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MAIN PANEL
- Think Pervasive
ZigBee™: The Wireless Device Networking Enabler Arrives.
- About Harbor
Who we are and what we offer.
- SmartSphere® “Living Business Intelligence”™
Harbor’s innovative online service is a totally new kind of research experience. It supports almost any type of project. Our earlier Pervasive Internet Report, for example, has been replaced and enhanced by our SmartSphere® “Pervasive Internet Suppliers” project.
SIDE PANEL
All issues of Harbor “Currents” are archived
on the Web.
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| Technology
suppliers: We want you in our Knowledge Base
If your company has anything to do with Internet-enabled devices or
M2M (from sensors to services), we want your full profile in the Knowledge
Base that drives our online SmartSphere® projects on M2M and the Pervasive Internet (PDF, 224 KB). In addition to
our regular subscribers,
nearly
700 business and high-tech
journalists
have
full
access to
this ever-growing relational database of companies, products and events.
There is no cost to your company, but we do need
your help. Please download
our company profiling form—a Microsoft
Word document with fields
that you can easily fill out on screen. Complete the form
and email it to us to start the process. We’ll follow
up for additional information, if needed. When complete, we’ll
send you an attractive PDF file of your profile that you can use
for
your own
purposes.
Of course, your PDF-based profile will be a static
document. But users of our online SmartSphere® projects will see your company and
its
information dynamically—as part of graphical sector and venue
maps, and in auto-generated links to other records in the database,
such as other companies and ongoing events related to you and your
products or services. |
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Suppliers and Adopters: We want your Press Releases
If your company emails press releases about Pervasive-related events, put
us on your list at pr@harborresearch.com.
We’ll include your announcements in the events-tracking of our SmartSphere® projects, linked to a databased profile of your
organization. (You can help us create a good profile by filling out our company
profiling form.)
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| We welcome distribution of our PDF-format white papers, diagrams, and “Currents” essays under the following conditions:
- Whether in digital or printed form, all PDFs must be used exactly as supplied, without modification, and with the Harbor logo and contact information intact.
- If a Harbor PDF file is made available on your Web site, your link to the file must include attribution to Harbor Research, Inc., and this attribution must be linked to harborresearch.com. In addition, please notify us that you are posting the file.
- If you quote from any piece of Harbor writing, or refer to the information in any Harbor diagram, you must credit Harbor Research, Inc. with a link to harborresearch.com.
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Our free white papers reflect both our
research activities and our consulting.
“Think
Smart, Think Connected: Maintaining
Competitive Advantage in an Open, Connected Landscape” (August,
2003)
EU Corporate Leaders Meet in Paris to Discuss
New Business Opportunities of a Connected World. PDF
format, 220 KB.
“Let the Circle Be Unbroken: How Device Networking
/ M2M and the Internet Will Automate the Global Enterprise” (July,
2003)
Direct and easy to understand, this paper is an excellent introduction
to the Pervasive Internet and the many ways in which wired and wireless
device communication will completely automate global business. PDF
format, 392 KB.
“Core Network Providers:
Can They Escape the Commoditization Spiral?” (June 2003)
Today, core connectivity providers are in a declining-profit commodity
business and suffocating under mountains of dot-com build-out debt.
Meanwhile, a vast source of future growth
and revenue—device
networking / M2M—lies just outside their human-centric
blinders, along with the chance to adopt a truly 21st century business
model: that of the enterprise-automation “infotributor.” PDF
format, 740 KB.
“The ‘Always On’ Pervasive
Internet: Why Broadband Means More Than Bits” (January,
2002)
The buzz about broadband always emphasizes bandwidth and human-centric
applications such as video-on-demand or voice-over-IP. But for the
device-centric Pervasive Internet, broadband’s virtue is not its
bandwidth but the fact that it’s “always
on.” PDF
format, 180 KB.
