Waterstone Management Group Releases New Perspective on Rapid Growth and Future Vision of "Internet of Things"

CHICAGO - July 14, 2014 - PRLog -- The "Internet of Things" (IoT) is doing more than bringing about a new way of life throughout the world. The economic impact is on a trajectory that will bring up to $14 trillion in economic benefit over the next decade, according to a recent Cisco study. To capitalize on this exponential growth, high-tech companies are beginning to pay attention to the possibilities of delivering powerful enterprise-scale IoT solutions that will profoundly change how businesses operate, make decisions and serve customers. Waterstone Management Group offers perspectives on how to take full advantage of these exciting opportunities in the firm's latest "Point of View" paper, "Capitalizing on Opportunities Offered by the Internet of Things," available now on the Waterstone website.

"We're seeing a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of technology advances, driven by embedded intelligence, increased processing power, the cloud and Big Data," said Bill Bien, a partner at Waterstone Management Group. "The Internet of Things has already begun to offer customer service, revenue growth and value creation opportunities on a scale we haven't seen in decades, and valuation for IoT startups has increased dramatically – catching the attention of Wall Street and market leaders."

IoT, although it has been around for years, is gaining traction today for many reasons, including lower cost of sensors and actuators, more pervasive wireless connectivity, and big data platforms that can deliver a deeper understanding of the large amounts of data that IoT implementations generate. Going far beyond simple connectivity, IoT's true potential lies in the analytics and enhanced decision support that it enables.

"The Internet of Things represents a fundamental shift in how we view computing," said Hubert Selvanathan, Waterstone Management Group Principal. "With more and more distributed computing capabilities, IoT now creates the possibility of a connected world with things like smart homes, smart automobiles and smart factories, wearable technology, and intelligence built into virtually every aspect of everyday life.  The potential for value creation is driving entrepreneurs and industry leaders from areas such as retail, software, semiconductors, smart grid, hardware, and telco to the Internet of Things playing field."

Technology executives will benefit from IoT in two distinct ways: improved monetization of target markets, and improved efficiencies in the supply chain and distribution channels. Drawing on the enhanced analytics made possible by IoT data, companies are achieving a deeper understanding and closer relationships with their customers, with increased share of spend and average revenue per customer contributing meaningfully to the bottom line. At the same time, IoT has already begun to drive greater supply chain efficiencies, both in individual devices and in fully distributed systems.

About Waterstone Management Group

Waterstone Management Group was founded in 2003 with the mission to transform technology and service businesses.  To serve business leaders and private equity investors who share our view of the technology industry, we formed a specialized, expert-led firm which combines strategic advisory services and executive-level operating experience.  We work collaboratively with senior management, corporate boards, and investors to address issues related to driving growth, margin improvement, and assessing incremental business expansion/investment opportunities.  For more information about Waterstone, please visit waterstonegroup.com and follow the firm on Twitter (@WaterstoneMG).