Does this mean that the IoT industry is some formless void that sucks in ideas and spits out innovative business implementations? It’s not such a mysterious black box. Those who’ve been in the game long enough recognize the signs of enduring trends and know-how to look past the flashes in the pan.
Thanks to tools like Gartner’s Magic Quadrant analyses, we now have the enhanced perspective needed to make judgments about the future based on who’s proven themselves in the past. Here — in no particular order — are 16 of the top IoT companies that are on track to become synonymous with innovation in 2020.
Software AG
Software AG dates back to 1969, and it’s currently one of Europe’s most prolific software vendors. Nowadays, the company provides everything from integrated software suites designed for business oversight to cloud platforms that facilitate the creation of bespoke IoT systems. With their code-free, fast-to-deploy workflows, services like Software AG’s Cumulocity IoT platform should appeal to users that want to get running quickly.
Eurotech
Eurotech produces many of the kinds of iconic devices that make IoT implementations functional, such as networked storage, computing modules, single-board computers, displays, sensors and a range of high-performance embedded computing devices. It also supplies a micro-services architecture-based IoT integration platform known as Everyware Cloud. If your engineering department likes to tinker prior to deployments, then passing out a few Eurotech IoT Development Kits might be a productive way to build something new.
QIO
QIO‘s IoT solutions make liberal use of AI. The company’s product lines distinguish themselves by being built by industrial engineers and geared towards enterprises that want to undergo comprehensive digital transformations. Notably, the firm also maintains a strict stance in favor of letting its customers control their data, which is exceedingly vital in the modern era.
Altizon
This Palo Alto company is relatively young, but its domain-specific services are nonetheless worth a look. Altizon‘s Datonis Industrial IoT, Manufacturing and Edge computing platforms take a modular approach that lets users customize their deployments with machine learning and complex device management policies. The firm also boasts more than 100 enterprise customers worldwide.
IBM
IBM‘s Watson IoT platform capitalizes on the strengths of the company’s world-renowned artificial intelligence. Users can manage everything from individual devices to real estate assets and enterprise-scale engineering facilities. Those who leverage these applications will put themselves in good company with major multinational brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and Universal Studios. These solutions are admittedly a considerable leap from the analog calculators and house-sized mainframes that IBM got its start with way back in the 1930s and 1940s, but it’s not as if Big Blue has been sleeping on the job in the meantime. For instance, Watson makes it relatively painless to integrate technologies like blockchains with its IoT platform, which is a definite plus for those with big dreams and big projects.
Accenture
Accenture is a well-known name whose business extends beyond the IoT into realms like consulting and business strategy. This Irish-domiciled enterprise might not offer its own hardware, but it’s famous for partnering with other companies to help them build unique solutions atop its Connected Platforms as a Service framework and tools like Microsoft Azure. These kinds of solutions may be more appropriate for companies that want to implement widespread operating model changes using connected computing, particularly when they lack in-house expertise.
GE Digital
GE subsidiary GE Digital offers a wide range of test platforms, health modeling, distribution optimization and analytic solutions that some may find overwhelming. Thanks to GE’s storied history and expansive roots in related fields, it can feel a bit daunting to choose an ideal IoT implementation from the many options on the firm’s menu. The good news is that the same factors also bring enterprise consumers benefits like reliability, stability and the freedom to work with a wide range of device partners. Those who extensively use GE hardware in their businesses may also be able to upgrade their operations with fewer stumbling blocks.
Litmus Automation
Litmus Automation‘s LoopEdge and DeviceHub frameworks promise to make the IoT more manageable. Like most business-oriented offerings, they’re code-free, and they can accomplish tasks that make life way easier, such as automatically discovering connected assets. As the company’s name suggests, users get a lot of automation and control features. This Silicon Valley provider also makes an appealing partner for enterprises that use legacy systems since its Loop platform is specifically tailored to practices like IoT deployment oversight and device lifecycle management.