“Catalytic Strategy:
Hasten Change, Shape Your Industry” (January, 2002)
In chemistry, a catalyst is an agent that speeds up the reaction
that produces a desired compound.
In high-tech business, the relentless rapid
change can be unnerving, but trying to
resist it
will only
get
you
hurt.
In fact,
it’s
often
a good idea to speed it up—and then use the resulting
disruption and momentum to your advantage. To do so, find a way
to become a catalyst yourself, or find a business ally to be a
catalyst for you. PDF format,
180 KB.
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Our popular Pervasive Internet diagrams are
vector-based PDF files that look great at any screen size or printer
resolution.
Pervasive Internet Venue
Map
Now you can see the entire Pervasive Internet laid out on a
single page—segmented
by market, service opportunities, and example devices.
Click
here to download our Pervasive Internet Venue Map.
Device Networking Hierarchy
Some Internet-connected devices are mobile, others are stationary. Some,
like PDAs and mobile phones, deliver full value only when given complete
human attention. “Pure” Pervasive Internet devices get no direct
human attention at all.
In this diagram, we place devices along the
“human-centric” / “device-centric” continuum,
give examples of each type, and suggest deployment figures for 2005.
Click
here to download our Device Networking Hierarchy diagram.
M2M Market Landscape
Distribution of Pervasive Internet / M2M players in terms of product / services mix and scope of solution, circa March 2004. This diagram is not intended to portray every active player, nor is it etched in stone. Company position is constantly evolving.
Click
here to download the M2M Market Landscape PDF (125 KB) .
SIGNALSmart™
Technology Framework
The Pervasive Internet begins with data generated by intelligent
devices. It ends with the smart Web services that
automate and optimize manufacturing, marketing, business logistics,
supply chain, and customer service. In between, many complex,
interoperable technologies must come into play.
We created our SIGNALSmart™ Framework
to provide a clear portrait of this technology path, along with
terminology and examples for suppliers
and adopters alike.
Click
here to download our 2-page SIGNALSmart™ Framework diagram (PDF,
368 KB).
M2M Ecosystems
Potential M2M adopters are looking for a bridge across the chasm between technology innovation and real-world business value. Only full supplier ecosystems can build that bridge. This diagram uses Harbor’s SIGNALSmart™ framework to show what’s needed, and what adopters do—and do not—care about.
Click
here to download the M2M Ecosystems PDF (70 KB) .
The “Device ISP” Opportunity
Major connectivity providers have made some device-centric strides, but we’re still living in “The Telephone Age.” A huge M2M / Pervasive Internet opportunity exists for those who “own the wire” or control a piece of wireless spectrum.
Click
here to download the Device ISP PDF (400 KB).
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Our title means many
things
Invisible forces running through water. Electricity running through wires.
The many wireless signals in the air all around us. And all the things (“current
events”) that are happening right now.
“Currents” was also the title of a publication series we
did some years ago. There was no Web when we started it. Very few of
our subscribers even had email. Today we have better ways to share our
thoughts and news. But in casting about for a newsletter title, nothing
sounded better than our own legacy, so “Currents” is back.
And there’s one other reason: Mark Twain.
The passenger who could not read it was charmed with a peculiar
sort of faint dimple on [the river’s] surface, but to the pilot
that was an italicized passage ... for it meant that a wreck or rock
was buried there that could tear the life out of the strongest vessel
that ever floated. In truth, the passengers who could not read this
book saw nothing but pretty pictures in it, whereas to the trained
eye these were not pictures at all, but the most earnest of reading
matter.
—Life on the Mississippi
Anyone can see the ripples on the surface of the water. The expert
eye reads the currents beneath.
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ZigBee™: The Wireless Device Networking Enabler Arrives
The wireless sensor networking phenomenon has been poised to explode, waiting for a communications standard with built-in security, scaleability, and low power consumption. Now that the ZigBee™ specification is almost finished, the vendor landscape is filling up fast. That means many new opportunities for suppliers and adopters—but new challenges, too.
