Avnet today at the CES 2020 show launched a channel program through which it is looking to recruit partners to build and deploy Internet of Things (IoT) applications on top of a platform powered by a cloud platform from Microsoft.
The Avnet partner program revolves around an Avnet IoTConnect platform and a forthcoming marketplace through which Avnet will make it simpler for partners and their customers to deploy applications at scale, says Lou Lutostanski, vice president of IoT for Avnet.
While Avnet has built an IoT platform using a suite of software from Microsoft running on the Azure cloud, known as Microsoft’s Azure IoT Suite, it still needs third-party developers to build IoT applications and systems integrators (SIs) with vertical industry expertise to deploy them, says Lutostanski.
Avnet will then provide the mean through which IoT applications will be deployed, secured and managed alongside a marketplace through which it will promote adoption of IoT applications to end customers. In addition, Lutostanski says Avnet will provide access to templates and frameworks to make it simpler to build and customize existing IoT applications.
Most of the technologies Avnet is relying on to provide this service have been pulled together via multiple acquisitions made over the last few years, notes Lutostanski. For example, Avnet acquired Witekio, a solutions provider with IoT expertise, and SoftWeb Solutions, a provider of artificial intelligence (AI) software designed for IoT environments.
The distributor of electrical components and embedded systems is now looking to extend its reach by employing the cloud to effectively become a distributor of IoT applications aimed for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) application, says Lutostanski.
In general, Lutostanski says many partners and end customers fail to appreciate what is ultimately required to deploy IoT applications at scale. Avnet is providing access to all the AI, cloud and networking technologies required to deploy applications, which Lutostanski says makes it possible for partners to focus on building and deploying applications. The goal is to move IoT applications from a proof-of-concept (PoC) stage to actual implementation as quickly as possible, says Lutostanski.
The challenge is to not only provide a platform for building those applications but also an ecosystem through which operational technology (OT) and information technology ((IT) systems can be bridged.
“There’s a huge divide between OT and IT,” says Lutostanski.
Clearly, channel partners are well-positioned to bridge that divide. The challenge they face is finding a way to achieve that goal in a way that doesn’t require them to build every aspect of the underlying IoT platform required themselves.
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