StayLinked flags IIoT channel opportunity

The channel is always looking for opportunities to extend their portfolios and the industrial internet of things (IIoT) market is being flagged as an area where partners can start to make a difference.

One of the main challenges has been linking legacy technology with more up-to-date digital offerings, but with more tools emerging on that front, this is being seen as a moment for IIoT to bleep louder on the channel radar.

One of those leading the charge is StayLinked, which has cut the ribbon on its Evolve offering, a no-code integration platform that channel partners can use to bridge the gap with legacy terminals and warehouse technology.

Padraig Regan, StayLinked’s chief product officer, said that as customers have looked to increase their digital activities, opportunities for the channel around IIoT have emerged.

“Every year there is more pressure on customers to do more, innovate more and improve more,” he said. “Those customers turn to the channel to supply those solutions.” he said.

Regan said opting to ignore or drag your heels on IIoT was not a smart option for the channel because it was an opportunity they could already be missing out on.

“If a reseller isn’t specialising in IIoT, they are certainly competing against it,” he added. “We built StayLinked Evolve because every reseller selling mobile devices is under pressure to add more to their offering because the margins selling hardware exclusively aren’t enough to keep a business viable.”

The firm is also hoping its no-code approach will make life easier for partners that want to be able to demonstrate a proof of concept to customers quickly, without getting bogged down in expensive testing with legacy proprietary systems.

“With Evolve, resellers are able to sell solutions that leverage a customer’s existing investment,” said Regan. “This means that every reseller now has the capability to enhance what they offer without needing programmers, roboticists, or creating entirely new business units.”

StayLinked is pitching Evolve as another source of revenue for partners, particularly those that would have relied on hardware sales for most of their business.

Others have also been keen to get the channel in front of more industrial customers, with Schneider Electric encouraging partners over the last couple of years to take advantage of the opportunity that is emerging around the convergence of IT and OT (operational technology).