Download this essay in printable PDF format (380 KB).
(See our terms of use.)
| Partial ZigBee™ Vendor Landscape - September 2004 |
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Some illustrative ZigBee™ vendors shown against the actual current density of the vendor landscape. For more information and a fully populated diagram, contact Harbor Research. (Click the image for a larger on-screen version of this partial diagram.) Source: Harbor Research, Inc.
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Highlights of the ZigBee™ Alliance Open House in Boston
We attended and spoke at the ZigBee™ Alliance Member Meeting & Open House a few weeks ago, and even though it was a sultry August week in Boston, Open House day was buzzing as though it were the height of a business season. The crowds and excitement were yet another indicator of the extraordinary potency of ZigBee™ itself and of the Alliance responsible for specifying and promoting it.
Here are a few interesting highlights from the members-only Boston meeting and the public Open House:
- Four new companies joined the ZigBee™ Alliance as a result of the Boston Open House, including Cisco Systems, bringing the total to well over 90 members.
- Sixteen vendors demonstrated their capabilities and applications at the Open House.
- A multi-vendor interoperability test worked very well, scaling to over 30 nodes per vendor in the three-vendor test.
- IEEE 802.15.4 chips are now shipping in volume (40K in one case).
The Importance of ZigBee™
ZigBee™ is to embedded devices as Wi-Fi® is to laptops. Simply put, it is the missing piece of the wireless device networking puzzle—a communications package with the security, scaleability, and low power consumption necessary for autonomous, self-configuring sensor networks.
ZigBee™ is built on the IEEE 802.15.4 global standard that specifies three license-free frequencies to support reliable, low-power device connectivity anywhere in the world. To this new radio standard, ZigBee™ adds the network, security, and application profiles layers that promise flexibility, rapid development, and global interoperability.
Zigbee™ is the missing piece of the wireless device networking puzzle.
ZigBee™ Alliance Growth
ZigBee™ has been years in the making. During that time, the ZigBee™ Alliance, an international association of many different kinds of companies, has coordinated the inputs of stakeholders to oversee the development of the official specification, along with requirements for certification and product compliance. The completed specification is expected before the end of 2004.
| ZigBee™ Alliance Membership Growth |
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ZigBee™ Alliance membership grew nearly 50% in the first six months of 2004.
Source: Harbor Research, Inc.
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The Alliance’s core “promoter” members are Ember Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor, Honeywell, Invensys, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, Philips, and Samsung.
The remainder of the Alliance’s 90-plus roster consists of participant companies that include the likes of ABB, Analog Devices, Chipcon, Crossbow, Dust Networks, Eaton, Millennial Net, NEC, Siemens, Texas Instruments, ZMD, and many others.
That “90-plus” membership number will be out of date very soon. Recent ZigBee™ Alliance growth has been nothing short of amazing. Membership has increased nearly 50% in the last six months alone.
ZigBee™ Players Aren’t Postage Stamps
Harbor Research has had a great deal of recent contact with ZigBee™ players on both the supplier and adopter sides of the equation. The more we see and hear, the more clear it becomes that the members are by no means as alike as postage stamps.
the zigbee™ space is rife with diversity of experience, intentions, and business models.
From a distance, it may look like all the Alliance’s suppliers, for example, are simply “up to that wireless sensor networking stuff.” On closer examination, you see that the space is in fact rife with diversity of experience, business models, and intentions. Both in what they propose to do and in how they understand it, ZigBee™ suppliers possess a significant variety of explicit and implicit characteristics.
And ZigBee™ adopters are even more diverse—in how they expect to deploy wireless device networks, how they expect to make money doing so, and what kind of vendor support they’re going to need to do it.
Choosing a Winning Team
ZigBee™ finally makes wireless device networking ready for the major leagues. But its rapid acceptance is also flooding the field with players. The challenge is no longer “getting a game,” but rather choosing a winning team.
