M2M, SAP and Enterprise Mobility

I had an interesting call with the team at DSI Online this week.  They are a veteran enterprise mobility company, that integrates with Oracle and SAP, and they are also big into M2M (machine to machine) communication.  Any company involved in plant maintenance, enterprise asset management and utilities would benefit from being able to remotely communicate with machines in distant locations and monitor their operations for maintenance and repair requirements.

This week I also learned a new M2M related acronym, MBAN (mobile body area networks).  This is the acronym for wireless sensors that can remotely report on the health of the patient wearing them.  In a presentation by SAP's Mobility team in Rotterdam that I attended this week, they showed a slide that said Health Monitoring is going to be one of their mobile priorities.  Can you see the trend toward convergence of M2M and enterprise mobility?

According to recent studies by the FCC as reported by The Wall Street Journal in an article titled Medical Devices in Hospitals to Go Wireless published on May 24, 2012, an unmonitored patient has a 6% chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, compared with a 48% chance for a monitored (M2M connected) patient.  That sounds like a good ROI to me!

SAP certified partner ILS Technology has documented some good reasons for connecting M2M solutions to ERPs like SAP.  In an article, Case Study: Emerson Network Power, ILS Technology describes the requirement for M2M Monitoring.  Emerson Network Power manufactures the Liebert brand of precision cooling and power management solutions for data centers. The company provides cooling units, uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) systems, batteries, and other components that help keep data centers from overheating, and ensure that back-up power kicks in if there is any type of electrical interruption.


Large data centers are complex facilities to manage. The heat generated by the racks of servers has to be dissipated using special cooling equipment, and each device requires specialized back-up power equipment to ensure up time. Emerson manages data centers for large companies that can’t afford any type of power failure. The back-up systems Emerson provides are critical, because they can keep the equipment powered in case of a system failure or power outage, until the emergency generators can kick in. If the cooling and power systems fail, a data center could potentially lose capacity or even go offline.

The ramifications of an outage for any Fortune 1,000 company can be phenomenally costly. If a regional bank loses its ATM network, it can cost upwards of $50,000 per minute. Because of the high cost of downtime, Emerson’s customers rely on ILS Technology (an M2M solution provider) to ensure downtime doesn’t occur.

PSION's EP10

The equipment documented above can all be connected to and monitored by M2M wireless chips that can report back to EAM (enterprise asset management) systems and in turn can automatically issue service tickets to field services organizations.  See the connection between M2M, SAP and enterprise mobility?  The enterprise mobility solutions tie backend EAM, dispatch, scheduling and work order management solutions to mobile service technicians using devices like Psion's EP10.


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Kevin Benedict, Mobile Industry Analyst, Mobile Strategy Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

M2M and SAP Enterprise Mobility

I have a bandwagon.  When I get on it, I shout that enterprise mobility and M2M communications will quickly merge.  I published an article earlier today about Zia Yusuf, former SAP EVP, and his new company Streetline that perfectly demonstrates the combination of mobile and M2M technologies.  Streetline’s parking sensors report the availability of a parking spot to an iPhone app.

Machines talking to machines and then sharing that information with mobile applications are the wave of the future.  Today, Redbox (kiosk DVD movie distributors) has their computerized and M2M enabled red metal kiosks communicate with your smartphone.  You can open a smartphone Redbox application and query the availability in inventory of a particular movie within a specific distance from your location.  The GPS on your smartphone tells Redbox your location and it queries each of its metal distribution kiosks for inventory levels and reports back to your smartphone app.

Let’s now take a look at some of the session titles at an upcoming M2M conference as they hint at the relevance and importance of M2M:

• M2M for Public Services and Smart Cities
• Automotive M2M, Asset Tracking, and Telemetry
• Embedded Networking Systems in the Smart Home and Office

M2M communications impacts, public services, cities, assets, vehicles, homes and offices.  Sounds pretty ubiquitous to me.

