ICYMI: Five Updates from the World of IoT

TGIF, everybody. September’s close to rounding the corner; I hope our collective end-of-summer plans are beginning to wrap up nicely.

You know the drill with these ‘ICYMI’ IoT pieces; we take a look at some Internet of Things/smart tech-centric stories that are deserving of more attention.

Here’s your Friday rundown:

• In big IoT news concerning two parties that require little introduction – Oracle and AT&T – we covered this “co-creation”-centered story here. Basically, Oracle announced that it’s incorporating AT&T’s (News - Alert) IoT connectivity capabilities and network APIs into its own Enterprise Communication Platform (ECP). This integration will reportedly “enable Oracle's industry cloud application customers to connect and manage their IoT devices on the AT&T network all-in-one platform.” Sarita Rao, Senior Vice President at AT&T Partner Solutions, stated how teaming up with Oracle (News - Alert) in this way means they’re “providing businesses a much tighter level of integration between the network and application, driving performance and reliability gains while also eliminating integration requirements and separate contracting events. It's co-creation at its best."

• With 20+ years of experience in IoT and telematics, fleet management software provider Wialon supports a network of more than 2,700 channel partners in 160 countries. Be it for completely new or long-time partners (small or medium-sized enterprises all the way up to global organizations), Wialon empowers teams with advanced IoT solutions so they can better compete in their respective markets. And this month, Wialon announced some pretty remarkable growth numbers; over the last nine years, the company officially reached a now-record number of 4 million total connected vehicles, representing a tenfold increase since 2015. (That’s wild.) Provided demands for fleet management and telematics advancements continue to increase (which seems like it’ll be the case for a while),, Wialon will continue supporting businesses in industries like logistics and transportation, construction, energy and waste management, and agriculture.

• Normally, a topic we cover mostly over on sites like MSP Today or Cloud Computing is ZTNA, or Zero Trust Network Access. ZTNA enables organizations to implement a “Zero Trust” security model, i.e. consistently operating under the assumption that threats are present both inside and outside a network. As a result, Zero Trust demands strict verification for every user and every device before authorization for accessing internal resources is ultimately granted. And now Genians, a Universal ZTNA security company with a roster that’s two-thirds comprised of engineers, announced that it is, quote, “reinforcing a commitment to securing everyone’s digital future” by extending its global reach into IoT and critical infrastructure security. As I previously wrote (read here), this is a good move. Given the proliferation of IoT devices and systems, Genians expanding its Network Access Control (NAC)-driven ZTNA solutions into IoT means more users will be able to tap into granular access controls and a wider spectrum of IT resources.

• The bright, innovation-rich city of Peachtree Corners (found in Gwinnett County, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the state of Georgia) is well-known for its restaurants, high-end retail marts, bustling streets and engaging community activities, all wrapped up in a very tech-inclusive environment. At the core of Peachtree Corners is the Curiosity Lab, a 5G-enabled “living laboratory” nestled in the city’s 500-acre Technology Park. This publicly funded lab powers the real-world test environments within Peachtree Corners to, according to those running it, “advance next-generation intelligent mobility and smart city technology implementations.” The Curiosity Lab invites early-stage startups, universities, and globally established enterprises to test, demo and deploy their solutions within the connected infrastructure of Peachtree Corners. And just earlier this week, the city announced its latest collaboration; one with Juganu, a provider of smart lighting solutions. Juganu eliminates the need for multiple devices on one light pole (as it unifies multiple systems in a single, convenient fixture), which can feature high-quality LED, air quality/other environmental sensors, security cameras, etc. Juganu’s smart lighting “will add to our city’s goal of improving safety and quality of life for residents while providing solution efficiency made in one sleek unit,” added Brian Johnson (News - Alert), City Manager, Peachtree Corners.

• The specialized technology research and advisory team at Technavio recently released its “Industrial IoT (IIoT) Gateway (News - Alert) Market Analysis” report, covering North America, the UK, Germany and China. It’s chock-full of details, so here are the top takeaways: Technavio estimates that the IIoT gateway market size will grow by $3.36 billion from 2024-2028, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.31%. Key global players include (but certainly aren’t limited to) Cisco, HPE, Dell, Intel, Semtech, Siemens AG, Huawei Technologies, Texas Instruments and Advantech (News - Alert). Technavio also detailed the main drivers of this market growth (i.e. the need to enhance manufacturing efficiencies, increase safety and decrease operational expenses), as well as challenges being faced (i.e. the need for more edge computing expertise, preventing data loss during adoption, and managing legacy equipment in relation to next-gen hardware). Request a sample of Technavio’s report by clicking here.

That about does it for this Friday wrap-up, readers.

For additional news from our team, we encourage visiting our other sites like Industrial IoT News Hub, Smart City Sentinel, and Internet Telephony.

Take good care, as always.