Harvey Norman adds IoT firepower to commercial business with Quantify Technology partnership

Harvey Norman's commercial division (HNCD) has expanded its lineup of internet of things products with the addition of solutions from Quantify Technology.

Quantify is an ASX-listed technology firm that offers managed IoT services and products to major residential and commercial building projects.

Its Truly Intelligent Building solution allows for real-time evaluation of environmental and risk factors, and its managed service can be used to measure efficiency of resources like energy.

The partnership will see Harvey Norman Commercial Division promote and sell Quantify products to development projects in NSW and ACT.

Quantify will also establish a demonstration facility in Harvey Norman's showroom in Sydney, as well as provide staff with training and engineering support.

Quantify managing director Mark Lapins said the deal was expected to generate sales of between $20 million and $30 million within three-to-five years.

"We see enormous potential in partner with HNCD. This agreement significantly advances our commercialisation efforts and gives us a large pipeline of residential project customers in NSW and the ACT and potentially, Australia-wide," he said.

Harvey Norman hinted at its plan to become a major IoT reseller last year through its retail stores with products such as wearables and voice devices. The retail giant sells consumer IoT from vendors such as Swann, Philips, Panasonic and Belkin.

"We see increasing demand from customers for home automation solutions and Quantify Technology, at the cutting edge, will allow us to enhance our reputation for supplying and supporting leadings brands. We think this agreement will significantly increase the value we offer to our clients."

Harvey Norman cited research from analyst firm Telsyte predicting the Australian IoT market will reach $4 billion by 2020, with each household having 29 connected devices.

The potential for more IoT devices to reach Australian homes got a shot in the arm last month, when Telstra revealed it had quietly switched on its national IoT network enabling CAT-M1 devices, a technology that allows low-power, wide-area technology to connect to a licensed spectrum, which Telstra claims is already larger than its 4G network.