2017 Internet Of Things 50: 15 Coolest Industrial IoT Companies
What Is Industrial IoT?
The industrial opportunity is tremendous for IoT -- and vendors are beginning to invest heavily in this space with new connectivity, analytics and security services aimed at collecting and monitoring data that runs through industrial control systems.
According to a report from research firm IDC, industries such as manufacturing and transportation, which largely use operational technology, led the way in U.S. IoT investments, with $35.5 billion and $24.9 billion, respectively, in 2016.
Here are CRN's 15 coolest industrial IoT companies that are leveraging their channel to deploy analytics and data monitoring tools on the industrial floor, deploy connected smart equipment, and ultimately bridge IT with operational technology.
Augury
CEO: Saar Yoskovitz
New York-based Augury makes diagnostic technology that physically captures machines' unique acoustic fingerprints, analyzes the data, and finds any potential malfunctions before they happen. Augury's handheld device listens to machines and enables analysis capabilities on critical operational technology such as pumps, fans, chillers and HVAC systems.
Bayshore Networks
Top Executive: Mike Dager, CEO
Bethesda, Md.-based Bayshore Networks touts cloud-based software, the Bayshore IT/OT Gateway, to protect industrial enterprises against internet-based attacks. This product provides IT departments with critical visibility into operational technology infrastructure, networks, applications, machines and employees.
Claroty
Top Executive: Amir Zilberstein, Co-Founder, CEO
Claroty offers protection for granular operational technology network elements in industrial workplaces. The Israeli company enables engineers and operators to protect their OT networks through its platform, which includes monitoring, alerting and management for factory floors.
Eaton
Top Executive: Craig Arnold
Eaton features a light-emitting diode lighting and controls portfolio, with its flagship offering, the LumaWatt Pro Connected Lighting System, which is at the forefront of smart building applications. The company is working with IoT leaders such as Enlightened to power sensory networks in industrial buildings.
Foghorn Systems
Top Executive: David King, CEO
FogHorn, Mountain View, Calif., provides ’edge intelligence’ software for industrial and commercial IoT applications. The company's Lightning software platform brings advanced analytics and machine learning to on-premises edge environments.
GE Digital
Top Executive: John Flannery, CEO
GE is doubling down on IoT with its cloud-based industrial analytics platform, Predix Cloud. The San Ramon, Calif.-based company's platform is designed specifically for industrial data and analytics as a Platform as a Service, enabling operators to use machine data faster and more efficiently.
Helium
Top Executive: Amir Haleem, Founder, CEO
Helium, Andover, Mass., touts an IoT connectivity offering that simplifies the process of securely capturing and transmitting data. The company's product suite includes low-power long-range offerings for IoT devices, allowing users to easily prototype, deploy and scale wireless networks and connect end devices.
Honeywell
Top Executive: Darius Adamczyk, President and CEO
Morris Plains, N.J.-based Honeywell's Connected Plant platform offering gives manufacturers and industrial companies the data management and control, security and analytics tools to effectively implement IoT solutions into their plants and industrial control systems.
IoTium
Top Executive: Ron Victor, CEO
Santa Clara, Calif.-based IoTium offers a Network as a Service that essentially secures the connection of legacy on-site systems to cloud-based applications. The company's offering seeks to mitigate the challenge of industrial IoT deployment complexity and security concerns for manufacturers.
Johnson Controls
Top Executive: Alex Molinaroli, CEO
Johnson Controls is focused on using IT-like sensors and embedded controls to leverage smart equipment that can optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings and smart cars. The Milwaukee-based company also offers industrial-targeted equipment like smart chillers and HVAC systems.
KMC Controls
Top Executive: Jon Hilberg, CEO
KMC Controls, Indianapolis, touts its KMC Commander platform, which enables customers to easily connect building automation systems. The company also manufactures edge devices, which it calls KMC Conquest, with embedded sensors such as smart thermostats.
Mocana
Top Executive: William Diotte, CEO
San Francisco-based Mocana's platform provides a full-stack toolset for securing connected systems from the gateway to the cloud. This platform is comprised of software modules coupled with advanced services that can be customized and embedded into industrial endpoints, gateways and cloud servers.
PAS
Top Executive: Eddie Habibi, CEO
Houston-based PAS provides security solutions and automation asset management for industrial control systems -- including distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, turbo machinery controls, and compressor control systems.
Schneider Electric
Top Executive: Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO
Schneider Electric, an electricity distributor and global energy management company based in France, wants to help organizations shift to an "operations-centric" view around IoT with proactive and predictive maintenance capabilities in industrial settings.
Siemens
Top Executive: Joe Kaeser, CEO, Siemens AG
Siemens' MindSphere platform is designed to connect assets at industrial plants in an automated production environment. The German company's comprehensive data hosting platform also offers data-based services such as machine tool analytics and energy analytics.