11 Ways The Channel Will Succeed With IoT — #11 May Surprise You

By Jay McBain, CEO, ChannelEyes

Since my first presentation representing IBM on Pervasive Computing in 1995, I have had a keen interest on how the market would evolve. Using my trusty Wi-Fi-enabled toothbrush as a prop, I would try to paint a picture of a world with billions of devices and sensors changing our everyday lives, disrupting industries, and ushering in the end of client/server computing.

The drivers of this ubiquitous computing model included technologies such as GPS, which President Bill Clinton created a dual-use system in 1996, and the first Wi-Fi protocol standard (IEEE 802.11) was released in 1997. Around the same time, Chinese manufacturing was exploding, redefining business models the world over. The term Internet of Things (IoT) was coined by British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton in 1999.

On the consumer side, the momentum was slow. The lack of standards, customer demand and innovation in smart home technology delayed the market for almost 20 years. Even though circuit boards could be wrapped in plastic for a few dollars — the customer experience was poor and the need wasn’t well defined.

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