IoT Opportunities on AWS: Introducing the IoT Hardware Program and AWS IoT

The type of data we’re able to gather is changing, and the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) plays an enormous role in this transformation. IoT is bringing a world of connected devices and information online. From enterprises to startups, from consumer solutions to the most complex industrial scenarios, it is projected that some 25 billion objects may be connected to the Internet by 2020 (up from 3 billion in 2013)[1]. IoT is a growing market, and AWS provides services, security, and support to connect the Internet of Things on a global scale. There is a huge amount of opportunity in the IoT space for APN Partners to provide new and additional value to customers, from traditional hardware vendors who develop hardware and devices that are increasingly connecting to the Internet, to born-in-the-cloud ISVs developing IoT platforms for consumers and industries, and Consulting Partners helping customers understand how to harness the power of IoT to gain insights into new sources of data.

AWS IoT Hardware Program – A Foundation of ‘Connected Everything’

To address these opportunities at their foundation, we’ve introduced our first APN hardware-centric program, the AWS IoT Hardware Program, which is designed to highlight designers and manufacturers who integrate or distribute connected development hardware and are interested in helping customers connect to AWS IoT (which we’ll discuss below). Program participants can provide customers with an IoT Starter Kit, validated by AWS and ready to use to connect to AWS IoT. There are a number of benefits that Program Participants may qualify for, including early access to new features of AWS IoT and SDK for AWS IoT, inclusion in relevant sales material, and marketing support to highlight IoT Starter Kits with AWS.  Launch APN Partners include: Arrow, Avnet, Broadcom, Intel, Marvell, Mediatek, Microchip, Qualcomm, Renasas, SeedStudio, and Texas Instruments.

Learn more about the AWS IoT Hardware Program here. Interested in applying? Click here.

AWS IoT – Simplifying Connected Data in the Cloud

Moving up the stack, today at re:Invent we announced the launch of AWS IoT. AWS IoT is a managed cloud service that lets connected devices easily and securely interact with cloud applications and other devices. AWS IoT can support billions of devices and trillions of messages, and can process and route those messages to AWS endpoints and to other devices reliably and securely. With AWS IoT, your applications can keep track of and communicate with all your devices, all the time, even when they aren’t connected. AWS IoT makes it easy to use AWS services like AWS Lambda, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon S3, Amazon Machine Learning, and Amazon DynamoDB to build IoT applications that gather, process, analyze, and act on data generated by connected devices at global scale without having to manage any infrastructure. Learn more about AWS IoT on the AWS Blog.

AWS Technology Partners – Building Integrated IoT platforms

With simplified connection to the broad and deep portfolio of AWS services through AWS IoT, AWS Technology Partners are poised to quickly take advantage of the nascent and growing IoT space. By using familiar tools like Amazon Kinesis and AWS Lambda, Technology Partners can immediately integrate connected hardware data into their software, or innovate entirely new platforms to address emerging markets. Examples may include integrated hubs that provide customers with home automation functionality, reduced utility costs, and automatically reduce wasted energy, and dashboards that provide manufacturing organizations with better ordering and replenishment data, and the ability to proactively schedule equipment maintenance.

AWS Consulting Partners – Tying it All Together

Sooner rather than later, manufacturing, retail, and myriad other industry customers will be chomping at the bit to take advantage of the IoT opportunity. Current and future Technology Partners will likewise seek advice and consultation on how to best integrate connected device data with their platforms and software. Like early cloud or Big Data adopters, Consulting Partners who embrace these opportunities and jump in early may earn the opportunity to become leaders in the IoT space. In addition to skills with IoT hardware and platforms like AWS IoT, more and more customers and Technology Partners will likely seek Consulting Partners with robust big data practices to help drive additional value from the data using Amazon Elastic MapReduce (Amazon EMR), Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon RDS for Aurora, and Amazon Redshift.

We encourage you to think of how you may be able to provide additional value to your customers by addressing the growing opportunity of the IoT space. For more information on IoT on AWS, visit the main IoT page.

^{[1] Gartner Press Release, Gartner Says 4.9 Billion Connected “Things” Will Be in Use in 2015, November 11, 2014, http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2905717}