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Articles by Bart Schouw
The Hidden Tax on Every IoT Project—And Why Business Leaders Should Care
A few months ago, I was called in to discuss an IoT business case with the leadership of a prospect that had been waiting—patiently, they told me, but impatiently, I could tell—for their home build connected asset program to deliver on its promise. The use cases were well-defined. The ROI model looked compelling on paper. And yet, somehow, the data still wasn't flowing the way it needed to. Their engineers were buried.
Before the Wall Falls: Rail’s Digital Reckoning
Preparing a presentation on the Internet of Things (IoT) in asset management for an executive rail infrastructure audience does something unexpected to you—it forces you to confront not just the technology, but the human cost of its absence. The deeper I dug into the research, the more I realized the story I was building for that room demanded a wider audience. What follows is the article that preparation forced me to write. The incidents and data woven through this piece are European.
The Dawn of the Agent Era: From Prompt Engineering to Digital Orchestration
Old Worlds Shattering “I’ve never felt this much behind as a programmer,” confessed Andrej Karpathy, Tesla’s former director of AI, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), on Dec. 26, 2025. It sent shockwaves through the tech community. “The profession is being dramatically refactored as the bits contributed by the programmer are increasingly sparse and between,” he continued. Karpathy’s words capture a profound moment of transformation—not just for developers, but for the entire digital landscape.
The Edge AI Evolution: When Vision AI Meets IoT Intelligence
A Personal Perspective on Industrial Safety’s Next Chapter A few months ago, I was on a call with one of our partners who had just returned from a large construction site in Dubai. They were implementing a worker safety system, and the site manager had walked them through their setup—RFID tags clipped to every hard hat, sensors detecting man-down situations, geofencing alerts when someone entered a hazardous zone. Impressive technology, yet the site manager, my partner told me, seemed frustrated.
The Future of IoT Platforms in the Age of AI Coding: A Strategic Crossroads
The rapid emergence of AI-powered code generation tools has sparked fundamental questions about the future of specialized technology platforms, particularly in the Internet of Things (IoT) domain. As generative AI (GenAI) democratizes software development, we stand at a critical juncture: Will traditional IoT platforms become obsolete, replaced by on-demand generated applications, or will they evolve to maintain their strategic relevance?
IoT Fleet Management - Navigating the World of Connected Devices at Scale
When most people hear "fleet management," they immediately think of trucks, delivery vehicles, or rental cars being tracked and maintained by a central organization. Traditional fleet management involves tracking vehicle locations, monitoring driver behavior, scheduling maintenance, and optimizing routes—all to maximize operational efficiency and minimize costs across distributed physical assets. Today, a parallel concept has emerged in the technology world: IoT Fleet Management.
NIS2: Another European Game-Changer for U.S. Manufacturers
Picture this: You're a U.S. manufacturer who just finished adapting to the European Data Act, breathing a sigh of relief. Not so fast. Enter NIS2 (Network and Information Systems Directive 2), Europe's latest regulatory powerhouse that's about to reshape the cybersecurity landscape for manufacturers worldwide. Do you still remember SmartTech Manufacturing Inc. from our Data Act discussion (See my previous article)? Their journey just got more interesting.
The European Data Act: Why U.S.-Based Manufacturers Should Pay Attention
Imagine SmartTech Manufacturing Inc., a thriving, U.S.-based company known for its cutting-edge industrial robots equipped with remote monitoring and predictive analytics capabilities. For years, it has dominated the European market, prides itself on proprietary software, and safeguards its data analytics.
Are We at the Dawn of Cognitive Cities?
In an era marked by rapid urbanization and technological advancement, the concept of smart cities has captured the imagination of urban planners, technologists, and policymakers worldwide for over a decade. As cities grapple with the challenges of accommodating growing populations, managing resources efficiently, and improving quality of life, a new paradigm is emerging that promises to revolutionize urban living: the cognitive city.
The Secret Sauce of Amazon's Just Walk Out Seems to be Humans After All
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology seemed like the epitome of futuristic shopping when it debuted at Amazon Fresh stores. I, like many, was thrilled about the potential of advanced AI transforming the shopping experience. The idea of simply grabbing items and leaving without the hassle of a traditional checkout process was a game changer. I believed that the technology arm behind these stores, Amazon Web Services (AWS), was at the forefront of AI innovation.
Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI in IoT
For the past year, my team has been exploring the value that generative AI can add to Internet of Things (IoT) platforms. The reason is simple: as IoT continues to evolve, addressing challenges related to mass connectivity and device management, the need for a forward-looking perspective on the future of IoT platforms becomes more apparent. Use cases like predictive maintenance indirectly highlight this need for advanced functionality.
Unlocking the Potential of IoT: Expanding the Definition of Enterprise Integration
My first encounter with enterprise integration dates back to the early 2000s. Remember those days when Enterprise Service Buses (ESB) emerged as the antidote to the convoluted labyrinth of closely interconnected applications? It was the era when architects sought structured approaches to transform the tangled web of point-to-point links into a more coherent system—akin to shifting from spaghetti to lasagna, if you will. This marked the early definition of enterprise integration.
IoT Alliance: Cumulocity IoT & AWS for Customer Solutions - Software AG
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, gaining a comprehensive understanding of end-to-end operations has become paramount. The Internet of Things (IoT) has opened up a realm of possibilities for businesses across diverse industries, enabling them to tap into the full potential of their assets. By establishing an interconnected ecosystem of devices capable of seamless data exchange, IoT empowers organizations to unlock invaluable insights into their operations.
Breaking the Cycle: Embracing a Buy-and-Build Approach for IoT Implementation
If you wait long enough, everything comes back into style. This timeless principle not only applies to fashion, but also to software development. The technology preferences in the industry have been swinging between bespoke solutions and platform-based solutions due to emerging technologies and their challenges. As someone who has been in the industry since the 1990s, I’ve witnessed these shifts firsthand.
Effective Device Management for IoT Success - Software AG
When embarking on an IoT initiative, it’s easy to get caught up in the grand vision of the data-driven, automated, and innovative future it promises. But many organizations often underestimate the critical role that robust device management plays in the IoT success of their projects. Without well-defined processes and a reliable platform for onboarding, configuring, monitoring, securing, and managing connected devices, IoT deployments fail to get off the ground.
Machine Customers: IoT Transforming Businesses - Software AG
In the near future, your customers won’t just be people — they’ll be machines too. Back in 2015, I wrote about the evolving role of virtual assistants. Today, driven by IoT, Integration, and Generative AI, this topic has resurfaced with even greater interest. Gartner’s publication of a book on the subject, coining the term “Machine Customers” for the new generation of Virtual Assistants, exemplifies this renewed focus.
IoT in Manufacturing: Seizing the Opportunities Amid Challenges | ManufacturingTomorrow
As businesses across various sectors transform their manufacturing and distribution processes, we are entering a new era of smart manufacturing. This seismic shift is often called "Industry 4.0", representing the culmination of manufacturing's digital evolution. Now more than ever, manufacturers are integrating new technologies, such as IoT, cloud computing and analytics, and AI and machine learning into their production facilities and operations.
Overcoming Barriers in IoT Adoption for Industry 4.0 - Software AG
When the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) first emerged, bold predictions projected the connection of 50 billion or even trillions of devices by 2020. These extremely high estimates fueled hype but ultimately proved unrealistic, leading the technology into a period of disillusionment. In this article, I dive deeper into the reasons behind this discrepancy, focusing particularly on the challenges faced in adopting IoT in industrial devices.
Scaling IoT for Success by Centering your Data - Software AG
The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. For manufacturing and industrial enterprises, IoT has enabled innovative new solutions to improve operations, from introducing smart equipment to condition-based and predictive maintenance to smart logistics. Organizations are now moving beyond experimenting with and piloting solutions and deploying IoT at scale.
Six Cybersecurity Questions for Your IoT Partners - Software AG
CO-AUTHORED BY SARAN GOVINDARAJAN Many of the topics we have addressed in our cybersecurity posts apply to a wide range of IT deployments. There are two main considerations that apply especially for Industrial IoT applications, from Smart Connected Products to Smart Cities. First, as the number of devices involved in a deployment scale and the volume of data grows exponentially, the requirements to maintain security in IoT grow as well.
IoT in Manufacturing & OEMs: Insights from Hannover Messe - Software AG
Imagine stepping into a massive trade fair bustling with thousands of exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world. That’s the Hannover Messe, one of the world’s largest industrial technology trade fairs. After a hiatus due to COVID-19, the event made a triumphant return, showcasing the latest advancements in automation, robotics, digitalization, and more.
