The Big M2M Conversation: Wheel reinvention avoidance?

M2M Application Platforms are indeed an important move for the M2M industry. They can and do cut a tremendous amount of time and energy out of what has traditionally been a process so costly and drawn out that only a fraction of those who begin ever even get to market. Why have so many folks cut bait over the years? Precisely, as Ian suggests, because they were reinventing the wheel – starting from scratch to build their own system and totally unable to leverage the work of other systems built in parallel elsewhere. There are years of expertise available now in ready-to-use, off-the-shelf offerings that allow even non-programmers to create and demonstrate a working M2M application in a matter of hours versus the months and years it has taken in the past. Still, not all platforms are created equal. Some are device hardware-dependent. Some require lengthy consulting contracts for customization. Few natively integrate to existing enterprise IT systems to deliver enhanced value across the entire enterprise. My recommendation to those looking to leverage the expertise of industry in order to cut their time to market is to remember to ask the hard questions and take a very close look at the details.