CRN's 2018 IoT Innovators Awards
The 2018 IoT Innovators Awards
From building the refinery of the future to protecting cannabis growers with connected security systems, solution providers are continuing to carve out their own space in the Internet of Things.
Integration and management of IoT solutions remains a challenge for customers, which means that solution providers still have an important role to play. Vendors of all kinds also find a need for IoT partners as part of their go-to-market efforts.
For solution providers, the field is wide open when it comes to IoT applications, which range from oft-cited examples like predictive maintenance and asset tracking to lesser-known use cases like connected picking operations and one-button service ticketing.
The solution providers selected for this year's IoT Innovators Awards represent companies that have begun figuring out IoT and making it an important part of their business. Take a look at CRN's 30 IoT innovators for this year in the following slides.
5K Technical Services
Top Executive: Corey Kirkendoll, CEO
5K Technical Services is expanding beyond its traditional managed services offerings by helping its customers properly implement their IoT devices onto their networks.
For some of its nonprofit customers, the Allen, Texas-based company has implemented a conference scheduling solution that integrates with an HVAC system to improve room comfort and save money on energy costs.
10th Magnitude
Top Executive: Alex Brown, CEO
10th Magnitude, a top Microsoft partner, combines its Microsoft Azure analytics, security and application development expertise to provide repeatable IoT solutions.
For one customer, the Chicago-based company developed a beacon solution for tracking Ironman triathletes that allowed them to be tracked by friends and fans.
ACNS Technologies
Top Executive: Bill Hayes, Owner
ACNS Technologies, a managed services provider, has found its own niche within IoT from not only a security perspective but a compliance standpoint as well.
Through its work with health-care organizations, the Holly Hill, Fla.-based company has found growth opportunities in identifying the variety of IoT devices that are entering the network, including Wi-Fi printers and medical equipment, and improving their security and HIPAA compliance.
Allied Reliability
Top Executive: Jay Burnette, President, CEO
Allied Reliability is at the forefront of providing predictive maintenance solutions with its Smart Reliability application for manufacturing and industrial companies.
At a major U.S. steelmaker, the Houston-based solution provider used Smart Reliability in tandem with PTC's ThingWorx Internet of Things platform to identify installation issues and excessive vibration in hydraulic pumps to stay ahead of maintenance needs.
Altaworx
Top Executive: Rickie Richey, CEO
Altaworx is an AT&T partner that provides a variety of IoT solutions, including AT&T Control Center Managed Services, IoT connectivity, and fleet and asset tracking.
At a home health-care organization, the Fairhope, Ala.-based firm used its Altaworx Mobility Optimization Platform to help the company dynamically identify which of its 19,000 tablets were not in use and turn them off to reduce billing costs, saving the company $1.3 million in its first year.
Alvarez Technology Group
Top Executive: Luis Alvarez, President, CEO
Expanding within its focus on agriculture, Alvarez Technology Group is extending its IoT expertise to the now-legalized cannabis industry in California.
The Salinas, Calif.-based solution provider has been working with major grow operators to integrate their operational technology environments using managed wireless networks and to install access control and surveillance cameras that can be accessed and managed from the cloud.
Aquitas Solutions
Top Executive: Wayne Brisson, Founder, CEO
Aquitas Solutions is leading the innovation charge with enterprise asset management and IoT solutions for asset-intensive industries.
At a large cheese manufacturer, the Roswell, Ga.-based solution provider used PTC's ThingWorx platform in tandem with sensors and IBM's Maximo software to monitor the condition of steam traps and automate work orders if the temperature fell below a certain threshold several times within two hours.
CB Technologies
Top Executive: Kelly Ireland, Founder, CEO
CB Technologies has built itself into an industrial IoT player by focusing on asset intelligence, which includes asset integrity management, advanced analytics and digital twin technology.
Thanks to a partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Aruba Networks, the Orange, Calif.-based company became the lead systems integrator on a connected refinery project with Texmark Chemicals that included life-cycle asset management and connected worker applications.
CieloIT
Top Executive: Imre Szenttornyay, Founder, CEO
CieloIT is changing the way service tickets are handled in physical spaces, one click at a time, with a customized deployment of Amazon's Dash button.
