IoT Agencies: How to Jump-Start Projects

Smart Industry explains how IoT agencies differ and what to look for in the selection and cooperation.

Microsoft report, IoT Signals stated in 2019, that the promise of IoT will be unlocked by addressing skills shortages, complexity, and security. Nearly 85 percent of companies surveyed are in the adoption phase, it adds, and 88 percent see IoT as critical to business success. Despite this, almost half say there are not enough available skilled workers and 38 percent of adopters cite the complexity and technical challenges of using IoT as a barrier to furthering adoption. As projects become more complex with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, and edge capabilities, how can companies create a digital strategy to transform their business with IoT successfully? One answer can be to cooperate with one of the specialized agencies. Agencies offer a wide range of services in order to evaluate an IoT idea. They use methods such as rapid prototyping instead of hanging around in long discussions and internal presentations. Many digital technologies are part of their services, from 3D printing to developing intelligent sensors and implementing Artificial Intelligence.

Fit for purpose

There are different kinds of agencies, with special strengths and focuses, so companies looking for someone to help jump-start a project should check what help is needed the most, depending on the phase their project has reached. Having such a diversity of IoT agencies in the market, as shown by these examples, it is important to find the right one. An agency should have real IoT experience, be the right size for the partnership, have the right spirit for the company, possess the competences missing in the target company, and be able to produce proven references in the relevant markets. The right fit will help to start and fulfill the IoT project in a comparatively short time, enabling the new idea to be brought to the right market more efficiently.

IOX: The Prototypers

“We support customers in developing smart products and services: fast, hands-on, and with passion,”” says Robert Jänisch, CEO of IOX, an innovation and development partner for IoT products, based in Düsseldorf, Germany. “Our motto ‘Make Things, Not Slides!” underlines our approach: we’d rather get started developing an actual prototype instead of spending massive amounts of time in the concept phase of a project which, in the end, might not even be realized. Rapid prototyping has been an integral part of that process.”” The company offers sensors, trackers, and platforms-as-a-service for enterprise or product applications. In the IOX Lab, it supports customers in the realization of their IoT projects and leads them from the idea to the operational prototype within 30 days, he claims.

Rapid prototyping in particular offers the advantage that ideas can be implemented quickly and tested accordingly. this approach also allows companies to build minimum viable products as early as the planning phase, enabling them to identify and eliminate errors or weaknesses at an early stage before the products go into mass production.
_{Robert Jänisch, CEO IOX}

Visit ioxlab.de for more information.

DotLab: The Solution Providers

“We create state-of-the-art smart solutions for our customers,” explains Miloš Ćuković, COO of DotLab, in Subotica, Serbia. “DotLab provides IoT services for smart building projects (hotels, office buildings, residential homes) and in agriculture. We developed those two systems, but we will not stop there. Both systems are modular and can be expanded with various sensors, third-party systems, and modules.” DotLab does in-house development of both software and hardware, user interfaces, web services, graphics, and user-centered design solutions. “We have all we need in-house to develop great products and experiences. Everything we do is first tested in our gardens and offices extensively, then it goes to production with extendable maintenance support,” says Miloš.

We are very flexible and intuitive. Fresh and young blood is our strength, devoted to solving complex problems. Passion is our driver. We are a young agency and proud of what we have developed in the last three years.
_{Miloš Ćuković, DotLab}

Visit dotlab.dev/ for more information.

Hard Code: The Designers

“Hard Code is a design house in the IoT field,” says Szabolcs Erki, general manager of Hard Code, in Budapest, Hungary. “The Internet of Things is currently the top priority for most companies, but it’s a big challenge as it requires specific skills and methods. Hard Code provides engineering services so our customers can focus on their business processes.” Services provided are: strategic consulting to ensure customer success, identifying the product strategy, developing a product roadmap, costing, then rapid prototyping and product development like designing custom PCBs, developing firmware, ensuring cloud and app connectivity, and managing volume manufacturing to help launch unique products.

We work with entrepreneurs to solve the world’s biggest problems by leveraging the latest Iot developments.
_{Szabolcs Erki, Hard Code}

Visit hardcode.agency/ for more information.

