Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/722826
Wireless World Wednesday, September 7, 2016 3 4 will only continue to gain momentum, companies must begin to design their products and services around IoT as the new standard. Along with the principle of putting IoT first, Johnson shares fur- ther insights for companies considering deploying IoT solutions. When IoT is baked into a compa- ny's product lifecycle, analytics becomes a more pressing issue. Johnson explains that "the best way to tackle the challenge of analytics is to start by thinking about the answers you need and how quickly you will need them." There are three basic analytics challenges to consider: whether you need real-time intelligence, batches of information or longer term trends from deeper analytics. For example, an air- line company may use IoT to visualize real-time GPS data to avoid collisions, current conditions of flight equipment or even long-term analysis of trend- related intelligence for future deci- sions. An analytics solution doesn't stand alone, of course; a company must find an IoT solutions provider that has fully integrated technology and secure sys- tems. Johnson points out that many companies can build a system, but not a holistically secure one, and a system is Aeris (Cont'd. from p. 1) only as secure as its weakest link. Security should be implemented along each step of the deployment, not as a separate component. Companies should then select a platform that cost-effec- tively delivers most of what they want and is in harmony with the public clouds. Remember to concentrate resources on the elements that will pro- vide true value and differentiation to customers. Though IoT solutions may seem complex at first, their benefits for com- panies are invaluable and they do not have to be a hassle to deploy. If all the elements of your IoT solution are not strong, then it will not work. "Those that struggle are the ones that try to execute in areas where they don't have the expertise," Johnson clar- ifies. The best tactic is to make sure you do your part successfully and get strong partners in other areas. No one can be best at everything, and a company's focus should be where they have the maximum value. Most importantly, just as IoT is evolving rapidly, companies must move to keep up. Rethink how your company and clients can use IoT, and once you have an idea, get moving quickly. For more information, stop by booth #4842 or go to www.aeris.com. continue to work on Iridium NEXT. We understand that when other satellite operators plan network replacements, backwards compatibility is not main- tained, causing customers to purchase new hardware and incur enormous labor expenses by re-installing equipment. With this in mind, we have designed Iridium NEXT so that customers will have a positive experience during the transition without service interruption. Iridium NEXT will greatly enhance the status quo, while creating an environ- ment that fosters innovation for our partner ecosystem. WW: Are there any new M2M products or partnerships coming out of Iridium? BH: In the coming months, Iridium Edge™, the company's first machine- to-machine (M2M) finished product, will be brought to market. It is fully supported by Iridium, and is in line with the company's overall strategy of making the network easy to work with, for all partners and customers. Since we understand that not all companies have hardware development expertise in house, or the business case to justi- fy it, Iridium Edge will allow these customers to skip that hurdle and go straight to market with an aggressively priced Iridium solution. Regarding new partnerships, the industry can expect to see Iridium's footprints in global asset tracking and management, agriculture and oil and gas to continue to expand. WW: Growth in satellite-based M2M solutions is expected to continue to increase for many years to come. How will Iridium tackle this demand in com- parison to competitors? BH: We will tackle this demand by focusing on empowering our extensive Iridium (Cont'd. from p. 1) partner network. We do not offer appli- cations that compete with our partners, and we support them as they sell to end-users. Our constellation is the most optimized network for satellite M2M, with pole-to-pole coverage, low laten- cy, high throughput messaging and small form factor devices, all at afford- able pricing. Additionally, Iridium Edge will complement our current Short Burst Data (SBD) modules, and provide customers with a ready-made hardware solution that can lower their cost to enter certain markets, and pro- vide solutions to their clients. Finally, what positions us to meet market demands is one of our most defining characteristics: reliability. Unlike Geostationary orbit (GEO)-based sys- tems, our mobile satellite redundancy provides blockage mitigation and the constant reliable connectivity neces- sary in the M2M industry. WW: What are the key differentiators of Iridium's network? BH: Iridium is ideal for satellite M2M solutions because of the many advan- tages the network offers. Our satellites operate in low-Earth orbit (LEO) using L-band spectrum, which provides lower latency and greater signal strength. As an MSS operator with a constellation-architecture of 66 satel- lites, we offer truly global coverage, with continuous