SAP is also now involved in various parts of the M2M and smart grid discussion.  Here is a recent press release about an SAP whitepaper titled, SAP Leads the Charge for Smart Grid Adoption in Europe. 

If you question the importance of this kind of technology here is the value as described in SAP’s press release on the paper, “the pervasive application of digital information and communication technologies can help the European Union achieve its 2020 goals of increased energy efficiency, lower carbon emissions, integration of renewables and greater energy security…”  Is there a nobler goal or mission?

SAP’s commitment to this technology area is highlighted in this press release excerpt, "At SAP, we are deeply committed to a leadership role in the development and application of ICT (information and communication technologies) tools and technologies able to turn the smart grid vision into reality…”




Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Phone +1 208-991-4410
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility group on Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Kevin's M2M News Weekly - July 7, 2010

Welcome to Kevin's M2M News Weekly. This is an online newsletter that consists of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices that I read each week. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.

I believe that enterprise mobility and the M2M markets are converging. Both areas exchange wireless data with the enterprise. Both play important roles in enterprise asset management, fleet management and field services.

You can read archived editions of Kevin's M2M News Weekly at http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html.

Also check out Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly and Kevin’s Enterprise Mobility Blog.

Please send me any interesting M2M news links, market numbers, events, case studies, analyst reports or whitepapers that you come across and I will include in my newsletter. Enjoy!

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Gemalto announced on the 29th of June that it had acquired Cinterion Wireless Modules GmbH for a total cash price of €163 million. Cinterion Wireless Modules is a leader in intelligent cellular M2M communication. Frost & Sullivan believes that the M2M market will move from being a niche market to becoming a part of the mass market in the next few years. However, the M2M Average Revenue Per User will make sense only if providers are able to sell services and/or integration and maintenance.

http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=46788&t=1&c=33&cg=4&mset=

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Satellite and cellular communications firm, Orbcomc, is to build a gateway earth station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa. Orbcomm maintains its own low-earth-orbit satellite network, which provides two-way M2M communication from virtually anywhere in the world on a near real-time basis. The Orbcomm network provides near real-time messaging, tracking and monitoring, and the new facility is expected to significantly boost the M2M market in the greater Southern African region.

http://www.africanbusinessreview.co.za/sectors/other-construction/new-satellite-gateway-sa

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On July 1, 2010, Chang'an Automobile Co. Ltd signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Mobile to jointly develop 3G cars and apply M2M communication technology to the cars. This technology can conduct remote monitoring and management of the car by downloading 3G network to collect the vehicle operating data, and then deliver it through China Mobile's wireless network.

http://autonews.gasgoo.com/auto-news/1015836/changan-auto-to-develop-3g-car-with-china-mobile.html

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AT&T reached an agreement with the Current Group that will allow it to extend its reach with smart-grid solutions for utilities. AT&T will offer Current Smart Grid Distribution Solutions, which help utilities increase grid efficiency and system capacity by managing demand dynamically and reducing power delivery losses.

http://urgentcomm.com/networks_and_systems/briefs/att-current-partner-20100701/

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Everything Everywhere is aiming to increase business customers' productivity by up to 15 percent over the next three years. Four areas of focus have been identified by Everything Everywhere: M2M, healthcare, 'information everywhere' and HD Voice.

http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/News/529447/everything_everywhere_b2b_vow.html

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Numerex Corp. , a provider of M2M products and services announced that it has been recognized by Everything Channel as one of North America's top M2M technology integrators. This recognition is the result of Numerex's strategy of offering an integrated suite of products and services in support of its customers' M2M solutions.

http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=221133&Itemid=58

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AT&T’s wholesale business continues to shrink. Using their sequential (Q4 to Q1) figures, they are headed for a double digit annual revenue decline in 2010. Wholesale revenues for Verizon are trending toward a double-digit decline as well. Android will need to morph into something “Incredible” to replace business and wholesale losses at Verizon. ARPU (average revenue per user) will rise, as will prepaid customers and M2M connected devices.

