The widespread availability and adoption of cloud-based services has accelerated the development and acceptance of the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT takes advantage of cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS).

And, because Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the undisputed leader in the IaaS segment of the cloud marketplace, it is a significant player in the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ latest commentary in SearchAWS regarding AWS’ role in the IoT market.

Despite all the attention being given to the extraordinary opportunities promised by the Internet of Things (IoT), many software and technology vendors are still waiting for demand to match the predictions provided by analysts, press and their own PR campaigns.

If you were simply to read the latest market forecasts and executive surveys, you’d believe that the IoT revolution was well under way. The fact is, many organizations across a variety of industries are aggressively pursuing IoT strategies to improve product and service quality, streamline their operations, uncover new business opportunities, and gain a competitive advantage.

However, a greater number of enterprises are still reluctant to move down the IoT path. Click here to read THINKstrategies’ views in E-Commerce Times about why these organizations are hesitant to pursue today’s IoT opportunities.

Despite the unprecedented opportunities promised by the Internet of Things (IoT), many IoT vendors are teetering at the top of Gartner’s hype cycle because they’re struggling to generate the sales they expected.

Although security concerns are generally considered the primary impediment to IoT deployments, I think there are five more important contributors to the slower-than-expected adoption of IoT solutions.

Click here to read my latest commentary in Sandhill.com regarding the obstacles THINKstrategies believes stand in the way of near-term IoT growth.

The proliferation of cloud services has created a double-edged sword. The stream of new cloud alternatives has produced a buyers’ market, characterized by intensifying price competition. But it has also made it more difficult for IT and corporate decision makers to determine which cloud offerings are best suited to meet their particular business and technological requirements.

Just as it is impossible to get your arms around a cloud because it is an intangible and constantly changing thing, it is equally challenging for some to grasp cloud computing.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ latest commentary in SearchAWS about how the changing definition of ‘cloud computing’ is creating new market opportunities for some and greater confusion for others.

The 18th annual PwC CEO survey of 1,322 corporate leaders in 77 countries, conducted between September and December 2014, found an overwhelming proportion are embarking on digital transformation initiatives to respond to escalating customer demands and intensifying competitive pressures.

However, many are taking different paths to achieve their corporate objectives, and failing to recognize how their digital transformation, Internet of Things and cloud computing efforts are actually interrelated.

While the variance between these rankings could be considered insignificant, it could lead to bigger issues if the corporate executives and their underlings perceive the IoT and cloud as separate technology trends from digital transformation and mobile communications. This misconception could have serious consequences and even create fundamental flaws in a digital transformation process.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ views in E-Commerce Times regarding why these initiatives should be coordinated and the risks associated with pursuing … Read More »

The proliferation of cloud services is making it increasingly difficult for organizations to capitalize on the cloud promise of more flexible and less-costly computing resources than those found in traditional on-premises corporate data centers.

EMC’s $1.2 billion acquisition of Virtustream aims to rectify this issue by offering a new set of sophisticated managed cloud services to its enterprise customers.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ analysis of the industry implications of the Virtustream acquisition in Sandhill.com.

Technology moves quickly, but often it moves too quickly for IT teams to keep pace. One of the fundamental dilemmas of technological innovation is a lack of skilled IT pros available to capitalize on new opportunities.

Overcoming the shortage of trained tech professionals is critical to the success of a new technological wave such as cloud computing.

And as public cloud use rises, AWS is ensuring there are legions of trained technicians ready to capitalize on its services.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ views in SearchAWS about the impact of Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) new Educate program on the Cloud marketplace and how the new program follows the model for success created during past technology waves.

Nearly everyone agrees the Internet of Things will create unprecedented business opportunities that will dramatically change the way almost every industry operates. There is also universal agreement that the IoT will force organizations to rethink the fundamental nature of their products and services.

One company that has become a leader in the rapidly evolving IoT market and is bravely facing the challenges associated with the transformation process is PTC. It has recognized that a different type of product and service design process is required to fulfill the promise of IoT.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ perspectives regarding the industry implications of PTC’s aggressive initiatives to capitalize on the IoT marketplace in E-Commerce Times.

In 1997, management consultants Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema co-authored a book entitled, “The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market,” which asserted that companies could only aspire to become leaders in their industry by focusing on one of the following differentiating characteristics:

Product leadership
Operational excellence
Customer intimacy

Although it does take a concerted effort and significant investment to become expert in each of these disciplines, a growing number of cloud companies are proving that these disciplines are no longer mutually exclusive. Click here to read THINKstrategies’ views in Sandhill.com about how today’s cloud leaders are excelling in all three disciplines and other players are going to have to strive to match their success.

Last December, my APMdigest prediction for 2015 was,

“The advent of the “Internet of Things” (IoT) will elevate the importance of implementing powerful, easy-to-use and cost-effective APM (Application Performance Management) solutions as a rapidly expanding universe of end-points are connected by software-enabled sensors and systems. The new generation of APM solutions will have to contend with an exponentially greater number of connections, transactions and data points. The APM solutions will also have to span Cloud and on-premise applications which will be linked together in the IoT environment. The task of implementing and administering the APM solutions will increasingly be performed by highly specialized, third-party service providers.”

Less than halfway through the new year and we’re seeing the market activity around IoT opportunities accelerate. Not only are the number of ‘things’ currently and expected to be connected growing exponentially, but the types of … Read More »