Microsoft and Bosch were among the top five finishers in a comprehensive test of their IoT device management products, according to the third annual scorecard from MachNation released in early July.
The other three in the top five were lesser-known AVSystem, Software AG and Telit. MachNation classifies vendors by four characteristics based on hands-on IoT lab testing where testers determine how the software performs on 110 different workflows.
Hands-on testing is what enterprises and other organizations need to do when picking IoT cloud, edge, analytics and device management platforms, MachNation said.
“Any enterprise that has ever listened to an IoT platform vendor’s pitch knows that it’s almost impossible to understand what its IoT platform can and can’t do,” said Josh Taubenheim, technology analyst and primary author of the scorecard. “All enterprises should benchmark and test the IoT platforms…before making an IoT platform decision.”
MachNation identified the top five out of 15 management products tested when requested by FierceElectronics, but wouldn’t rank them in order publicly. Only MachNation clients have access to the full report with rankings.
The vendors’ products were rated on four categories: lifecycle management for performing common operational tasks related to managing devices or gateways; a cogent and robust architecture and security model; easy and efficient integration; and a forward-thinking business strategy on the part of the vendor, including internal resources and market presence. The top vendor scored high or above average in all four categories with a score of 82, while the lowest of the top five scored 67. Even in the top five, four of the five had at least one score of average or below.
In alphabetical order, the top five software performers were AVSystem Coiote IoT Device Management, Bosch IoT Suite, Microsoft Azure IoT, Software AG Cumulocity IoT and Telit deviceWISE and OneEdge.
MachNation said IoT application enablement and device management product revenues hit $3.3 billion globally in 2018 and are expected to soar to $64 billion by 2026 following the adoption of more IoT devices and network infrastructure.
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