Image from Iconfinder
Armonk, New York, Nov 22, 2016: IBM has announced an array of new services, industry offerings and capabilities to help enterprise clients, startups and developers drive digital transformation with the Internet of Things (IoT). Part of this includes the launch of the first global IBM Watson IoT Consulting Solutions practice.
IBM said it was dedicating more than 1,500 industry experts with the new Watson Solutions, as well as giving open and free access to its Watson IoT Platform, allowing millions around the world, access to it.
“The Internet of Things is making an enormous impact on our lives and helping to spur even deeper levels of innovation for those developing the connected devices and products of our future,” said Harriet Green, General Manager, IBM Watson IoT, Commerce and Education. “IBM is helping knock down the barriers to getting started with IoT, making it accessible for clients as they begin their digital transformation.”
The IBM Watson IoT Consulting Solutions practice will feature 1,500 experts across IBM Watson IoT headquarters in Munich, Germany and in eight other IBM IoT centers across Asia, Europe and the Americas. By integrating IBM Watson IoT Platform APIs and technologies, including cognitive, analytics, mobile, security and Cloud capabilities, together with development and implementation consulting and ongoing support, clients can fully use the IoT without the risk and complexity of dealing with multiple vendors.
“Clients can now easily introduce IoT innovation into their business by leveraging IBM’s industry and technical expertise to deliver lower risk, as-a-service commercial models,” said Jesus Mantas, General Manager, Business Consulting, IBM. “We are helping clients accelerate the digitization of their business processes by making it easy to deploy IoT solutions globally into their business.”
The IBM Watson IoT Consulting Solutions practice will employ a global network of skilled consultants, data scientists and design and security experts with deep domain and industry expertise, all dedicated to providing clients with guidance on tackling industry specific IoT adoption challenges. The first priority industries include automotive, electronics, industrial products, insurance, retail, telecommunications, transportation and buildings. Clients can apply Watson cognitive computing capabilities, including machine learning and natural language to tap into massive amounts of unstructured data — such as videos and sounds –- to gain insights and augment decision making.
IBM said Ricoh, a global technology company, was one of the first global organisations to work with the new IBM IoT consultants to redesign their engagement model and help its clients embrace intelligent workplace solutions designed to improve office collaboration and innovation.
In addition to the new Watson IoT Consulting Solutions practice, IBM also announced new industry offerings available via its Watson IoT Platform, including IBM Watson IoT for Manufacturing and Asset Health Insight, designed to help clients address industry-specific IoT adoption challenges and opportunities. Manufacturing is one of the largest opportunities in IoT, with McKinsey estimating IoT applications in factory settings to have the potential to create value of US $1.2 trillion to $3.7 trillion per year in 2025.
Now, using IBM Watson IoT for Manufacturing, businesses will be able to better manage factory equipment and assets, improve manufacturing processes and manage production resources more effectively. Giving an example, IBM said the new capabilities included intelligent assets and equipment to sense, communicate and self-diagnose issues to improve machinery performance and reduce downtime.
Developers and Startups Tap IBM Watson IoT Platform
IBM said it was working with over 50,000 developers around the globe to help them to get up and running on the IBM Watson IoT Platform. Just seven months ago, IBM had teamed up with Coursera, the education platform that partners with top global universities and organizations to offer online courses, to create and launch “A developer’s guide to the IoT,” a course that already has more than 22,000 registrants.