Harman, VMware join to boost IoT adoption for enterprises through convergence of IT, operational technology

Harman, a connected technologies company for the automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, and VMware announced Wednesday a collaboration to deliver simplified and specialized Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for enterprise customers in industrial, retail, building management, automotive and energy efficiency industries.

By integrating Harman’s line of over-the-air (OTA) software updates, sensors, gateways and analytics services into VMware’s IoT solution, the partnership will help deploy, secure, manage and monitor IoT infrastructure at enterprise scale to streamline industry-specific IoT use cases.

This new collaboration between Harman and VMware will help Communications Service Providers (CSPs) add new offerings and expand revenue streams that will further enhance the IoT user experience and the delivery of innovative services.

Harman’s OTA update solutions paired with the VMware vCloud NFV platform and end-to-end IoT operational management solution is designed to deliver a fully elastic and optimized network infrastructure that allows operators to expand their services into new markets as they transform network architectures towards 5G.

The combined solution will enable CSP’s to provision and launch innovative services through a fully virtualized mobile core network such as prioritized connectivity such as emergency calling, communication and video conferencing and infotainment with high-definition quality, leveraging simplified operations management, policy control, and self-provisioning.

In addition to supporting new telecom services and automotive enterprises, HARMAN and VMware’s combined IoT offering is designed to help other vertical markets achieve their innovation objectives quicker and more effectively.

The retail sector can understand in-store shopper behavior, determine the efficacy of store displays, enhance floor navigation paths, monetize hot zones with personalized coupons and optimize inventory. The industrial sector can enable factory automation and management, including predictive maintenance using vibration sensor analytics; Smart buildings can better optimize energy usage, space utilization, and meeting room occupancy with higher real estate ROI and enhanced occupant comfort; and automotive segment can simplify the update and monitoring of automotive end points using Harman OTA and VMware’s IoT management platform solution.

The Internet of Things is here today and companies globally are already investing in, and seeing ROI from IoT. IDC predicts that the worldwide Internet of Things market spend will grow to $1.29 trillion in 2020 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6 percent and the installed base of IoT endpoints will grow from 12.1 billion at the end of 2015 to more than 30 billion in 2020.

As companies race to implement IoT strategies, they will require complete solutions that focus on specific market segment requirements. IT and operational teams will also have to address massive scaling and management requirements to deliver maximum value and the best possible experience.

“As industries ramp up efforts to adopt IoT, this one-of-a-kind offering allows enterprises across all verticals to benefit from simplified solutions that elevate their services to a more sophisticated and innovative degree,” said Sanjay Dhawan, president, Harman Connected Services. “Harman and VMware’s complementary IoT offering will change the landscape for non-traditional technology companies, providing them with new growth opportunities that will set them apart from their competitors.”

“While businesses look to adopt IoT into their organizations and offerings, the efficient management and security that IT brings is necessary for IoT to reach enterprise grade and scale,” said Mimi Spier, vice president and head of business development, GTM strategy and marketing for IoT at VMware. “Through our collaboration with HARMAN, we are working to bridge the gap between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), helping companies across many industries maximize the full potential of IoT through seamless integration with their IT infrastructure.”


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