Rootcloud
This promising Chinese firm possesses an IoT track record spanning more than a decade, and it claims to have connected more than 500,000 industrial assets. In addition to offering solutions such as asset management tools, it supplies some of its own physical infrastructure hardware. Rootcloud also has an impressive breadth of partners, including heavy machinery manufactures and electronics producers. It’s one of the few industrial IoT companies on the list to explicitly serve niche verticals such as injection molding manufacturers and textile companies.
Davra
Davra‘s compelling story starts in 2012 with its founding by a team of veterans that earned their stripes in Big Data and Data Analytics. In the relatively brief span since its inception, the company has made massive strides from its origins in Ireland by opening up offices in the U.S. and partnering with big-name global vendors, such as Daktronics and Cisco. The Davra IoT platform has been deployed everywhere from manufacturing sites to smart buildings and low-Earth orbits. Impressively, the company accomplished it all using a comprehensive, versatile IoT platform that is adjusted to meet the demands of its diverse clientele.
Exosite
This Minnesota company has been linking devices to the Internet before the modern IoT even got started. While this alone doesn’t make Exosite much different from some of the other veterans on this list, it does speak well for the framework’s adaptability. The firm’s Murano IoT platform handles everything from collecting and transmitting data to aggregating, distributing and displaying it for human consumption. Although users can build their own custom deployments atop the framework, they can also use a variety of ready-made options to get moving faster.
Hitachi
This global behemoth has been involved in industrial systems since 1910. While the modern digital landscape is decidedly alien-looking compared to those days, Hitachi seems to have kept up with the times by refining its Lumada IoT applications and insight solutions. Working with Hitachi might be an attractive prospect if your application requires impeccable stability since the company is so well-established. It also doesn’t hurt that the firm might have originally manufactured some of the hardware you already use, such as motors, coolers, controllers and other industrial gear. As you dig into the other enterprises on this list, you shouldn’t be surprised to discover that many of them partner with Hitachi.
Flutura
Flutura’s IIoT systems feed the demands of heavy industries, such as oil and gas, original equipment manufacturing and specialty chemical processing. In addition to helping its users control devices and assess asset reliability remotely, the Flutura Cerebra platform fuses statistics and AI with physics to enable enhanced modeling of real-world conditions and processes. Of course, that’s not to say that you couldn’t find such features elsewhere, but it might be convenient to work with a platform that offers a forensics-based approach right out of the gate.
Oracle
Oracle’s shift from the world of databases and cloud engineering to the IoT couldn’t have happened at a better time. While the enterprise hasn’t entirely ditched its roots, it’s definitely taken advantage of computing trends by making its core competencies more accessible to IoT users. Oracle IoT solutions use the company’s proven Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and benefit from a healthy partner ecosystem that’s easy to tailor to your purposes. They can also support your efforts to leverage decades’ worth of broader IT experience in mission-defining areas, such as security and service quality.
Atos
Atos has worked to help the utility and energy sectors improve their use of resources for approximately four decades. Its deployment-ready IoT platforms continue in the tradition, assisting enterprises in tackling tough transitions to Industry 4.0. Atos is also noteworthy for its continuous integration models, analytics, use case evaluation workshop and pilot factory — all factors that enhance the viability of novel IoT solutions by letting users work with cutting-edge tech and rapidly deploy systems.
PTC
PTC’s ThingWorks IoT system is founded on 20 years of problem-solving experience. The company offers a library of apps for manufacturing and other fields, and it prides itself on making it easy to build data-driven software tools. In the wake of its recent acquisition of Onshape, PTC has become one of the few SaaS platform providers that blend computer-aided design with the cloud. Its CAD and physical modeling capabilities make ThingWorks a go-to for industrial players who build their own hardware and products in-house.
Finding the Top IoT Companies for Your Needs
Choosing an IoT partner that knows how to solve your unique problems is just as crucial as selecting quality sensors or building a scalable network. While there are definitely top IoT companies that didn’t make this list, we’re confident that the vast majority of enterprise users will be more than pleased with one — or many — of these options. Let us know about any standouts that we missed, and stay tuned for more insights on the industry’s past, present and future.
Author
Brian McGlynn, Davra, COO
