Picking an ideal IoT partner isn’t a speed date
It’s obvious that IoT use cases need the expertise of multiple partners in order to provide optimal performance. These include hardware vendors, network providers, app providers, vertical industry specialists and others. However, companies looking to deliver IoT offerings often don’t have the resources to manage partners, the time needed to understand technical complexities or the will to add skills outside of their core business. In these scenarios they need rapid access to an ecosystem of partners who can bring them everything they need to make their deployments a reality, writes George Malim.
That ecosystem is seldom a network of equals and there is a clear need for there to be a lead partner to manage the others. Manage is a loose term here and encompasses partner selection as well as ensuring partners deliver their portions of the project to specification. Industry insiders advocate choosing a lead partner with proven experience who can assemble a tailored ecosystem of approved partners with a clear chain of command.
“IoT implementations can be extremely complex,” says Devin Yaung, the senior vice president for Group Enterprise IoT Product and Services at NTT Data. “Solution components must be carefully chosen and orchestrated to work together to address a business objective. Businesses should consider a few factors when choosing a lead partner. Firstly, experience. A proven track record of managing complex projects and integrating various technologies is crucial. A consulting-led approach is also key to really understand the business objective and if the solution makes sense from an ROI perspective.”
“A lead partner should not just push products but assess the individual needs of an organisation, designing a bespoke solution, and guiding them through the entire process, taking a big picture view for a more unified ecosystem,” he adds. “System integrators are uniquely suited to this role as one main point of contact to simplify communication and streamline project management, ensuring your IoT project functions as a cohesive whole.”
Experience in IoT and in developing a robust ecosystem are core attributes for a lead partner and the other partners should also be able to demonstrate ability to partner effectively. “The lead partner for an IoT project should have a dedicated practice and/or expertise in successfully deploying IoT products or other connected environments such as OT or connected factory,” says Darron Antill, the chief executive of Device Authority. “Successful IoT deployments depend on an ecosystem of partners and providers. Solution providers need to have a track record of working with partners across the various solution areas required for IoT. There are some examples of these ecosystems being created by individual solution providers or the likes of Microsoft or Carahsoft which show the success of this approach.”
Glyn Dodd, the director of Channel Development at IMS Evolve, emphasises the need for proven experience and the ability to deliver sustained ROI. “When selecting partners, IoT organisations should strive to establish an ecosystem of approved providers and solutions,” he explains. “These partners should be capable of providing qualified recommendations, offering proven solutions or services, and accelerating and enhancing use cases and return on investment.”
In the past, this hasn’t necessarily been the case, with fragmented amalgamations of providers supplying a mish-mash of services, hardware, software and technologies with an inevitable counter-productive lack of cohesion. True streamlining of and optimisation of an IoT offering can only be achieved with properly aligned partners who understand not only the needs of the adjacent system or technology but also recognise their offering’s part in the overall service picture.
“There is absolutely a strong need for a better integrated partner ecosystem in IoT,” confirms Yaung. “While many providers understand their specific niche, they often lack the full picture of an IoT project. This can lead to fragmented solutions that struggle to communicate and work together seamlessly. A comprehensive IoT strategy should not only consider the technology, but also consider the people and processes that will be using the technology, the security, and regulatory environment, and the financial implications – particularly the operations impact for the total cost of ownership.”
Getting this right delivers substantial benefits to a deployment from accelerated time-to-market, to simplified architectures and better optimisation to fuel profitability. “A successful and diverse network of specialist partners can add significant value, such as expanding reach both geographically and across industries, or enhancing the speed and scale of implementation,” says Dodd. “However, the IoT organisation’s focus must remain on the value of outcomes to the end client. They should seek only best-in-class partners and applications to support and extend the technology to ensure real value and outcomes are delivered 100% of the time.”
It’s also case of horses for courses so choosing which type of organisation to partner with or select as your lead partner merits careful consideration. “There are many different IoT technologies, protocols, standards and proprietary ecosystems,” says Yaung. “Systems integrators are specialists that excel at bringing diverse technologies together. By taking a holistic view, they easily integrate with existing systems, ensuring everything works in harmony and solutions are designed with all project aspects in mind, guaranteeing a complete vision. By partnering with a systems integrator, you gain a single point of contact and bridge the communication gap between vendors. Ultimately, this streamlines communication, eliminates fragmentation, and delivers a cohesive IoT project, rather than a mess of parts.”
The yardstick for any IoT deployment is the ROI it provides and this feeds down to the ROI that each partner involved in the delivery contributes. Sometimes that might even involve a partner saying ‘no’ because they can’t see the sense of the implementation or how a return can be generated.
“Success in IoT hinges on selecting a partner that understands specific business problems and works with you to solve them,” adds Yaung. “Don’t get caught in the trap of just buying technology without a strategy – prioritise partners that work with you to tailor solutions to your organisation’s needs. Seek a partner that takes a holistic view, offering control over the entire IoT stack.”
“This ensures a single point of accountability if things go wrong, saving you time and frustration in the long run,” he explains. “But partnership goes beyond troubleshooting; choose a partner who’s invested in co-innovation. They should be your sounding board, collaborating with you to push boundaries and develop cutting-edge solutions that drive real business value.”
It’s a two-way street. Enterprises should also be embracing the partner network, committing to it and following through on that co-innovation activity. “Nurturing and optimising the partner network from day one is critical,” Dodd adds. “This ensures IoT organisations can consistently deliver on their promises, provide the best possible service to customers, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.”
With the long-promised mass-market volumes of connected IoT devices now being rolled-out, the pressure is on the IoT sector to make good on its promises. This means partnering and the ecosystem needs to continue to mature and remain as open as possible in order to foster innovation.
For Antill at Device Authority, “a rich partner-ecosystem is a must. [Enterprises] need to embrace strategic partnerships and actively work toward building successful relationships with complementary solution providers.”
Yaung concludes that openness and collaboration are essential ingredients for successful partnering. “Vendor communities must embrace open standards rather than closed ecosystems,” he explains. “The road to cohesive IoT services is paved with collaboration, not competition. While standardisation efforts are underway, ironing out the wrinkles will require active participation from all vendors. This collaborative approach, with a focus on both standardisation and navigating the regulatory landscape, is key to delivering seamless IoT experiences for customers.”
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