Netnow: The Milestoners

“Our agency provides a wide array of services depending on each client’s needs toward their IoT project but, usually, all our projects start with the ideation phase and end with the industrial certifcation phase,” says Matthieu Boussemart, CEO and cofounder of Netnow in Paris, France. “If our client’s idea is very mature, we focus on the production part of the project. Either that or the idea isn’t mature and we begin with the concept and its associated specifications.” Netnow started business in February 2018 and has worked with several partners in various fields such as smart logistics, Health 2.0, and smart cities. Recently, Netnow signed with Tankyou, a start-up aiming at the disruption of the gas station market, using connected devices. The system links to their fuel trucks, which are always on the move, to direct them to individuals and companies that have run out of gas and need a refill. It also prevents theft through live-tracking of its fuel-carrying vans and tankers.

During our partnership, since we view our clients as partners, we work on three main milestones: the hardware production, the software development and the intelligent system.
_{Matthieu Boussemart, Netnow}

Visit netnow.eu for more information.

SAUCE: The Software Developers

“We specialize in the software associated with IoT projects,” explains Matt Gibson, COO and CFO at Sauce, in Hull, UK. “We take an idea from its initial concept to delivery. Whether the client requires its hardware to be based on mobile, tablet, or desktop, or if they require a cloud solution, middleware, API integration, we write the code. We work with some of the largest companies in the world and for some disruptive start-ups. We have worked across industries such as fintech, green energy, logistics, education, home energy, and many more. Our focus is to help these businesses apply digital to their industries,” he adds.

In three years we have grown from three cofounders into an award-winning Iot agency currently with a team of 30.
_{Matt Gibson, SAUCE}

Visit www.wearesauce.io for more information.

Sigfox: The Partner Managers

“If you are struggling to find the partner you desire for Sigfox 0G, speak with the Sigfox IoT Agency,” explains Stéphane Pâris, IoT Agency projects director for DACH at Sigfox, in Grasbrunn, Germany. “We have the expertise and experience in handling IoT projects from business assessment up to industrialization and mass production. We can provide you with access to many new potential partners thanks to the breadth of the Sigfox partner ecosystem.” In IoT project management it is very difcult to identify the right partner for the project when there is no experience of working with any of the potential partners before. “This ‘leap in the dark’ is all the more likely on an Internet of Things project. Because IoT projects usually involve many new technologies and developments, they can often require a whole new partner network. We help customers to bring all partners together,” he adds.

We are the Iot agency at Sigfox 0G, the network provider, and know all major projects in this area. Even though the specification is now an open standard, OEMs have to certify their products and they need a unique ID.
_{Stéphane Pâris, IoT Agency projects director for DACH, Sigfox}

Visit sigfox.com for more information.

Next Big Thing: The Company Builders

“Next Big Thing (NBT) supports companies on their quest to explore business innovation options with IoT and blockchain. As a company builder, start-up studio, and think tank, NBT is a successful co-innovator and cofounder,” says Falco Schuett, director of marketing and partnerships at NBT, in Berlin, Germany. “Medium-sized companies and corporations alike work with NBT to validate revolutionary tech ideas. In combination, the corporate domain experts and NBT’s technical and implementation expertise create the foundation for accelerated development of joint ventures. This is a prerequisite for the realization of low-risk innovations in high-complexity technology. In their role as cofounder, the team at NBT continuously develops new business models, checks the market fit, and accelerates the best business ideas.” Falco Schuett also has some advice for companies starting an IoT project: “Most corporates face challenges like a lack of IoT expertise, a shortage of software-related labor in hardware, frmware, and software execution capabilities, or limited agility and flexibility. Determine whether your idea is best suited as a short-term project, a product, or potentially a completely new revenue stream.”

NBT acts at the nexus of a continually growing ecosystem of corporates, founders, technologists, entrepreneurs, investors, and politicians.
_{Falco Schuett, Director of marketing & partnerships, Next Big Thing}

Visit sigfox.com for more information.

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