IoT Partner Programs Expand to Form Stronger Alliances to Combat Complexity of an Expanding IoT Supplier Ecosystem

In its recent analysis ranking more than 450 companies on their IoT service capabilities, ABI Research finds that IoT partner programs and their member companies are evolving their IoT offerings, with 54% of listed organizations receiving a high IoT maturity grade. IoT partner programs are ecosystems of companies focused on assembling end-to-end solutions around a supplier product portfolio. The programs streamline the IoT adoption process by enabling collaboration among hardware, software, and service providers across different technology sectors to deliver comprehensive IoT solutions for enterprises.

“IoT partner programs are critical, as supplier diversity and offer complexity is not lessening and no one company can deliver a complete end-to-end IoT solution,” says Ryan Harbison, Research Analyst at ABI Research. “Over the past year, companies like Dell and Intel continued to grow their programs to target additional verticals like manufacturing and energy. IoT partner programs ‘un-fragment’ the market for end-users and drive awareness to hardware, software and service providers that combined can deliver an end-to-end IoT solution.” 

Dell is expanding its partner program ecosystem with its series of IoT gateways, relying on partners like Action Point and Datatrend Technologies. Through a portal, Dell customers can search for the partners that will best fit their needs, based on a variety of metrics like vertical offerings and location. The initial program success is so strong that Dell aims to double its program members by the end of 2016.

Similarly, Intel’s IoT Solution Alliance continues to create interoperable, secure solutions to drive efficiencies and deliver device system performance insights. Program members like Advantech and relayr help Intel differentiate its devices and the value they provide to end users.

Partner programs drive value for parent organizations, like Dell and Intel, by expanding their ecosystem user base through their member company connections. The programs, in turn, drive value for member companies through incremental business opportunities. Finally, enterprises acquiring IoT capabilities enjoy faster time to market and potentially a more integrated solution.

“Today’s successful partner programs are the ones striking the right balance between their number of partners and the overall product offering,” concludes Harbison. “It is not about having the biggest partner program; it is about working to forge new alliances with like-minded partners across multiple sectors and consistently delivering valuable IoT services to a broad range of customers. It is about learning how to adapt in the expanding IoT universe.”

These findings are from ABI Research’s SI/VAR and Partner Program IoT Ecosystem Market Data. This report is part of the company’s IoT, IoE & M2M sector, which includes research, data, and analyst insights.