What Original Equipment Manufacturers Can Learn From Hannover Messe
In April, I was at Hannover Messe, one of the world’s largest trade fairs for industrial technology, which is held annually in Hannover, Germany. Due to COVID-19, the event was canceled for a few years, but this year, it was back, and, I’m happy to report, nearly at full scale. I had forgotten how massive it is. The sheer size of the event, with thousands of exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world attending each year, was truly mind-blowing.
Getting Stuck in the Maturity Curve of IoT
Do you think of your IoT projects in maturity curves? If yes, I applaud you for it. Thinking in maturity curves helps organizations to reduce complexity and to navigate through the unknown. It is a natural behavior and a sound strategy; it is the answer to how to eat an elephant. Crafting maturity curves for an industry or a technology is normally done by analysts based on insights they derive from speaking to various leading companies in a domain over a longer period of time.
The Rising Tide of AI: Advice for Creatives, the Crazy Ones, and the Rebels
In the summer of 2010, I sat down with my son and had a serious conversation with him about what he wanted to become in life. He was at a point in his education where the classes he decided to take in the present would determine what kind of studies he could pursue in the future. At that moment, as a professional with two decades of experience in the technology space, I had a front row seat to the ways machine learning and artificial intelligence were going to disrupt nearly every industry.
The Theory of Everything as a Service (XaaS)
Like Stephen Hawking’s famous musings did for the laws of the universe, everything as a service (XaaS) is about to revolutionize the way you think about the world. Offering benefits like operational agility and efficiency, XaaS will be the business model for every equipment vendor in the future. And it will be big. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global XaaS market is projected to grow $2.3 trillion in 2028. This may sound bold but think about it.
Why retail is more uncertain than ever - Software AG
Just as you thought things were going to get better after the Covid-19 pandemic, it appears that they’re about to get a whole lot worse. Inflation, skyrocketing energy prices, the cost-of-living crisis, global supply chain issues, food shortages and the war in Ukraine…. The combination of all these factors will mean that 2022, and most likely beyond, will be the most uncertain time retail has faced in a generation. Around the globe, people are already being impacted by rising costs.
Will a Product-Led Approach Start the Next Evolution in XaaS?
A product-led approach, the hot trend where you deliver your value proposition to customers primarily through your products, could be the next generation of everything-as-a-service (XaaS). Traditionally, most software companies have tended to be sales-led and, therefore, they spend a fair amount of money on marketing to fill their sales pipelines. Today, due to several technology trends such as the use of cloud as a delivery mechanism, new sales models have begun to emerge.
IoT: Be Competitive in an Ecosystem-Driven World
Digital ecosystems and IoT will help you unlock unprecedented business value, allowing you to achieve the future you desire for your company. Ecosystems are nothing new or revolutionary. What is new is that new waves of digitalization are forcing entities of all sizes and strategies to interact and operate together in an increasingly fast-changing and complex environment.
Six open banking strategy blueprints
Since open banking has moved away from the area of "check-the-box compliance” and into the area of innovative opportunities, it has also become a topic of strategic interest. In this blog, I look at open banking from the bank’s perspective. Here I will explore six different open banking strategy blueprints, along two dimensions: (1) ownership of the customer interface (internal/external) and (2) origination of banking products (internal/external/mix).
Star-Trekking Across the Metaverse
“If dreams could be sold, what would you buy?” This is how virtual reality (VR) was introduced to the masses for the first time (according to my research) on television—believe it or not, in 1991. VR suffered many limitations, and, while it was embraced by a number of geeks, it was never really able to cross the technology adoption chasm (referenced in Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore, 1991).
Is There an IoT Rainmaker in Your Company?
A rainmaker is someone who brings in lots of business to your company. Rainmakers appear across a number of industries, but what unites them is their ability to acquire affluent clients and generate significant revenue for your company.
The Broken Promise of the Connected Oven
Creating a great customer experience, the holy grail for many companies, got its start in stores. Clever retailers learned that nurturing positive feelings during the customer’s interaction could be scripted in such a way that the outcome benefited the sale. The thinking was—and still is—that a positive customer experience promotes loyalty and encourages brand advocacy.