line of site, without the restricted line of sight experienced with GEO networks. Iridium offers M2M services to many industries, especially those that need to reliably monitor and track mobile assets globally. We make it easy for our partners to develop dual- mode solutions capable of switching between terrestrial and satellite net- works to stay connected while manag- ing costs. For more information, stop by booth #5632 or go to www.iridium.com. help them effectively manage returned goods. Since we've already experienced the evolution of asset management in our PC group, and manage returned assets for brands such as HP and Lenovo, I feel we offer knowledge that can help bring mobile partners that same maturity more quickly, and thereby optimize their finan- cial recovery associated with these goods. WW: What is your company most proud of? PS: Our company has been built on a record of delivering successes to our clients. Twenty years ago we were just a group of people trying to scratch out a living by buying defective PCs and refur- bishing them. Today we have five loca- tions, nearly half a million square feet, and over 1,200 employees managing returns for HP and Lenovo. WW: Are you launching any new prod- ucts this year? If so, what? PS: Since we remanufacture something that has already been produced, we aren't so much 'launching' as offering expanded capacity and capabilities. TSSI has spent this past year focused on enhancing our service capabilities for mobile products. This includes increas- ing production capacity as well as enhancing our cosmetic capabilities to bring products closer to a 'like-new' condition. Many companies focus on making a unit functional, but TSSI brings a refurbished product back to or close to an A-Grade condition, thus allowing clients to increase resale by more than 30 percent. This is a sizable increase in recovery and is thus a key TSSI (Cont'd. from p. 1) area of focus for TSSI. WW: Who are your target customers? PS: Ideal clients range from manufactur- ers and warranty providers to retail repair shops. Our goal is to become an exten- sion of our clients' asset recovery process by providing cost-effective, revenue- maximizing solutions to whomever that client might be. We're accustomed to providing services on both a contract basis as well as one-time events. We're equally adept at managing run-rate returns and product recall or rework proj- ect. I'm more concerned with a client's need to have an intelligently structured asset management program than with a potential client's volume for us. WW: How do your products or services help your customers compete in their marketplace? PS: This is where TSSI really brings value because our services are designed to maximize recovery on goods that many people perceive as undesirable, yet are still potentially tangible assets on a company ledger. We have processes that can expertly manage returned goods from the beginning of the returns process through to final disposition. Our services can be separated out or bundled together on an as-needed basis to suit the unique requirements of each individual client. Some clients only require broken glass LCD/LCM service while others may want whole phone refurbishment, kitting and fulfillment services. TSSI strives to proactively provide clients with revenue maximizing solutions to their unique asset recovery needs. For more information, stop by booth #568, visit www.tssius.com or call 866.447.6872. and pre-order your Hammer Test at the show. Nitro Glass isn't just Hammer Tested. In independent third-party lab testing, Nitro Glass, Zagg and Tzumi were all subjected to a steel ball weighing 128 grams dropped from one meter high. The only product to pass the test by sur- viving 10 drops was zNitro's Nitro Glass. Tzumi survived two ball drops and broke on the third. Zagg's glass failed to protect at all with the phone itself breaking on the first ball drop. You can ask to see a copy of the test results when you stop by the booth or view them at blog.znitro.com. When asked about the test results, company President Greg Norris said, "We believe these tests show Nitro Glass is the new standard for tempered glass protection and encourage retailers and customers alike to demand independent lab testing to ensure they are getting value for their hard-earned dollars." zNitro (Cont'd. from p. 1) In addition to the ruggedness of its product, zNitro goes to great lengths to reduce the environmental footprint of its products. Using soy inks on certified paper, there is little plastic in the packag- ing, making it a leader in an Earth-friend- ly plastic reduction in the world of con- sumer electronics. So what's new for customers to see at the show this year? Curved glass for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge that is case friendly sets Nitro Glass apart from com- petitors' glass, as well as its new design for the upcoming iPhone. Remember the study that showed some cell phones are 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat? Well, Refine screen cleaner is being launched here at the show and easily solves any dirty phone issues you may have. It kills up to 99.9 percent of the bacteria on any surface. It comes in a paper box branded similarly to other zNitro products. For more information, stop by booth #1868 or go to www.znitro.com.