MARKET REPORT Smart Channels
$520bnThe IoT market will
be worth $520bn
in 2021 - Bain
Smart Channels
The Internet of Things has been riding a seemingly never-ending hype-wagon for the last fi ve years which
has promised much disruption in the business world. The Channel has had to learn what IoT is, and what it
isn’t. David Dungay went to fi nd out the latest
When it comes to selling
the Internet of ings
it would take a brave
person to say it’s ‘easy’.
e sheer complexity of bringing
together sensors, connectivity
and analytics into a solution,
with good commercials for
the partner, is mind boggling
to most. However, as more
businesses realise the bene ts
of having an IoT strategy if
partners are not having these
conversations with their
customers then who is?
Peter Lunn, Sales Director,
Kyocera Document Solutions
UK commented “Partners are
undoubtedly best placed to
have the conversation around
IoT with customers because of
their strategic position between
vendors and end users. is
means they are in a strong
position to help customers
make sense of a multitude
of technology. Although IoT
is rapidly maturing and is
being deployed with great
e ect by a growing number of
organisations, many businesses
remain in the dark about how
they can take advantage of the
technology. Partners therefore
play a key role in educating end
users about the possibilities IoT
holds for them and how it can be
applied within their business.”
Lunn continued, “However,
it’s important that partners
don’t just put forward IoT-based
solutions for the sake of it. ere
needs to be a strong business
case and once this is understood,
partners should go through an
initial assessment process and
de ne clear objectives. is will
ultimately help partners to sell
more and better demonstrate
ROI.”
Dan Cunli e, MD of Pangea,
© leowolfert-stock.adobe.com
advocates a joint approach. He
commented “Because of their
diverse nature, IoT solutions are
at their very best when crafted
through collaboration, between
partners and IoT providers that
are experts in their elds.
And to take the lead, partners
need to focus on outcomes: IoT
is all about tangible change and
actionable data. Lock onto those
results—be they automation,
revenue possibilities, empowered
decision-making, or otherwise—
and show your customers how
they can tap into them.”
Graham Wilkinson, Head of
Sales for Beyond Connectivity
at Nimans said “Partners are
de nitely best placed but
they should be aware of their
limitations and capabilities and
don’t overstretch themselves by
going into areas they don’t have
the expertise for. at’s where
partnerships and collaborations
are required. Here at Nimans
we are available to help when
required. I think with IoT we
haven’t scratched the surface
yet in terms of its full potential.
It can be complicated and
sophisticated and it’s important
to know where to go to for any
help.”
In-house skills
As you progress your IoT
journey there may be a time
when you want to bring some
skills in-house to enable you to
close more deals and develop
your proposition. But when do
you know when the time is right
to make that investment?
Jon-Paul Clarke, Business
Development Director, Wireless
Logic commented “ e more
skillsets you have in-house,
the stronger your position
will be when discussing IoT
strategies. Whilst investment
may be signi cant, having a
broad understanding of the
complexities will enable more
doors to open. What to invest
in? e ideal is to recruit IoT
specialists who have direct
experience within the vertical
sectors that you work in. Do not
go for a broad approach and be
all things to all people. It won’t
work.”
Jon-Paul Clarke continued,
“My recommendation is to
create opportunities and then
work with specialist managed
services providers to deliver
on the solutions. For this you
need a complete team behind
you. Remember, it’s not just
about connectivity. It’s about
the systems architecture, the
integration into incumbent
customer-side networks, having
an acute understanding of the
nuances of each mobile network,
and being able to deliver secure
end-to-end communications
which can’t be compromised.
Plus, a customer service team
to address mission-critical
challenges, system failures and
rapid response times.
My advice is to align
yourselves with strategic
partners who can deliver,
who can protect your own
reputation, and can support you
as new opportunities present
themselves. Selling is one thing,
successful implementation
another. e right IoT partner
will work with you, providing
all the necessary support in the
early days, and grow with you as
your capabilities grow.”
Anton Le Saux, Head
of M2M & IoT at Zest4
commented “If you are serious
about winning in the IoT space,
then there will always be an
advantage to having skills in-
24 | Comms Business Magazine | October 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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