Distributor Ingram Micro Inc. has allied with communications leader Sprint and Internet of Things solution infrastructure vendor myDevices on a new turnkey commercial refrigeration solution that allows end users to track temperature and humidity readings remotely and automatically.
Equipped with an industrial gateway and a variety of sensors, the new “IoT in a Box” offering is tailored to the needs of hospitals, pharmacies, food processors and distributors, meat packers, and restaurant chains. Many such organizations are required by government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or accreditation organizations to log refrigeration levels continuously. Automating that task can both ease regulatory compliance and reduce labor costs.
Partners of Irvine, Calif.-based Ingram can deploy trial implementations of the new systems featuring one gateway and five sensors free of charge for 30 days.
“We hear from our value-added resellers, system integrators and managed service providers about their desire and excitement to take advantage of IoT solutions. However, they are not sure where to begin in this new and rapidly growing market,” said Ingram Executive Vice President Mike Zilis in a press statement. “The free trial initiative we are offering underscores Ingram Micro’s commitment to partnering with industry leaders to accelerate our customers’ success, while also filling a gap that is prevalent within our industry.”
A reseller program for the new solution allows channel pros who register qualified opportunities to receive dedicated support from an IoT specialist. The VAR and specialist then work hand in hand to deploy the free trial, prepare a quote, and close the deal.
“Removing friction at the product level, during the sales cycle and post-installation is the ultimate goal,” said myDevices CEO Kevin Bromber in prepared remarks. “We know that end customers need automated solutions. We also know that end customers trust their existing relationships with resellers who already provide them with other IT products and services. We are confident these turnkey IoT solutions will provide an essential product family for resellers to profitably grow their businesses.”
Headquartered in Burbank, Calif., myDevices is a division of Avanquest North America Inc. that makes tools for designing, prototyping, and commercializing IoT solutions.
For resellers, the new IoT refrigeration system can be a steady additional source of recurring revenue.
“We recognize that resellers around the world have existing relationships with SMB, enterprise, and other companies that can benefit from IoT solutions,” said Ivo Rook, senior vice president of IoT for Sprint, in a press statement. “Through this collaboration, we are providing an industry-leading offering, along with all the sales collateral and tools necessary to meet customer needs and help them save money, reduce risk, and maintain regulatory compliance.”
Free trials are only available to registered resellers that have a direct, existing relationship with an end customer in a relevant vertical within the United States. The associated deal must involve more than 25 sensors and one gateway.
Ingram’s competitors have been pursuing vigorous IoT strategies that include packaged solutions for some time. Tech Data Corp., of Clearwater, Fla., for example, offers an all-inclusive video surveillance system in partnership with QPCS LLC, of Ceres, Calif., that includes cameras, gateways, software, and more. In July, it announced alliances with Advantech Co. Ltd. and Keonn Technologies to deliver industrial Internet of Things and retail inventory management solutions based on the Microsoft Azure public cloud.
Fremont, Calif.-based SYNNEX Corp., for its part, added Microsoft’s Azure IoT Hub service to its lineup of cloud offerings in March in a bid to give resellers a foundation and central point of control for solutions combining data collection and edge computing hardware with software, services, and mobile connectivity.