For both suppliers and adopters, this means first of all understanding your own identity and priorities, your strengths and weaknesses, and where you want to go. The opportunities are nearly limitless, but opportunism without limits is often the path to brilliant failure.
Supplier Challenges
Suppliers need to understand themselves—what they really want to do, where they want to work, and where they fit best in this increasingly complex 3D jigsaw puzzle of the Pervasive Internet. It may be tempting to try to be all things to all people, but it’s usually a bad idea.
And of course, suppliers need to bring themselves to a deeply empathetic understanding of adopter needs. Unfortunately, deep customer empathy is often not the strongest suit of technologists.
Suppliers need to differentiate themselves, and develop defensible strategies for doing so. And suppliers need to build teams. No single vendor is going to do everything, even for a single, specialized customer.
| ZigBee™ Alliance Member Breakdown - September 2004 |
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ZigBee™ Alliance vendors cover the full spectrum of supplier activity.
Source: Harbor Research, Inc.
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Adopter Challenges
Adopters need to understand their own market requirements. What are you trying to achieve? Which vendors are addressing your verticals, and with what degree of compatibility? Who has the technology that blends best with your infrastructure, or with the infrastructure that you foresee yourself developing?
Adopters care about device networking because they want actionable, real-time information that will drive new business models and new growth.
This means that the generation, storage, and interpretation of device data will become inseparable from the enterprise of the future. The choice of suppliers and strategic partners is as important a decision as executives will face in this decade.
Choosing the right partners has always been essential in business. But in the utterly connected, profoundly interpenetrating world of pervasive computing and global networking, it’s a more complex and crucial process than ever before.
Download this essay in printable PDF format (380 KB).
(See our terms of use.)
Harbor Research welcomes your feedback. Send it to feedback@harborresearch.com.
Visit the “Currents” archive on the Web at:
http://harborresearch.com/currents/.
Subscribe to “Currents” at:
http://harborresearch.com/subscribe/
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Who We Are and What We Offer
New! Harbor Pervasive Internet Briefing Service
First, a few words about our latest offering, which is a unique and efficient way to harness the resources of Harbor Research: The Pervasive Internet Briefing Service. This annual package delivers outstanding business intelligence value by combining all points of contact to Harbor:
- Quarterly in-person briefings on subjects of your choosing
- All Harbor publications for a year
- Department- or business unit-wide access to Harbor SmartSphere® online tracking projects
- Phone and email access to analysts
Download a brochure on the Pervasive Internet Briefing Service (PDF, 500 KB).
Founded in 1983, Harbor Research Inc. has more than twenty years of experience in providing strategic consulting and research services that enable our clients to understand and capitalize on emergent and disruptive opportunities in high technology, Harbor Research’s clients are leaders in communications, computing, control, and content. Harbor Research has built extended relationships with larger multi-line companies including AT&T, ABB, General Electric, Danaher, Eaton, Emerson, Hewlett Packard, Honeywell, Hughes, IBM, Intel, Invensys, Lucent, Motorola, Rockwell, Siemens, and Texas Instruments, as well as with growth companies such as EMC, Cadence Design, Conexant, Qualcomm, and PTC.
We also work with a broad array of emergent start-ups and pre-IPO technology ventures. We have built relationships with a number of significant Pervasive Internet players, including Questra Corporation, Xsilogy, DataSweep, eDevice, Wireless Innovation, and emWare, to name a few.
We provide studies, workshops, briefings, research retainers, and consulting engagements of uniquely high value to both technology suppliers and adopters. For more information, please contact us.
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Your secret weapon has arrived. Announcing a totally new kind of business research experience.
Harbor’s new online platform for research services offers continually updated intelligence and stunning data-visualization.
Static, printed reports can’t track the complex ecosystems and warp-speed pace of high tech. SmartSphere® projects can.
The brains of the Web. The brawn of server databases. The beauty of a CD-ROM.
