The IoT Ecosystem Model

For the development these are the Mechanical Developer, Electronics Manufacturing Services Provider, Electronics Developer, Software Developer, and Data Solution Developer, who base their solutions on Component Supplier, Test Provider, Software and Data Development platform Supplier, and Data broker roles. For the operations these are the Network Services provider, Computing Provider, and Support & Service. For the Usage of the IoT-enabled solution these are the Market Distributors, Service Provider, Utilizers and End Users.

It is therefore also apparent why many Product manufacturers are challenged when creating IoT-enabled solutions as they need to competences to understand, and communicate with the actors performing the roles and manage the development, operations and usage adoption process. Therefore two additional roles are introduced in the model: The IoT client advisor and the IoT contractor – both of which are inspired by the construction industry. Where both roles are used to design, plan, coordinate and manage the construction process as many building owners does not have the needed competences for all of these aspects. And at the same time does not have a comprehensive overview of the contractors and subcontractors suited for the specific building, which may have specific requirements for the masonry, carpentry, electrical installations, etc.

Similarly for IoT, the Product manufacturer, needs an advisor who can aid the process and be their partner in the dialogue with the other roles. In some cases the requirements to the solution is simple, such that the Product Manufacturer can engage directly with an IoT contractor, but this often also requires and analysis of the IoT concept with respect to technical and market requirements.

The IoT Client Advisor may assist in several tasks:

• Process Advisory – designing and planning the whole process or parts of the process
• Project Management – managing the planned process with all its suppliers, stakeholders, deliveries, communication, etc.
• Suppliers Selection – the selection of the right IoT suppliers (e.g. a selection between the actors in the different supplier roles in the ecosystem) for the different parts of the process.
• Orchestration of suppliers – the ongoing orchestration of the cooperation between the selected suppliers
• Architectural Advisory – advising on the right solution architecture of the envisioned IoT Solution
• Orchestration of deliveries – the ongoing orchestration of the different solutions parts to achieve the best possible technical integration
• Handling of an IoT Contractor – assist the Product Manufacturer in the ongoing management and control of the IoT Contractor

The IoT Client Advisor should possess a complete and current overview of the IoT marketplace with the IoT Suppliers including their primary domains and strengths.

The IoT Contractor takes the full responsibility for delivering a specified IoT Solution (or a major part of it) with all its different parts and their integration – contractually and legally – to the Product Manufacturer. Thereby, the IoT Contractor lifts the burden of the Product Manufacturer of having to deal with many part suppliers in its development process. The IoT Contractor is comparable to the “System Integrator” role known from software development.