From cnet:
IBM to invest $3B in building Internet of Things business
IBM formalizes its focus on the Internet of Things as it faces competition from traditional tech rivals as well as companies such as General Electric....MORE
IBM on Tuesday said that it will create a new Internet of Things unit and invest $3 billion over four years to build it out.
The move formalizes IBM's existing Internet of Things efforts. IBM's smarter-planet and smarter-cities businesses are connected to the Internet of Things trend. The rough idea behind the Internet of Things is that sensors will be embedded in everything and networked to create data. This flow of data could improve operations.
For IBM, the formation of the Internet of Things unit follows a familiar playbook. IBM targets a high-value growth area, invests at least a $1 billion to get the effort rolling and throws its hardware, software and consultants at the issue. In this respect, the formation of the Internet of Things unit rhymes with what IBM did with e-commerce, analytics, and cloud and cognitive computing.
IBM faces a fierce battle for enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) business. Cisco has targeted IoT, as has almost every tech vendor.
Meanwhile, nontraditional IBM rivals have strong IoT efforts. For instance, General Electric, which happens to make many of the things that will be networked, has an IoT platform called Predix. GE has invested $1 billion in industrial software development. Although GE calls the Internet of Things the industrial Internet, the concept of networking things and layering analytics on top is the same.
For IBM's part, the company said it will have more than 2,000 consultants, researchers and developers aimed at IoT and the analytics that go with it. IBM said the unit will include:
- A cloud platform for industries aimed at verticals. IBM will offer dynamic pricing models and cloud delivery to various verticals.
- Bluemix IoT platform as a service so developers can create and deploy applications for asset tracking, facilities management and engineering tools.
- An ecosystem of partners ranging from AT&T to ARM to The Weather Company.
Separately, IBM announced a partnership with the business-to-business division of The Weather Company, owner of The Weather Channel. The partnership will deliver micro weather forecasts using sensors from aircraft, drones, buildings and smartphones.
Previously on the IoT channel:
"In Vegas, Imagining the Wonders of the Internet of Things"
I'm not feeling so much drawn to the concept as pushed into it....
Nudge This: "The Internet of Things Will Be a Giant Persuasion Machine"
See also:
Barron's Cover: Is the Internet-of-Things Ready-to-Wear?
The Google of the "Internet of Things" (and Morgan Stanley's 96 page IoT report) SPLK; GE
Companies That Will Benefit From The Internet of Things
Questions From MIT's 'Internet of Things Festival'
"Behind the 'Internet of Things' Is Android—and It's Everywhere" (GOOG)
"2013: The year of the Internet of Things"
"General Electric Pitches an Industrial Internet" (GE)
Former Joey Ramone Infatuant Maria Bartiromo Says Bad Things are Coming to the Market
The Internet of Things: Huggies App Sends You a Tweet Whenever Your Kid Pees...
Internet of Things: "GE teams up with AT&T and Intel to conquer the industrial internet. Here’s its plan"
The Internet of Things: Huggies App Sends You a Tweet Whenever Your Kid Pees..
Pew Research: "The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025"
Citigroup on the "Internet of Things"
CES 2015: "Samsung's Smart-Home Master Plan: Leave the Door Open for Others"
The Internet of Things: Everything Is Hackable
The Creepiness of the Internet Of Things
Internet of Things: In Which Izabella Approaches Escape Velocity Edition
Yeah, I Got "Your Smart Home": A Journalist Shows Us How to Hack the Neighbors
Too Funny: "Hello Dave" Shows Up On Hacked Google Nest Appliance Control System (GOOG)
The Internet of Things and Google's Home Invasion (GOOG)
"How Smart Houses And Big Data Will Change Real Estate Economics" (just wait 'til your house gets a virus)
Another Day, Another 3D Printing, Robotic Harvesting, Internet-of-Things FarmBot
