As the landscape for smart home applications, e-healthcare, smart cities, connected cars and industrial automation evolves, Internet of things (IoT) is definitely considered as the heartbeat of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“The global internet of things market size is projected to reach USD 1463.19 billion by 2027 while exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.9% during the forecast period.”

Fortune Business Insights

The increasing adoption of IoT in healthcare, precision farming, sustainable energy, transportation and manufacturing is considerably boosting the growth of the market.

Companies rely on IoT and artificial intelligence (AI) to increase productivity.

OEMs and solution providers are racing to innovate and struggling to differentiate their products with new functionality and connectivity to stand out from the crowd.  

In all this excitement, new opportunities for technology partners will arise.

Still, the process of choosing the right IoT partner remains critical and demanding.

Finding a reliable IOT connectivity partner

We know that product development is inherently complicated and the process becomes even more complicated when you introduce connectivity features into your product.

Working with a strong IoT connectivity partner makes it easier to cost-effectively, securely implement your IoT solutions and ensure scalable growth and business success.

Here are some key factors to consider, when choosing your IOT connectivity partner:

Step 1: Identify a partner with proper domain expertise

Every industry has specific connectivity requirements. Your fully comprehension of the potential partner’s domain expertise speaks volumes about the future success or not of your collaboration.

For instance, manufacturers who need help to manage material logistics and delivery may require connectivity services with dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies.

However, for Automated driving cars, the need for cooperation among vehicles becomes increasingly necessary so we need to consider multi-connectivity management for 5G V2X communication.

Solutions providers need to determine client’s business requirements and the right connectivity service option for them. Then when it comes to IoT deployment, experience matters the most.

Choosing a partner that has already executed multiple implementations in your sector will save you time and money.  

Step 2: Find an IOT partner with manufacturing expertise

In your search for technology partners, you will come across many companies with adequate domain expertise. What set them apart is how complete their IOT offer can be, from sensors to the cloud.

Manufacturing expertise is important, it allows to build a complete IoT offer from sensors to business applications in the cloud, consolidating all the manufacturing needs that client can have. It also allows to handle volumes and help clients launch as much products as they need.

Step 3: Scalability and flexibility

IoT scalability is a real issue. There is a huge difference between deploying a few devices and deploying and managing thousands of them. The transition can only come off, if scalability is planned from day one.

As client’s businesses grow, solutions providers should be able to scale their offerings without creating an additional burden on IoT management or sacrificing functionality nor security.

As you consume more data across more devices, opting for ready-to-use IoT platforms with all cloud connectivity modules, device management, databases and preconfigured visualization modules can give you an edge over the competition.  

IoT platforms help simplify IoT connectivity management. It allows to efficiently manage data plans and scale.

Beyond the connected physical devices, IoT solutions need different network protocols to communicate. Those protocols come in many flavors (Wifi / LoRa / Zigbee / Satellite …) depending on the communication needs of the IoT project.

Step 4: Verify the operational support provided

The success of your IoT project depends on a lot more than just technology,

You’ll be probably needing operational support, consultancy services, sales training and support, solution and trouble management… 

By working with an IoT connectivity expert, you can: 

• Increase profitability and scalability
• Increase the value of your product offering
• Gain access to the latest IoT technology.
• Leverage support from dedicated connectivity specialists.
• Increase efficiency and simplify IoT devices management

Our solutions in connected objects are adapted to each stage of the life cycle of your IoT project, from the PoC phase, to the growth phase, including the deployment phase of the IoT platform. We thus can deliver a seamless user experience as well as ease the wireless management process for you.

Sources:
“How IoT could power the future and what could stop it”, EY
“Internet of Things Market”, Fortune Business Insights
“IoT signals report”, Microsoft
“Partnerships and Ecosystems for industrial IoT”, Get connected blog
“IOT scalability issues: 5 essential considerations”, BEHRTECH