I recently attended an IoT seminar here in Dublin where the speaker stated that at least 80% of the audience were ‘digital immigrants’, that they had not been born into the digital age but instead had arrived here at some point later in their life.  That got me thinking about my blog and whether the ramblings of a 43 year old who’s first experience of technology was a ZX Spectrum with 48k of memory are really that relevant to an audience raised in a digital age.

So with that in mind, I’ve asked a couple of the younger members of our team to throw down a few words on life in the world of IOT, the only rules, no LOLS, no txtspk and tell it like it is ……

First up, the very young (half my age) Luke Manuel, Davra UK Sales Manager and Bristol City fan.

Blog – First 6 months in IoT

Where to start, what a crazy first 6 months this has been entering the world of IoT. Back in January I was having a conversation with one of our partners and he said to me “welcome aboard, but hold on tight it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” And he couldn’t have been more right!! This rollercoaster industry is filled with magnificent ideas, frustrations and unbelievable opportunities and one I am thoroughly looking forward to being a part of for a long time with Davra.

Being given the opportunity to come on-board with Davra and head up the UK operation back in December was one I was never going to turn down. Being part of a start-up company that shows real faith in its employees and has great plans to grow was something I really wanted to be a part of. I had heard nothing but great things about Davra and now being part of the team for 6 months I can see why, the fact that you get to experience the whole process and see what you sell come to life and working with a team who are so motivated and driven to not only succeed but also innovate is just fantastic.

It all started with a fast-track IoT training programme at Cisco Live Milan, this was a great experience, as it helped me to understand not only the size of IoT but also all the different kinds of verticals, e.g. transportation, manufacturing, oil & gas & smart cities etc… It was a great way to network, meet and learn from great people and also witness some very dodgy dance moves at the appreciation event from our CTO!!

Since then my knowledge and ability to really add value to SI’s and VAR’s opportunities has grown so much. The benefit of getting data from assets at the edge and our RuBAN platform which enables you to do this has enabled me to be involved in some really exciting projects. Seeing how IoT can improve efficiencies and increase profit levels and even in some areas save lives is something that is great to be a part of. Knowing your part of these projects that can really make a difference is something that really excites me about being in IoT and working for Davra.

Now it’s time to kick on, hearing all the talk about trillions of dollars and 50 billion devices connected by 2020 is great to hear, but it’s now time to move on from the talk and really see IoT start walking the walk and turn these great looking numbers into reality. Seeing SI’s and VAR’s traditionally focussed on box shifting changing their mentality and turn their focus into solution and service selling will be great, as this is the vision companies need to have to become a success in IoT.

I believe over the next 6-12 months in the UK we will start to see this come to life as there are companies notoriously known for being big successful distributors, restructuring to add IoT divisions to really approach the market in the best possible way.

Overall it’s been a great first 6 months working for Davra and I am really excited for the future as the UK has great potential to have a big impact in the IoT space and I can’t wait to be a part of it.