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Reports and Whitepapers

For more general information and insight into Smart Systems and the Internet of Things, please feel free to look at our Reports page.

Archived Posts

• Smart Devices and Services May 7, 2013Connor DonnellyThe overwhelming potential for the Internet of Things (IoT) requires that elements like basic enablement, network connectivity, middleware services, value-added services, and other device management functions are properly functioning and well-aligned. It’s not until these elements are in place that new modes of asset intelligence, collaboration, and decision-making will be enabled. As we head down this ...
• Creative Evolution – Strategy and Business Design for the Internet of Things February 27, 2013Glen AllmendingerTo develop truly creative strategy for the Internet of Things, technology suppliers and product OEMs must begin to reconcile the world of facts with the world of perceptions.These days when we ask our clients if they believe the Internet of Things will change everything, most of the time they reply emphatically, “Yes!”.  However when we ...
• Invisible Business February 20, 2013Glen AllmendingerWe’re trying to build a future on inadequate structures from the past. For all the silicon-based “intelligence” permeating every aspect our lives, we still live in a brutally dumb world. It’s as if we’re wandering through the uncharted jungles of the 21st century with reconnaissance reports and walkie-talkies from about 15 years ago, but now ...
• Wi-Fi Drives Network Innovation For The Internet of Things January 4, 2013Glen AllmendingerWhat does the Internet of Things really mean?  Like the neurons of the brain, or ants in an anthill, the many “nodes” of a network may not be very “smart” in themselves, but if they are networked in a way that allows them to connect effortlessly and interoperate seamlessly, they begin to give rise to ...
• Where Will Value Be Created In The Internet of Things & People? December 13, 2012Glen AllmendingerValue and profitability are playing a new game of hide-and-seek. They’re still there, but not where they used to be. If you keep looking in the old places…well, you know what’s going to happen. In our research and modeling of the Internet of Things and People opportunity for clients, we have found that with only a ...
• Silicon Players and OEMs Navigating the Evolution of Wireless Sensor Networks November 8, 2012Glen AllmendingerWireless Sensor Networks – Navigating Rough Waters Why do we need to analyze these networks? After all, don’t we already have a range of wireless standards?  Aren’t the standards committees hard at work, refining and optimizing these standards?  Aren’t wireless standards already evolving and growing? The short answer is, “yes”…but if we left it at that we’d ...
• WPAN Futures – The Blind Leading the Vision Impaired October 25, 2012Glen Allmendinger Harbor Research Releases New WPAN Market Development Analysis Report The next cycle of technology and systems development in the smart connected systems arena is supposed to be setting the stage for a multi-year wave of growth based on the convergence of innovations in software architectures; back-room data center operations; wireless and broadband communications; and most importantly, ...
• Data Constellations and the Magic of Emergence September 27, 2012Glen AllmendingerIs there really an image of a bear in the nighttime sky? How about an archer, or some girls, or a big and little dipper? Across the planet and the centuries, people have seen pictures in the stars—and more or less the same pictures, too. It takes a special kind of intelligence to do that. Dogs, ...
• Can The Internet of Things Be Designed? September 24, 2012Mark Crosier“Smart Connected Systems” really means the future of information, and thus, the future of civilization. It will require a remarkably agile global network that could comfortably scale to trillions of nodes—some of them hardware, some software, some purely data, many of them coming into and out of existence or changing location constantly. Obviously, such a ...
• Re-Inventing Embedded Computing –The Advent of M2M 2.0 September 6, 2012Glen AllmendingerThe existing tools that support the development of smart networked products are not providing the full measure of value they could. Product OEMs, third party services providers and enterprise users need a unified solution framework that strips out unnecessary complexity and costs and, ultimately, leverages intelligence in devices, networks and cloud-based services. We have attached a ...
• New Relationships for a New Value Chain August 23, 2012Glen AllmendingerAs the value-chain evolves, so too must our mindsets The value-chains for non-networked devices have remained relatively consistent for hundreds of years.   From raw materials to components to finished products, the obligations of the manufacturer and their relationship with their customer essentially began and ended at the point of sale. Peer-to-peer information and network integration are changing ...
• Back To The Future – IoT & Smart Systems Evolution Challenges August 16, 2012Glen AllmendingerSeven Obstacles We Must Overcome to Realize Our Potential Many IT equipment suppliers, silicon suppliers, enterprise software players and wireless carriers have arrived to the Smart Systems and Internet of Things arena over the last two to three years.  It’s a bit ironic that after several years of trying to get away from all the narrow ...
• Creative Evolution For Smart Systems And The Internet Of Things July 12, 2012Glen AllmendingerIn times of radical change, crises of perception are often the cause of significant failures, particularly in large established companies.  Such failures result from the inability to see emergent discontinuities.  We believe this is the case with most large established suppliers of technology attempting to address the emerging Internet of Things opportunity.  Many players’ assumptions ...
• When Are We Going To Get This Internet of Things Right? June 1, 2012Glen AllmendingerThe next cycle of technology and systems development in the smart connected systems arena is supposed to be setting the stage for a multi-year wave of growth based on the convergence of innovations in software architectures; back-room data center operations; wireless and broadband communications; and smaller, more powerful client devices connected to personal, local and ...
• Who’s Developing All The Applications for 50 Billion Devices? May 17, 2012Glen AllmendingerThe Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing are combining to create new modes of asset intelligence, collaboration, and decision-making.  People, information, and technology are becoming more connected, distributed, and pervasive; enabling the convergence of the physical and virtual worlds.  While the IoT is a huge opportunity with many new market entrants who are predicting ...
