalData reports that new initiatives over the last six months have focused on edge services, hybrid cloud integration, LoRaWAN support, vertical solutions, and new integrations and partnerships.
- GlobalData also notes that AWS, IBM, Microsoft, PTC, and Google continue to lead this market. However, other providers, including Software AG, Oracle, Huawei, Hitachi, and Siemens, also have strong solutions.
Enterprise IoT platforms transform data collected from devices and machines to help customers build applications to automate processes, improve products, and help business leaders make decisions. GlobalData has published its bi-annual analysis of the enterprise IoT platform market. The report focuses on new initiatives from AWS, IBM, SAP, Microsoft, PTC, and Google, companies which GlobalData considers to be leaders in this space.
Although there are purportedly more than 400 competing platforms, across key buying criteria (which include go-to-market, ecosystem partners, connectivity and device management, application development, security, data services, analysis and reporting, packaging, and solutions), these vendors demonstrate a clear mastery of major requirements, in particular data collection, manipulation, management, and analysis – all capabilities that allow IoT to be truly transformative. We also note that leaders vary by the segment in the market where they focus: SAP, IBM, and (to a lesser extent) Oracle lead in the enterprise software segment; Amazon and Microsoft continue to lead the hyperscale cloud services segment, but Google is adding to its list of multi-year deals with large enterprises; and PTC continues as a leader in the manufacturing segment, although Hitachi, Software AG, and Siemens are also strong in the industrial/manufacturing segment.
From GlobalData’s analysis, it is clear that this market is still maturing as IoT requirements change and become more sophisticated. For example, support for edge computing has become a critical element to optimize workloads, save money on cloud connectivity, and prepare for future 5G ultra-low latency capabilities and use cases. Private networks are also a key IoT accelerator, and we expect more announcements of capabilities that specifically address this opportunity.
The following announcements were made by the six vendors covered in the report over the past six months (and some competitive providers). They show the diversity of initiatives, ranging from edge services to hybrid cloud, LoRaWAN support, vertical solutions and new integrations and partnerships.
- HPE/Aruba released products for deeper integration between Aruba Edge Services Platform and Microsoft Azure, including services that enable IoT devices connected to Aruba APs and controllers to communicate with the Azure IoT Hub.
- Siemens and IBM/Red Hat launched a hybrid cloud initiative to increase the real-time value of industrial IoT data. Siemens Digital Industries Software will apply IBM’s open hybrid cloud approach (built on Red Hat OpenShift) to extend the deployment flexibility of MindSphere (its industrial IoT as a service solution), including the ability to run MindSphere on-premises.
- Google and Sigfox announced a partnership with Google Cloud to scale Sigfox’s cloud infrastructure and extend its IoT services portfolio. Sigfox plans to use it to process billions of messages monthly and develop new value-added services.
- PTC completed the acquisition of Arena Solutions, a leading provider of SaaS product lifecycle management solutions. Along with its OnShape acquisition, PTC becomes the leading provider of SaaS-based PLM solutions.
- Google shut down Android Things, its Android-based operating system for Internet of Things devices, which was a stripped-down version of Android designed for smart home devices.
- Amazon announced AWS IoT Greengrass 2.0 – with an open source edge runtime and new developer capabilities, including a set of pre-built software components, tools for local software development, and new features for managing software on large fleets of devices.
- AWS announced AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN, a fully managed feature that allows AWS IoT Core customers to connect, manage, and secure LoRaWAN devices at scale.
- SAP announced collaboration with Centrica on energy IoT, powered by SAP Leonardo and Panoramic Power. The collaboration will focus on the delivery of Panoramic Power energy insights technology from Centrica’s Distributed Energy and Power business with SAP Leonardo, bringing together IoT, analytics, big data, machine learning, and blockchain on SAP Cloud Platform.
- Software AG launched PartnerConnect, a global partner program. A new portal ensures self-service enablement, while tiered ‘levels’ personalize the partnership based on partners’ growth journeys. Partners have access to the expertise of Software AG, which has more than 10,000 customers worldwide.
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