9 Tech Companies Leading The IoT Charge

The Internet of Things is going to be an incredible journey for tech companies both big and small. Smartphone technology created a wonderful new market for small application developers, and the same will happen for IoT development. Yet while the IoT space may one day be dominated by a series of small software startups, the initial groundwork will be laid by a few tech giants.

Apple and Google had to create the smartphone before app developers were able to develop software for it. The same holds true for IoT. It's the major technology companies that will set the course in terms of underlying protocols infrastructure, analytics and the first wave of IoT hardware and software. If a sound framework is established, the future of IoT is limitless.

Despite what some may say, IoT is not yet here. Sure, there are solutions that perform IoT-like tasks, but as a whole, the IoT industry has not yet solidified. In order for IoT to truly take off, standards must be formulated and agreed on. By creating an underlying IoT platform that operates on a standards-based architecture, you have a modular solution where all components are interoperable and highly portable. IoT developers then can build applications around these IoT standards. Without creating a framework, we're stuck with a mishmash of architectures that are incompatible, inefficient and insecure.

On the following pages, we'll look at nine IT vendors that are expected to take a leading role in providing a roadmap for IoT. These are the companies that will either work with -- or against one another -- to develop the communications protocols, standards, embedded chips, operating systems, data security and first-generation IoT technologies for the world. Continue on to find out what each company is working on and why it's so critical to establishing a roadmap for the future of the Internet of Things.

To learn more about IoT and its impact on IT, attend the Internet of Things Summit at Interop Las Vegas this spring. Don't miss out! Register now for Interop, May 2-6, and receive $200 off.

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