IBM on Monday announced its plans to invest $3 billion over the next four years to set up a new Internet of Things (IoT) unit.
Pat Toole, general manager of IBM, will head the new IoT business unit.
The company, which earlier introduced Smarter Planet and Smarter Cities, leads in enterprise IoT implementations.
Bob Picciano, senior vice president, IBM Analytics, said: “IBM will enable clients and partners apply IoT data to build solutions based on an open platform. This is a major focus of investment for IBM because it’s a rich and broad-based opportunity where innovation matters.”
According to IBM, 90 percent of data generated by devices such as smartphones, tablets, connected vehicles and appliances is never analyzed or acted on. 60 percent of this data begins to lose value within milliseconds of being generated.
What IBM will do in IoT
IBM IoT Cloud open platform will provide new analytics services that clients, partners and IBM will use to design and deliver vertical industry IoT solutions. For instance, IBM will introduce a cloud-based service that helps insurance companies extract insight from connected vehicles and ensure more dynamic pricing models.
IBM Bluemix IoT Zone, as part of IBM’s Bluemix platform-as-a-service, will enable developers to integrate IoT data into cloud-based development and deployment of IoT apps.
The company will expand the IoT ecosystem with partners such as AT&T, ARM, Semtech and The Weather Company to ensure seamless integration of data services and solutions on IBM’s open platform.
IBM and IoT clients
Continental is developing connected mobile vehicle solutions with IBM for car manufacturers around the world.
Cummins collects and transmits real-time performance data of its engines for predictive analysis with IBM IoT solutions to maintain higher operating levels and reduce downtimes.
Pratt & Whitney is using IBM IoT solutions, including predictive analytics, to more accurately and proactively monitor the health of more than 4,000 commercial engines.
SilverHook Powerboats is using IBM’s IoT Foundation service to access and analyze telematic and biometric data from its boats and pilots to make real-time racing decisions.
IBM is engaged in a partnership with the University of South Carolina to produce more insights on predictive maintenance, combining deep industry expertise from the university’s Condition-based Maintenance Research Center with predictive analytics software and skills from IBM.
Whirlpool is leveraging IBM’s IoT and predictive maintenance and quality solutions to improve the performance and reliability of its appliances.
Baburajan K
editor@infotechlead.com
