MARKET REPORT Smart Channels
“Given the take up and growth we have seen so far in the Channel, it is obvious that Partners are starting to see
the benefit of IoT and the opportunity that this brings. As new technologies launch, such as NB IoT and LTE-M,
Anton Le Saux, Head of
M2M & IoT at Zest4
owing data to enable fast and
responsive interaction of the
application. e reliance on
secure cellular connectivity
is becoming more integral to
successful implementation,
negating the need for application
providers requiring access to
xed line networks – more often
than not rewalled for third
party use. So standalone cellular
connectivity comes into its
own working independently to
in-place networks without any
form of compromise to existing
infrastructure.”
IoT – it’s happening
For years I’ve seen people
hovering on the fringes of the
IoT conversation hesitating to
jump in. Perhaps fear of the
unknown, how to integrate it
into a portfolio or sell it has held
some back. Not anymore, more
partners are out in the market
selling these solutions than ever
and the trend is only growing.
Le Saux commented, “One
of the things we track at Zest4
is what products and solutions
our partners are selling. We
have a base of over 300 Partners,
and month-on-month we see
more Partners sell their rst IoT
solution into a customer.
Twelve months ago, less than
20per cent of our traditional
comms Partners had sold
anything in the IoT space. Now
over 60 per cent of them are
selling solutions in IoT, and this
this is only set to increase.” Anton Le Saux, Head of M2M & IoT at Zest4
growth isn’t slowing down.
“Given the take up and
growth we have seen so far
in the Channel, it is obvious
that Partners are starting to
see the bene t of IoT and the
opportunity that this brings. As
new technologies launch, such
as NB IoT and LTE-M, this is
only set to increase.”
Le Saux continued “My
expectation for the next 12
months, is if a Partner hasn’t
started to push out some form of
IoT service to their customers,
they will start to get left behind
and may even start to see
some of their current base of
customers move and migrate to
a provider that can o er all of
their connectivity solutions in
one place and o er a consultative
approach to maximising
e ciency and minimising
operational costs.”
Peter Lunn commented “ e
multiplication of IoT devices
coupled with the growing
amount of data they must
handle means that there’s also an
opportunity for partners to help
them share, store and manage
their information more securely
and e ectively with innovative
solutions.
We’re likely to see more and
more M&A in the market for
two reasons. Firstly, providers
increasingly focus on customers’
speci c business problem and
how they can be addressed with
IoT capabilities. Secondly – and
CHOOSING AN IOT PROVIDER? - DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE:
• Scale – An organisation that has the capability to respond, with the
right resources, manpower and skill sets.
• Beyond these shores – More and more deployments aren’t just about
UK-centric applications. Ensure your partner has the structure to
deliver Europewide and globally. Relationships with local networks,
an understanding of local market conditions, and an ‘on the ground’
presence in your strategic target markets are all key.
• Capability & Resilience – Failure of infrastructure will not only damage
your customer’s business – it will damage your own reputation. Make
sure your partner has solid and defi ned solutions in place – secure
network to network interfaces, fi bre links to the major carriers,
redundancy, and comprehensive data centre infrastructure.
• Confi dence – Financial stability, quality through ISO accreditation, and
track record – you want to align yourselves with providers who work
in your sectors, are already connecting major players within your
space, and quite simply won’t let you down.
• Experience – Sector experience within your target markets – so that
they can talk the language of your customers and evidence use
cases demonstrating knowledge and expertise to enhance your
IoT offerings. It’s a fast-changing and evolving market – ensure
your partner is able to keep you abreast of the new and relevant
technologies.
• Support – 24.7 support desk. Rigorous Service Level Agreements. UKbased,
and where appropriate, Europe-wide-based personnel.
it’s intrinsically linked to the
rst point – customers don’t
really want to have to deal with a
multitude of providers when they
transform their business. ey’d
rather have a stronger relationship
with few providers, each of them
focusing on a de ned business
challenge/objective.”
Graham Wilkinson said
“ e movers and shakers will
start gearing up to capitalise
on 5G’s potential in IoT. It’s
going to change the connectivity
landscape in incredible ways;
and that in turn will enable more
incredible IoT solutions.
It’s how experiments like
autonomous drones, remote
surgery, and self-driving cars
will become reality. And this
is the Channel’s chance to play
a pivotal role in making it all
happen.”
ED SAYS…
Have the IoT conversation with your customers now before they start to drift away
from you. Start small and simple but keep the business benefi ts tangible and easy
to understand. Your customers will want IoT at some point in some form, make sure
you have already had the conversation when it happens.
26 | Comms Business Magazine | October 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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