Be inspired by IBM Watson IoT at the AT&T Shape Event

Guest post by Bret Greenstein, Vice President, Watson Internet of Things Platform

The innovation atmosphere in Silicon Valley is infectious and irresistible. I get inspired, like so many others, by the legends of unlikely geniuses, working in their garage, when they suddenly encounter the idea that will eventually make them rich and famous. This makes me think of a quote I recently heard, attributed to Alan Turing in the 2015 movie, The Imitation Game, “Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of, who do the things no one can imagine.”

The legend of the garage genius couldn’t be truer today. Small teams of one or more, armed with basic programming skills, and a unique insight, can do unimaginable things with the powerful capabilities they can access for free. There is such vast potential that small teams could easily rival large R&D departments single handedly. In fact, so many teams in Silicon Valley and around the world already do just that.

Silicon Valley and the majority of companies and governments around the world have already recognized that the Internet of Things (IoT) is the next goldmine in tech. However anyone following the market closely would agree that IoT still hasn’t encountered the ‘hockey stick’ inflection in its growth, and therefore the big prize is yet to be claimed. The next disruptive innovations can still come from the most unimaginable places.

Tools for Developers at the AT&T Shape Hackathon

These days IBM is forging partnerships with other companies that share our passion for putting the power of IoT in the hands of as many creative individuals as possible. Individuals who will bring the Internet to virtually all our interactions with things. Therefore, it is with great pride that IBM is working together with AT&T to bring the next wave of powerful new technologies and services specifically for IoT developers and entrepreneurs. What can be more appropriate than to share it all with IoT developers at the AT&T Shape event at AT&T Park where they can get hands-on experience with these new technologies at the event’s hackathon.

AT&T brings its vast network to enable connectivity and device management, while IBM brings our powerful Watson IoT Platform with cognitive analytics, developer tools, and a robust Bluemix Cloud for full-stack solutions. Here’s what will be available for developers at the hackathon:

• The Watson IoT Platform integrates with AT&T Control Center so that a developer can drill down to manage the devices, cellular connectivity, SIMs, and billing plans from AT&T without leaving the Watson IoT Platform.
• AT&T provides Flow Designer, a graphical application assembly tool, based on IBM’s Node-RED with additional enterprise capabilities, such as multi-cloud deployment, source control over Flows, and a new set of nodes designed for easy access to IBM and Bluemix services, such as the Watson IoT Platform, Watson cognitive API, Weather API, NoSQL databases, and more. In addition, those flows can be deployed as running containers on IBM Softlayer for a broad range of IaaS capabilities
• A new AT&T IoT Starter Kit that comes pre-configured with the latest cellular modules for easy prototyping of mobile IoT solutions. There is a great new deal for IBM’s DeveloperWorks Premium Subscribers who will get free SIM cards, each with 6-month data plans, for free to use with AT&T’s new IoT Starter Kit. DeveloperWorks Premium Subscribers also receive substantial discounts and credits for all important developer needs including: 12-month Bluemix subscription, and credit for the Watson IoT platform and other Bluemix services, books, conferences, and more.
• Finally, AT&T is exposing its IoT Services in the IBM Cloud Marketplace, and eventually directly in the Bluemix catalogue, so clients can access these great IoT capabilities from AT&T and IBM in a single location.

IBM’s Watson IoT Platform has everything you need to derive value from your IoT devices and it even takes it to the next level with powerful cognitive APIs from Watson, unmatched access to weather data, and key partnerships with leading IoT players that are setting the technology trends. AT&T IoT is a leader in IoT and connects more IoT devices than any other provider in North America. They have vast experience and a global network that reaches over 200 countries and territories. Together IBM and AT&T are forging new possibilities for entrepreneurs and enterprises to rise to a more connected future and enable unimaginable new human potential.

The power is really in your hands with these capabilities. I’ll conclude with one more quote that I hear often from my boss, Harriet Green who borrowed it from the great Mahatma Gandhi that inspires leadership, innovation and courage , “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

About the Author

Bret Greenstein, Vice President of Watson Internet of Things Platform, has over 27 years of technology and leadership experience in all aspects of IBM’s business, from hardware to software to service delivery and business transformation. He is responsible for the IBM Watson Internet of Things Platform. Bret and his team help industrial clients around the world to design, build, and operate smart and connected things through software solutions and industry expertise to leverage IoT to drive true business–model innovation through new operational efficiencies, novel customer experiences, and deep industry disruptions.

Bret has several patents in the areas of collaboration systems. He is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering, and holds a Masters degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Most recently, Bret lived and worked in China for almost five years as IBM’s CIO for Growth Markets and supporting client transformation in the region.