http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20100629/REALITY_CHECK/100629954/reality-check-earnings-spotlight-on-consumer-data-and-enterprise

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Bluetooth Low Energy is forecasted to dominate wireless sensor network (M2M) market. Wireless Sensor Networks are all still in an emergent state, however, they are projected to grow rapidly in home and building applications. While the usual listing of home security, entertainment and lighting control, automated fire containment and alarm, burglar deterrence, etc. are all important, the application in energy use monitoring and utility management will be immense. Nearly 70% of the average household utility bill could be influenced by WSN applications.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-bluetooth-low-energy-forecast-dominate-wireless-sensor-network-/2010/07/01/4880244.htm

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Cybercom has initiated a strategic partnership with Wireless Maingate, a leading supplier of M2M solutions. The partnership entails outsourcing of application management to Cybercom in China. Wireless Maingate works on the development of M2M wireless technology so that products can be online no matter where they are.

http://www.cisionwire.com/cybercom-group/cybercom-and-wireless-maingate-form-strategic-partnership23388

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Hans Dahlberg, head of industrial services at TeliaSonera says, "Machine-to-Machine communications represents an opportunity that is potentially larger than the either the mobile or Internet revolutions.”

http://m2m.tmcnet.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/90536-smarttrust-collaborates-with-teliasonera-advances-m2m-market-applications.htm

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A good friend sent me an article over the holiday weekend about a tomato watering system that was set up to tweet whenever it needed more water. I like it! It contains a moisture sensor connected to an embedded M2M wireless device. It is a silly little proof of concept, but it helps us to understand how many unique applications there are for M2M systems.

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/07/m2m-tomatoes-fisherman-and-drug-addicts.html

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BSQUARE Corporation and the Ford Motor Company have jointly setup a Telematics Competency Center. The agreement which was signed on June 29, 2010 stipulates that the Competency Center will be staffed by BSQUARE and will focus on development and deployment of the next generation Sync in-dashboard information and infotainment system (M2M or embedded mobile devices).

http://m2m.tmcnet.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/90890-bsquare-inks-deal-with-ford-launch-telematics-competency.htm

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Wireless M2M telemonitoring devices are increasingly being used to offer assistance to diabetes patients who must manage vital blood sugar parameters at all times.

http://dataweek.co.za/news.aspx?pklNewsId=36068&pklCategoryID=42

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An ECG, which can detect abnormal heart rhythms, is usually carried out at a hospital or clinic, but Chow U-Jin, medical director at Ephone International, which developed the EPI Life, said the device is able to condense the whole ECG process onto a mobile platform, making it a life-saving gadget.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iSC36tk1MqPREb3isxLd4kd7Y9qw

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President Obama announced Friday a $795 million government program to develop broadband access in rural parts of the country. Among the beneficiaries will be 900 healthcare facilities. The FCC's National Broadband Plan estimates $700 billion in savings over 15-25 years from teleHealth initiatives. Telehealth is likely to get a boost from greater access to broadband, the FCC plan notes.

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/broadband-investments-boost-900-healthcare-facilities

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Swedish telecoms equipment manufacturer Ericsson expects that backhaul capacity in Latin America will have to increase 100 times if the region is to support what it predicts will be 5 billion M2M connected devices operating in the region in 2020.

http://www.bnamericas.com/news/telecommunications/Backhaul_must_increase_100_times_to_support_5bn_devices_in_2020_-_Ericsson

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles. ***************************************************

Kevin’s M2M News Weekly – June 30, 2010

You are reading the first edition of "Kevin's M2M News Weekly." This is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices that I run across each week. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.

I believe that enterprise mobility and the M2M markets are converging.  Both areas exchange wireless data with the enterprise.  Both play important roles in enterprise asset management, fleet management and field services.

You can read archived editions of Kevin's M2M News Weekly at  http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html.

