Could IoT spur the next big wave of corporate investment and profit?
Daniel Saks, co-founder and co-CEO of AppDirect, thinks so.
“One of the aspects of the Internet of Things (IoT) that makes the sector so fascinating — aside from the sheer cool factor of the technology itself — is the mind-boggling predictions that it inspires,” Saks writes in a column on the AppDirect blog. “Almost 40 billion connected devices adding $1.7 trillion to the global economy by 2019? Numbers like those are hard to fathom, but somehow they seem completely realistic.”
Saks knows what he’s talking about.
When AppDirect completed its latest Fortune 500 App Report (it’s annual look at how the top companies in the United States are influencing cloud service distribution and development), it discovered that 70 percent of the Fortune 100 companies now have either IoT initiatives or products.
“Digging deeper, we found that every Fortune 100 company in the telecom, transportation, chemical, automotive, food and beverage, and manufacturing sectors has an IoT program or products,” Saks notes. “Many other industries aren’t far behind, with more than 90 percent of technology companies and 85 percent of retail companies currently focusing on IoT initiatives.”
Saks shared his thoughts in advance of the full report release slated for the coming weeks.
But, in sum, he findings “reinforce the fact that the largest companies in the United States are thinking seriously about connected devices and making investments in the Internet of Things.”
In addition, Saks announced that AppDirect has acquired AppCarousel, the leading provider of app management platforms for connected cars and fleets, smartphones, smart screens, tablets, and other connected devices.
“As part of AppDirect, AppCarousel will continue to grow its business and serve its customers, while we continue to bolster our IoT capabilities and grow our rapidly expanding mobile business,” he said.