• Smart Connected Systems Innovation Will Be Driven From “The Edge” May 16, 2012Glen Allmendinger  Wide adoption of smart devices and systems will take time, but the timeline is advancing thanks to improvements in underlying technologies. Advances in wireless networking technology and the greater standardization of communications protocols, particularly for hybrid networked environments, make it possible to collect data from devices and sensors almost anywhere and at any time. Ever ...
• Where Is The Money In The Internet of Things & People? May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerThe evolving vendor ecosystem that is emerging to enable the Internet of Things continues to be extremely fragmented and includes a wide variety of small emergent players. For the most part, we believe this fragmented group of players will align with larger partners, focus on vertical application solutions or “specialist” value or disappear. Meanwhile, The IT ...
• How Will The Industrial Behemoths Fare In The Era of Smart Systems? … Its About More Than Aftermarket May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerSmart Systems reposition the whole relationship of people and devices to business systems. They must be built upon across-the-board digital automation, accomplished by enabling intelligent devices to communicate with and control each other, along with a whole new generation of information tools for managing rich, vast streams of meaningful data. The goal ...
• Will the IT World Ever Really Understand the Internet of Things? May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerWhere will the IT infrastructure players land in the new world of Smart Systems? Where will the investment flow in M2M & Smart Systems over the next five to eight years and will it tend to benefit the IT players or others? Investment in Smart Systems will likely be focused on a mix of traditional IT ...
• Can The ICT “Arms Merchants” Come To Terms With The Internet of Things & People? May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerWhile the “Internet of Things” represents a market of vast potential, technology suppliers must be aware of the current industry dynamics if they are to successfully seize the opportunity. The leading IT and network “arms merchants” will all play important roles in the further evolution of information and communications technology and Smart Systems development but ...
• Winners, Sinners, & Losers – Smart Systems Competitive Dynamics May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerWho will be the winners and losers as the Smart Systems opportunity develops?  In the evolving complex world of machine-to-machine (M2M) and machine to people connected solutions, there are no vendors that have the clear leadership position that a player like Apple has in consumer Smart Systems applications. Evolving Smart Systems Ecosystems Click Here To Download The ...
• Diverse Forces Impact Smart Systems Adoption May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerEven with all the recent attention surrounding Smart Systems, we are still in the early stages of adoption. There are several supply-side and adopter-side hurdles that will need to be overcome in order for the opportunity to really gain its footing in the mainstream of business. Key challenges to be addressed include: Designing and validating new ...
• Smart Systems Drive New Innovation Modes May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerAs the price of embedding intelligence and connectivity into devices continues to fall, smart networked devices will push further and further into the mainstream.   This process is self-reinforcing making smart systems and services increasingly prevalent in our lives and businesses. To understand the future of networked information, it helps to remember that the Internet of Things ...
• It’s About All The Smart Devices Dummy May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerWe believe smart systems will drive a multi-year wave of growth based on the convergence of innovations in software architectures; back-room infrastructure; wireless and broadband communications; and smaller, powerful and numerous client devices connected to personal, local and wide-area networks.  These technologies will work together in unprecedented ways to solve smarter and more complex business ...
• Smart Systems Innovation Accelerators May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerAs Moore’s law takes over and the price of embedding intelligence and connectivity into devices continues to fall, networked devices will push further and further into the mainstream.   This process is somewhat self-reinforcing as low prices are driven by high quantities, and vice versa, making these devices increasingly prevalent in our lives and businesses.  Applications ...
• The Internet Is Becoming A Real-time Medium May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerApplications driven by machines and sensors demand that data is collected, presented, and acted upon in real time. The Web is no longer a collection of static pages of HTML that describe something in the world — it is becoming a real-time communication and information forum for interactions. The Internet is getting faster than you ...
• Waking Up To The Connected World Opportunity May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerAfter displaying signs of relative indifference for many years, people and companies across the globe are finally waking up to the fact that we are entering a new era of connectivity.  The world is rapidly evolving beyond the point of cell phone and traditional PC internet connectivity.  In this new cycle physical assets and devices ...
• Smart Energy Advances Or Does It? May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerWe have portrayed a vision of smart energy driven by real-time, interactive communication networks that provide services and are adopted in a manner very similar to the evolution of the web and the Internet. In this vision, customers and consumers would be able to see variable pricing changes in real time, supported by smart meters ...
• Pervasive Internet and Smart Systems May 4, 2012Glen AllmendingerThe Pervasive Internet and the new world of Smart Systems are ushering in an era where people, machines, devices, sensors, and businesses are all connected and able to interact with one another.  As these previously disaggregated parties come together, new modes of collaboration and intelligence will abound fostering a trend that we call “Smart Business”.   ...