Talk of connecting toasters and crockpots to the so-called Internet of Things has left business owners largely confused about the buzzword, according to a Microsoft executive.
While the trend is a "huge opportunity" for integrators and resellers, there is still plenty of confusion among business executives, said Microsoft's general manager of IoT, Barb Edson.
"They're at home thinking about the connected refrigerator and the toaster and how do I relate that to my implementation, to doing something tangible with IoT within my enterprise. So largely they're confused," she said.
While the trend is a "massive buzzword" getting attention from vendors and the press, plenty of business people are scratching their heads.
"With recent conversations with Australian companies, they're excited, but they don't know quite what to do about it," she said.
"It's really a simple concept that's really blown up relative to all of the connectivity. It's huge. It's also super noisy. So everyone's talking about it. Mega vendors are talking about it. The press is talking about it. It's become kind of a consumer buzzword as well."
While Microsoft has been relatively quiet when it comes to IoT, according to Edson, that appears to be changing.
This month Microsoft launched its new platform for managing the IoT, called Azure Intelligent Systems Service. While the system is in limited preview and not yet available in Australia, it is used in at least one high profile overseas case - the London Underground.
Edson is in Australia this week meeting Australian companies and integrators. She pointed to manufacturing as a standout early adopter - retail is another.
"Whether it be an ISV, system integrator, reseller - broadly the channel is going to have a lot of opportunity," she said.
"The market today is largely a do-it-yourself market, but we believe over time, the integrators don't want to do all the infrastructure work. They want to extend, not build from scratch."
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