The Lubbock, Texas-based solution provider has turned Amazon's internet-connected Dash button into a programmable device that can generate service tickets for a variety of situations in a cloud-based management system based on the type of click used.
Control Point
Top Executive: Jeff Murray, Owner, President
Control Point is keeping manufacturing and industrial companies ahead of the curve by integrating their operational technology environments with web-based solutions.
This year, the Scarborough, Maine-based solution provider implemented a web-based condition monitoring application for a water utility so that the operator can prioritize site visits. The company has also worked with a sensor manufacturer to tie its sensors and controllers into a web-based solution.
CTP
Top Executive: Bruce Coughlin, CEO
Cloud Technology Partners, a solution provider owned by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, has carved out a space in IoT as part of its digital innovation offerings.
The Boston-based company provides consulting services on a variety of IoT uses cases, from predictive maintenance to asset tracking. One customer, RailPod, engaged CTP to build a cloud-based solution that could store data captured by its railroad drones, visualize that data in a web portal and secure it.
CWPS
Top Executive: Jason Waldrop, CEO
CWPS is a managed IT services provider that can help navigate customers through the various aspects of IoT, including security and device integration, as well as remote device management.
The Chantilly, Va.-based company counts Microsoft, Cisco and AWS as vendors it works with to provide managed IoT solutions. The company also provides authentication and identity services for IoT devices.
Dimension Data
Top Executive: Jason Goodall, Group CEO
Dimension Data is applying its IoT leadership across multiple verticals and uses cases, including smart cities, connected stadiums, health care and mining.
The solution provider, owned by Japan-based NTT, has created a solution built around SAP Leonardo's IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics capabilities that is helping a large global sugar producer monitor water consumption.
Encon Mechanical
Top Executive: David Indursky, Owner, President
Encon Mechanical is using its 50 years of operational technology expertise to fuel IoT projects.
The Ocean, N.J.-based mechanical contractor designed and implemented an internet-connected HVAC system for a local gun club that adjusts motors based the number of occupants in the building and allows for remote monitoring.
Factora
Top Executive: Charles Horth, CEO
Factora is laser-focused on bringing innovative IoT solutions to manufacturing using PTC's ThingWorx IoT platform and a variety of other systems.
The Trois-Rivières, Quebec-based solution provider aims to deliver quantifiable business outcomes for customers. In the case of an automotive customer, the company integrated a manufacturing execution system with ThingWorx's data visualization solution to help the manufacturer double production.
GrayMatter
Top Executive: James Gillespie, Founder, CEO
GrayMatter is an IoT power player with an operational technology background that has worked with big names such as GE Transporation, Marzetti, Procter & Gamble and Penn State University.
In 2018, the Warrendale, Pa.-based systems integrator helped oil and gas company CNX improve the productivity of its natural gas drilling operations through a predictive analytics application that monitors the health of the operation's wells.
Insight Enterprises
Top Executive: Ken Lamneck, President, CEO
Insight Enterprises is taking a forward-looking approach to IoT solutions, including a recent collaboration with Microsoft to help develop its Azure Sphere intelligent edge platform.
In another instance, the Tempe, Ariz.-based solution provider developed a drone-based imaging solution for a national railway company that uses IoT processing to handle images, analyzes them on a cloud-based platform, and provides track inspectors with real-time rail condition information.
Kalypso
Top Executive: George Young, Founding Partner, CEO
Kalypso is using its technical consulting prowess to take IoT projects to the next level for customers, from health-care organizations to oil and gas companies.
The Beachwood, Ohio-based solution provider helped deploy an IoT system with a large medical device manufacturer to enable smart, connected medical devices that allowed the company to leverage remote service and drive down operational costs.
New Signature
Top Executive: Jeff Tench, CEO
New Signature is a top Microsoft partner that has expanded its comprehensive set of IT solutions to IoT, which includes the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite.
The Washington, D.C.-based solution provider is working with original equipment manufacturers to help them address challenges of adding intelligence to their machines and reducing blind spots in their service life cycle by using technology like digital twin and machine learning.
New Vision
Top Executive: Jeff Stebbins, President, CEO
New Vision is solving complex product development challenges through the power of IoT, with a focus on smart connected products, smart connected operations and medical device manufacturing.
