LiveWorx: 10 PTC Partners Cashing In On IoT In The Enterprise

IoT In The Enterprise

The Internet of Things has gained incredible hype in the consumer space. But in the enterprise market, some solution providers are still searching for viable ways to deploy IoT solutions.

But several vendors, such as PTC, are amping up their IoT service offerings and working with their partner bases to explore new opportunities to integrate IoT solutions into businesses. At LiveWorx, a PTC event about IoT last week in Boston, several partners showed off ways they're diving into the Internet of Things with business clients.

The following are the 10 coolest partner success stories of deploying IoT solutions into the enterprise that CRN saw at LiveWorx.

Kalypso

When it comes to the Internet of Things, exploring clients in vertical markets is critical to success. That's something that Kalypso, an innovation consulting partner, seems to understand.

The company offers IoT strategy and enablement services for the industrial, medical and retail markets. In retail, for instance, Kalypso provides end-to-end solution advisory services to help companies gain actionable insights from data, such as augmented reality apps that provide shoppers with an engaging mashup of product information, reviews, and inventory options.

IoT Application Example: In the health care market, Kalypso can help implement services like OrthoSensor's VERASENSE for Stryker Triathalon Knee System, which enables surgeons to collect real-time data during surgery.

ITC Infotech

ITC Infotech, an IoT system integrator partner of PTC, offers PTC's IoT product suite of ThingWorx to enable services around five layers of the Internet of Things: the edge, connectivity, service layers, analytics and enterprise system integrations.

ITC provides an array of service offerings, including IoT advisory and consulting services like connected things strategy and IoT solutions roadmap development, as well as implementation and integration services, including business system integrations, proof-of-concept development and end-to-end capabilities (including requirements, solution architecture, platforms, application developments and upgrades).

IoT Application Example: In the connected CPG and retail market, ITC Infotech enables IoT services to drive smarter operations. With the company's IoT solution, retail stores can develop systems to track material, energy and water use by leveraging SPC Metrics, and provide packaging analytics to track consumption and waste in a packaging system.

Accenture

Accenture, No. 2 on CRN's Solution Provider 500 list, has invested heavily in the industrial Internet of Things over the past few years. Most recently, the company acquired Houston-based Internet of Things consulting firm Cimation.

But beyond the Industrial Internet of Things, Accenture deploys IoT technologies in other vertical markets in conjunction with other vendor partners such as General Electric, leading to applications like connected agriculture and Smart Grids.

IoT Application Example: Accenture spearheads the High-Performance Buildings Pilot Project, which aims to reduce power consumption in downtown Seattle through analysis capabilities of real-time data for buildings.

Cognizant

Cognizant offers Internet of Things consulting, strategy, implementation and operational support through a managed innovation process. The company's services revolve around product engineering, industrial operations and commercial operations. It said it sees IoT as a "new form of digital engagement."

IoT Application Example: Cognizant worked with a U.S.-based multinational food and beverage company to increase the profitability of its soda fountains, coolers and vending machines. Cognizant worked with this client to plan a next-generation equipment network with sensors on the equipment to transmit data about operational health, stock levels and customer behavior, resulting in increased supply chain efficiency, cost savings and more effective marketing.

Glassbeam

Glassbeam, a PTC partner, utilizes PTC's ThingWorx to provide end-to-end machine data analytics solutions for the IoT industry.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Glassbeam touts two big products in the IoT market: Glassbeam Studio, a data transformation and preparation tool focused on automating the process for converting raw machine log data into actionable information; and Glassbeam Edge, a machine data analytics platform at the edge.

IoT Application Example: Glassbeam worked with VytronUS to help the clinical stage medical device company collect and analyze machine data information from its systems. With the ThingWorx rapid application development IoT platform, Glassbeam helped VytronUS reduce costs and accelerate product time to market.

Cryptosoft's Device Authority

Device Authority, which was recently acquired by Cryptosoft, takes charge on critical issue with IoT that concerns many customers, solution providers, and vendors: security.

The company's platform provides a security solution for IoT and M2M projects by providing a standard approach to encryption and key management. Device Authority touts patented, dynamic key-generation technology, so that only authorized devices gain access to applications and data is protected using session-specific, one-time-use identification and encryption keys. This security is for leading device and gateway technology platforms, including Intel WindRiver and ARM-based Linux solutions.

IoT Application Example: Device Authority works to secure IoT services for companies in the utilities space, which include IoT devices like meters, grid sensors and energy boxes. These are used for larger IoT applications like grid monitoring and control, metering asset management and tracking, and field force communication.

DVM IoT Solutions

DVM uses PTC's ThingWorx Internet of Things platform to offer end-to-end solutions on energy, logistics and retail verticals, as well as consulting services and gateway design and production capabilities. DVM also has a team of engineers designing dashboards for customers to visualize the big data collected and analyzed as part of Internet of Things solutions.

IoT Application Example: DVM worked with Aksa, which wanted to monitor its 17 power plants from one system, even through the turbines and SCADA system suppliers did not work together natively. DVM's IoT solution allowed all plants to be monitors on a responsive map with real-time production values.

Devicify

Devicify's goal is to accelerate Internet of Things connectivity for clients with its IoT Relationship Management application, which enables businesses to orchestrate their processes with IoT-enabled technologies.

The company's architectural platform and elements essentially allow businesses to "transform products into software," and align business objectives with product function.

IoT Application Example: Devicify helped traffic safety company All Traffic Solutions deploy connected products, which enabled customers to interact with their products remotely and update signs on the web. The company could also provision and activate new features, as well as diagnose product functionality remotely.

Capgemini

Capgemini provides IoT advisory services, product engineering solutions for device connectors, protocol adapter development, and IoT platform testing, as well as IoT platform deployment and integration for off-the-shelf specific solutions. In addition, the company offers IoT security services that include security framework development, ethical hacking and M2M vulnerability testing.

IoT Application Example: Capgemini has announced a partnership with Siemens Building Technologies to develop analytics-based services for smart buildings. This partnership will develop Siemens Navigator Platform to produce enhanced IoT management platforms with asset management and analytics tools. Capgemini, for its part, will support the project rollout from strategy development to implementation and integration.

EPAM

EPAM offers PTC's ThingWorx IoT platform to build and offer IoT solutions across key verticals – including financial services, health care and retail. In addition, the company offers its own IoT service capabilities, including industrial design and low-level programming of connected devices to infrastructure, middleware and integration capabilities.

IoT Application Example: As part of its Embedded UI Innovations Team, which looks at a range of open source projects, prototypes and developments in emerging technologies, EPAM created a smart greenhouse with light and water controls, temperature and humidity monitoring, and automated photographing of plant growth. It then made a Linux distribution model of the greenhouse project, meaning anyone can download the software, install the sensors and make their greenhouses smart.