Infrastructure, not gadgets, is the key to success of IoT

published 2 December 2015

While many people focus on sensors and gadgets when talking about the Internet of Things (IoT), it is the infrastructure behind the scenes that will make or break the technology, it has been claimed.

Speaking at a press conference at HPE Discover in London, Robert Youngjohns, EVP and GM of software at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), said: "When people think about the Internet of Things, they often immediately go to a discussion of sensors, smart meters, Nest controllers, cameras, because that's the interesting thing, that's always the gadget. But actually, what I think is going to make the Internet of Things come to life is the infrastructure you will need to support it."

"What you really need is intelligence ... you need software, you need analytics ... so I think, as you think about Internet of Things, you've got to think about companies that are going to build the infrastructure, the analytics, the security capabilities to support it, because that's going to actually be more important in terms of widespread deployment than the actual devices themselves."

It is no coincidence that these comments were made at the launch of HPE's new IoT devices, particularly Edgeline, which can analyse data in real time at the edge of a company's network.

Youngjohns also pointed to the company's Vertica analytics Big Data analytics software as an example of the type of infrastructure that can carry out this kind of work.

Nevertheless is not alone in this opinion, nor is HPE the only company attempting to crack the IoT infrastructure market. AWS recently announced its own IoT cloud platform and former BT CTO told IT Pro that greater insight into IoT infrastructure will provide "significant gains" as the IoT develops.

Jane McCallion is Managing Editor of ITPro and ChannelPro, specializing in data centers, enterprise IT infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Before becoming Managing Editor, she held the role of Deputy Editor and, prior to that, Features Editor, managing a pool of freelance and internal writers, while continuing to specialize in enterprise IT infrastructure, and business strategy.

Prior to joining ITPro, Jane was a freelance business journalist writing as both Jane McCallion and Jane Bordenave for titles such as European CEO, World Finance, and Business Excellence Magazine.