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Exclusive Interview IBM Promotes a Smarter Connected Planet IT giant drives the Internet of Things revolution IFA 2015 is the year of the Internet of Things. Following the establishment of the IBM Internet of Things Foundation in 2014, Neil Postlethwaite, Director, PLM, IoT, Connectivity, Security, Device Ecosystem at IBM, explains how the connected world is going to change our lives. Since 2008, IBM has been helping thousands of customers embrace the Internet of Things under our mantra of Smarter Planet - helping cities become smarter, hospitals transform patient care and financial institutions to improve risk management. All of these things have changed and improved our lives irrevocably and this will continue apace as we move forward with IoT, which is becoming ever more inexpensive. Not only is the price of connected sensors and silicon technologies continually on the decline, the corresponding size and power requirements are also decreasing. Combined with the shift to cloud technology, software as a service and pay per device type business models, the on-ramp to IoT solutions is continuing to be made easier and less expensive. (…) at events like IFA it’s up to us to imagine how IoT can make our world a greener, safer and better place to live. As a result, businesses that would traditionally have never dealt in IoT and related technologies are becoming ever more connected and sophisticated. That has enabled new innovation and business models to arise, including pay per drive insurance linked directly to an individual's driving style and duration; or connected products like washing machines that can proactively request maintenance ahead of failure, or pre-order consumables as they run out; and connected workers on industrial plants, mines or building transportation projects whose clothing can notify colleagues or supervisors of health issues or provide immediate response to accidents. The art of the possible continues to evolve in terms of IoT and at events like IFA it’s up to us to imagine how IoT can make our world a greener, safer and better place to live. What is different about what IBM is doing in this field? We offer a secure, enterprise-ready IoT solution that is highly scalable, open and hybrid cloud-based. Tuned for industry specific use cases, beginning with electronics, we are investing in advanced analytics for IoT. Meanwhile, our commitment to bodies like the IIC, Open Interconnect Consortium and the AllSeen Alliance boost interoperability from chiplevel all the way through to industry specific IoT solutions. We are also working with an ever-expanding ecosystem of partners and service providers that recognize our IBM IoT Foundation as a preferred platform. Through this ecosystem and partnerships with the likes of ARM2, we’re extending the IoT Foundation from intelligent endpoints all the way through to industry specific IoT solutions hosted locally or in the cloud. So IoT is a lot more than just about machines talking to each other? How far can it go? Getting machines to communicate is just the first step. As soon as you are connected the real innovation starts: improve existing products, drive process improvements on factory floors or in insurance processing, and transform business models. But the common objective is to drive better loyalty and engagement using the extra insights provided by IoT. Getting data is one thing. Analysing it correctly is another. How has IBM responded to this dilemma? We have leading analytics technologies available as a service within our platform. These include cognitive computing services with Watson, and our investments in Spark and the services around the Spark ecosystem. And in recent days, our newest anayltical service, the IoT Real-time Insights service, went live. While having these services Neil Postlethwaite Director, PLM, IoT, Connectivity, Security, Device Ecosystem at IBM is one thing, we also need to see them applied in practice. This is happening in healthcare, for example, with Watson improving patient care. In the sports sector, we have also brought the power of these analytics technologies to life, helping to improve player coaching and fan engagement at grand slam tennis events like Wimbledon and the US Open. Who will this interest, and how can they get in touch with the right people at IBM? Our announcements at IFA and activities in IoT appeal across many industries, and to business executives and embedded systems developers alike. With our software as a service and ecosystem partnership approach, our technology and solutions can provide a platform for innovation for start-up companies through to multinational enterprises. www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 7 th September 2015 27
