News & Updates

70% of the Fortune 100 Focus on IoT; Here’s How AppDirect’s New Acquisition Can Help

By Dan Saks / September 23, 2015

One of the aspects of the Internet of Things (IoT) that makes the sector so fascinating—aside from the sheer cool factor of the technology itself—is the mind-boggling predictions that it inspires. Almost 40 billion connected devices adding $1.7 trillion to the global economy by 2019? Numbers like those are hard to fathom, but somehow they seem completely realistic.

Here at AppDirect, we’ve found one big sign that the buzz surrounding the IoT is more than just noise. We recently wrapped up the first phase of AppDirect’s latest Fortune 500 App Report, our annual look at how the top companies in the United States are influencing cloud service distribution and development. After analyzing the Fortune 100, we found that 70 percent of the companies offer IoT initiatives or products.

Digging deeper, we found that every Fortune 100 company in the telecom, transportation, chemical, automotive, food and beverage, and manufacturing sectors has an IoT program or products. Many other industries aren’t far behind, with more than 90 percent of technology companies and 85 percent of retail companies currently focusing on IoT initiatives.

The full report will follow in a few weeks, but we wanted to share these IoT findings now. They reinforce the fact that the largest companies in the United States are thinking seriously about connected devices and making investments in the Internet of Things.

They also serve as a powerful backdrop for our latest major announcement. Today, we’re sharing the news that AppDirect has acquired AppCarousel, the leading provider of app management platforms for connected cars and fleets, smartphones, smart screens, tablets, and other connected devices. As part of AppDirect, AppCarousel will continue to grow its business and serve its customers, while we continue to bolster our IoT capabilities and grow our rapidly expanding mobile business.

As Brad Feld from the Foundry Group put it in today’s press release: "The emergence of connected devices and the Internet of Things is opening up a brand new opportunity for both developer ecosystems and app distribution. As the adoption of connected devices increases, the need for application lifecycle management and distribution is critical. This acquisition will enable AppDirect to grow as the underlying platform behind the app economy."

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We are excited to welcome AppCarousel to the AppDirect family of companies, and there is tremendous opportunity to grow even more. If you’re interested in learning how you can play a part of in powering the technology behind Internet of Things—or the cloud service commerce industry as a whole—we’d love to hear from you. You can check out the AppDirect careers page.

Daniel Saks is the co-founder and co-CEO of AppDirect.