Please send me any interesting M2M news links, market numbers, events, case studies, analyst reports or whitepapers that you come across and I will include in my newsletter. Enjoy!

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ABI Research forecasts that Wi-Fi-enabled health care products will hit sales of nearly $5 billion globally in 2014, up 70% from 2009. The increase is expected partly because of the need to provide wireless networks to support improved asset management, mobile workers, standard administration of medications and digitized records, said Stan Schatt, an ABI analyst.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135412/Wi_Fi_enabled_health_care_products_to_surge_with_electronic_medical_records?taxonomyId=1

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If you are interested in the M2M or embedded mobile devices market for consumer electronics, you may want to watch this short video on the consumer electronics segment of M2M.

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-market-overview-part-2-consumer.html

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Vodafone’s machine-to-machine business has taken 40 percent of the market since it launched the M2M division last year, it said last week.

http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2010/06/25/4869524.htm

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TMC and Crossfire Media announced that their M2M Evolution Conference will once again be collocated with TMC's ITExpo, October 4-6, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2010/06/24/4866658.htm

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In emerging markets, “device” was almost synonymous with “smartphone,” while in mature markets the “device” focus went beyond smartphones and into other devices, such as machine-to-machine readers, netbooks, e-readers and tablets.

http://connectedplanetonline.com/mobile-apps/news/amdocs-sp-role-study-062410/
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A new M2M analyst report is available on the Maximizing Wireless Profits website. M2M is a very intriguing market. It is closely related to enterprise mobility in that mobile devices (embedded mobile devices, remote sensors and monitors) are collecting and sending data back to a central server. The audiences for this report are mobile network operators (MNOs), M2M and mobile enterprise software companies.

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-growth-opportunities-for-mnos-in.html

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Gemalto is looking to insert SIM cards into mobile devices. Today the identity module–maker announced it is purchasing Cinterion Wireless, the world’s largest manufacturer of GSM machine-to-machine wireless communications modules. The combination will put under a single umbrella the two technologies necessary to make an M2M solution work: the radio module that physically connects a device to the network and the authentication and security software that allows it to transmit.

http://connectedplanetonline.com/3g4g/news/gemalto-buys-cinterion-062910/

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M2M, or machine-to-machine communication, is fast becoming a market-changing force for a wide spectrum of entrepreneurial businesses. Since launching its Emerging Solutions Group in October 2009, Sprint has worked with solutions partners to help a growing number of businesses serve customers -- and in some cases outflank their competitors -- with M2M innovation.

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http://www.marketwatch.com/story/machines-talk-together-and-transform-business-operations-with-sprints-m2m-wireless-mobility-solutions-2010-06-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp

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Machine-to-machine communications is emerging as an important growth area in wireless, but there's a battle underway over which network is best suited to accommodate the expected onslaught of connected devices.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=193336&f_src=lightreading_gnews

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Now that SAP has enterprise mobility all figured out, it is time to explore opportunities in the M2M marketplace. M2M is a vision of connecting physical things through a network that will let them take an active part in exchanging information about themselves and their surroundings over the Internet.

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/05/m2m-market-opportunities-introduction.html

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Over the next five years the market for wearable wireless sensors is set to grow to more than 400 million devices by 2014. Demand will come from the professional healthcare, home healthcare and sports and fitness markets, but these markets will develop at different speeds and will support different applications. The sports and fitness market represents more than 90 percent of the market today.

http://www.abiresearch.com/press/1460-Market+for+Wearable+Wireless+Sensors+to+Grow+to+More+than+400+Million+Devices+by+2014

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Sprint plans to open up a center to help foster the development of embedded mobile devices using a cellular connection later this year, according to a company executive. As the traditional business of providing cellphone voice and data services begins to peak, carriers are racing to stake a claim in a new area commonly known as connected devices. Sprint, which moved early in the area and pioneered a wholesale business model with Amazon’s Kindle, has since fallen behind its larger peers Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100616-710644.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines


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 Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict

***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

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