For nearly ten years, we’ve been waiting for Web media to get good enough to let us do this. It’s finally here. Harbor SmartSphere® re-invents the whole concept of delivering research value. It’s to business research what the Pervasive Internet will be to business itself: a huge injection of dynamic intelligence and sheer voltage. SmartSphere® is online, interactive, dynamic, and visualized. There’s nothing static, rigid, or dead about it. Eventually, we at Harbor will do everything in SmartSphere® that we used to do on paper, and we’ll do it better. And you can, too. in a custom-configured project of your own, SmartSphere® can be anything you want it to be.
And yes, you can get printed reports. We’ve re-invented those, too. Not fixed, one-size-fits-all printed reports, but custom printed reports that you configure and SmartSphere® creates for you on the fly in PDF format.
See SmartSphere® and find out more right now:
- Visit our free, live SmartSphere® demonstration. They say pictures are worth a thousand words. So what are they worth if they’re pictures of your whole world, and you can fly around inside the pictures with your mouse?
- Download a brochure on the SmartSphere® research platform and services (PDF, 970 KB).
- Download a brochure about our SmartSphere® “living research” projects on the M2M/Pervasive Internet phenomenon (PDF, 240 KB).
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A small portion of an interactive Harbor SphereMap™. This one portrays a company’s world. You “fly around” the map by dragging it with your mouse, bringing into focus any area you want to explore. You see a company’s peers, investors, products, and alliance-structure at a glance.
Clicking nodes fetches additional information from the database. Shift-clicking nodes creates new maps of other companies—and maps of markets, too.
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Projects, projects, projects. Ours, and yours.
SmartSphere® is an online platform that Harbor uses to deliver Web-based services. You don’t buy SmartSphere® the way you buy
a program for your computer. You buy access to one or more SmartSphere® projects. We define projects of our own on important high-tech subjects, and clients can subscribe to those projects. Clients can also define their own custom (and completely private) projects.
SmartSphere® projects are laser-focused on their subjects. No waste, no fluff, no irrelevance. A SmartSphere® project delivers continually updated information on whatever the project has been defined to track. Some of that information is created in the good old-fashioned way, by experienced researchers and analysts. And some of it is created with 21st century tools like automated news feeds and Web-based info services. Every time you log in to a project, there’s new information—freshly tracked events, new company alliances, new company and market comparisons, enhanced company, market, and technology profiles, and insightful Harbor commentary and analysis.
When you visit our SmartSphere® demonstration, you’ll see a limited version of our own “Pervasive Internet Suppliers” project. Bear in mind that the free demo offers limited information and functionality. The full “Pervasive Internet Suppliers” project, for example, was created to replace and improve our own earlier online publication, Pervasive Internet Report.
Custom SmartSphere® projects. Your secret weapon has arrived.
You’ve heard about some of our SmartSphere® projects. Now let’s talk about yours. Does your company have business development, M&A, R&D, or sales and marketing goals? We hope the answer is yes. How would you like “living business intelligence”™ on the companies that interest or worry you? Or on the markets and technologies that are defining your future? A custom SmartSphere® project is the perfect way to do that. “Living business intelligence”™ means research that is laser-focused on your targets, and continually updated for as long as you need it.
Any collection of companies, markets, or technologies can become the backbone of a SmartSphere® project. You define who or what they are. You define what you want to track about them, and how you’d like to rank or score or weight them. You define the types of cross-company or cross-market comparisons you’d like to see.
You need Flash to use Harbor’s site and our SmartSphereŽ demos. It’s free and easy. Get it here.Take action and take control.
If you’ve read this much about SmartSphere® without clicking something, it’s time to click. Here are those links once again.
- Visit our free, live SmartSphere® demonstration.
- Download a brochure on the SmartSphere® research platform and services (PDF, 970 KB).
- Download a brochure about our SmartSphere® “living research” projects on the M2M/Pervasive Internet phenomenon (PDF, 240 KB).
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