In one instance, the Bloomington, Minn.-based systems integrator worked with medical equipment maker Sysmex to develop an on-site blood testing device that can reduce the time to release results from days to minutes.
Novacoast
Top Executive: Paul Anderson, CEO
Novacoast is helping customers stay on top of device and data security as IoT solutions proliferate the business world.
The Santa Barbara, Calif.-based solution provider provides a full-stack penetration testing service for IoT products, from the device itself to the cloud services that receive the device data, and it uses public key infrastructure tooling help ensure that code remains unmodified and secure on devices.
Onica
Top Executive: Stephen Garden, CEO
Onica is making a big play in IoT through the AWS ecosystem, and that includes IoTanium, a new hardware/software solution that enables rapid prototyping, connectivity and data science modeling.
The Santa Monica, Calif.-based cloud consulting firm has also helped Alistair Group build a proprietary serverless application that connects to IoT devices on trucks to manage their subcontractor fleet.
Open Systems Technologies
Top Executive: Meredith Bronk, President, CEO
Open Systems Technologies is using its IoT expertise to improve the customer experience for connected product manufacturers, ranging from air purifier maker Amway to Johnson Controls.
But the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based solution provider isn't just focused on products for the commercial market. In one project, OST worked with several organizations to develop an IoT and data analytics system that evaluates the health and clarity of Lake Macatawa in Michigan.
Presidio
Top Executive: Bob Cagnazzi, President, CEO
Presidio is a trailblazer in the IoT space, with over 10 years of successful deployments and managed services in rail connectivity, covert tracking and transportation.
The New York-based solution provider has developed and implemented, among other things, a ruggedized mobile router for school buses that enables remote engine monitoring, real-time student and drive safety monitoring, and in-service fleet management for reducing maintenance costs.
Rattle Tech
Top Executive: Wilfred Martis, Co-Founder, CEO
Rattle Tech is using its application development expertise to bring IoT into food service and other industries that have been slower to adopt IoT solutions.
The Altadena, Calif.-based company has developed multiple solutions, including a warehouse picking system that allows delivery workers to identify the correct bins or shelves to pick items from with Bluetooth-connected lights that activate through an app.
Silicon East
Top Executive: Marc Harrison, President
Silicon East, a managed IT services provider based in Morganville, N.J., is continuing to expand into IoT by providing smart building solutions and IoT security services.
The company has integrated components for building monitoring and control systems in two high-profile buildings in New York that include HVAC control, security cameras and access control.
TSP
Top Executive: Bacem Moussa, CEO
TSP, an Apple partner, is expanding beyond its traditional IT and AV integration offerings to enter the smart home space in a comprehensive way.
That includes a luxury apartment the Boston-based solution provider outfitted with sensors, keypads and Android-based touch panels that connect to the lights, smart devices and other appliances. The company's smart home offerings also include surveillance cameras and custom HVAC controls.
Wachter
Top Executive: Matt Tyler, Director, IoT
Wachter is combining its IT and operational technology expertise to provide a variety of IoT solutions, including predictive maintenance, traffic pattern measurement and geofencing.
More recently, the Lenexa, Kan.-based solution provider has developed its own IoT insights platform that connects disparate control systems, collects and analyzes data and then provides visualization at the edge to help industrial companies improve operations.
WWT
Top Executive: Jim Kavanaugh, CEO
World Wide Technology takes a collaborative approach to IoT projects with a variety of capabilities, including sensors, device connectivity, data center and analytics and applications.
For one large manufacturer, the St. Louis-based solution provider designed a converged IT/OT reference architecture that could help improve machine uptime, shorten product introduction cycles and improve production quality and quantity, which the manufacturer could scale to its 550 plants.
Zones
Top Executive: Firoz Lalji, CEO
Zones is a Cisco partner that is bringing its IoT expertise, complemented by its comprehensive IT solutions, to verticals like manufacturing and transportation.
The Auburn, Wash.-based solution provider has also provided IoT solutions to municipalities, like the city of Pembroke Pines, Fla., which worked with Zones to design and implement a scalable IT infrastructure that includes surveillance cameras and access control through Cisco Connected Safety.