The $100-Trillion Opportunity for IoT
May 5, 2021 Bart Schouw The full potential for companies that digitally transform is predicted to be $100 trillion by 2025. This astonishing value would be reached through the combination of digital technologies—mobile, cloud, AI, sensors, and analytics, among others. These are accelerating progress exponentially, said the World Economic Forum, but this growth can be realized only if there is collaboration between business, policymakers, and non-governmental organizations. Full Article
The Queen’s Gambit of IoT
Today is IoT Day, when those of us in the IoT community are encouraged to get together and learn from each other by talking. Now I don’t know about you, but I have some older kids, and distracting them with an invitation to sit down at the table to talk, normally doesn’t work out so well for the conversation. However, doing something together that they like and being in the moment of ‘doing’, can often open the door to talking.
The $100-Trillion Opportunity for IoT
The full potential for companies that digitally transform is predicted to be $100 trillion by 2025. This astonishing value would be reached through the combination of digital technologies—mobile, cloud, AI, sensors, and analytics, among others. These are accelerating progress exponentially, said the World Economic Forum, but this growth can be realized only if there is collaboration between business, policymakers, and non-governmental organizations.
Back to the Future-With IoT
To learn what IoT holds for 2021 and beyond, we need to go back to the future —2015 to be exact. I began having my first conversations with prospects about IoT in 2014, but it was really in 2015 that this started in earnest. Back then, I was told by our CEO to join a small tiger team to research the IoT market and come up with a winning strategy for the Industry 4.0 software space. Being a Germany-based company, it was clear that our future would depend on grabbing a big part of this market.
Getting Back to Work Safely: IoT to the Rescue
What do prison guards, dental hygienists, and barbers have in common? They all have jobs that rely on physical proximity and carry a high risk of exposure to diseases, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. At the time of writing this article, COVID-19 is still ravaging the U.S., but here in the Netherlands—my home country—we have entered a quiet period. Queues in front of shops are gone, and the signs and demarcation lines on floors to facilitate distancing have disappeared.
IoT Habit III: Put the Platform at the Heart
As a kid I loved the story of the Three Little Pigs. In case you don’t know the story, it is a fable about three pigs who build three houses of different materials. “The big bad wolf” blows down the first two pigs' houses, made of straw and sticks respectively, but is unable to destroy the third pig's house, which is made of bricks. Interestingly, many discussions that I have with prospects about applications versus platforms, in the realm of IOT, remind me of this fable.
Abu Dhabi: Street Smart
Abu Dhabi is leading the race to become the smartest city in the world. It is already considered the smartest in the Middle East, according to McKinsey. This is because of its technology base, with “a critical mass of smartphones and sensors connected by high-speed communication networks,” and its use of specific applications that can turn raw data into alerts.
Living on the Edge: Devices Evolve From Smart to Intelligent
The advent of social media, and its resultant data deluge, was facilitated by the cloud. Organizations added more storage in the cloud and did their analytics in the cloud; the cloud was the best and cheapest option. In the IoT world, devices are moving from smart to intelligent due to the advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning. However, this is now hindered due to the natural limitations of the cloud.
Never Mind Fake News, Fake Data Is Far Worse
With the furor over fake news, where the truth is massaged for commercial or political gain, the focus has gone off fake data—which can have a lot more perilous consequences. Imagine for a moment that you have an insulin pump embedded into your body. It is equipped with wireless connectivity, remote monitoring, and near-field communication technology. It is, in fact, an Internet of Things (IoT) device.
This is the Year of the Chatbots
Artificial Intelligence chatbot engines are becoming part of customer interaction in every channel, and capabilities are evolving fast. Chatbots will not only answer requests, but will engage conversation in your language of choice. With major investments made by the big guns like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, chatbots are rapidly becoming more responsive. In future, they may even withstand the Turing test for a minute or longer.
What You Can Learn About IoT from Retail Banks
If you are thinking of kicking off an Internet of Things IoT initiative, you can learn a lot from the experiences of retail banks and their adoption of automated teller machines (ATMs).
Oiling the Squeaky Wheels of Lower Prices
January 22, 2016 Bart Schouw | Software AG 2016 will be the year oil companies have to figure out how to live with lower prices—or go bust. I predict that oil companies will hunker down and find innovative ways to weather the low price storm, which appears to be far from over. The United States’ oil production boom was accompanied by a painful oil price bust in 2015, and the near future looks less than bright for oil exploration and production companies.
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