Q&A with Sangram Vajre, Co-founder & Chief Evangelist at Terminus

MEDIA 7 | November 28, 2019

Ed Breault, Chief Marketing Officer at Aprimo is a marketer with over 18 years of industry experience. At Aprimo, Ed is responsible for the global brand and growth which includes all Paid/Owned/Earned media, Brand Experience, Product Marketing, Industry Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Strategic Communications, Content Marketing, Analyst Relations, Alliance Marketing, Public Relations, Events, Demand Generation and Account-Based Marketing. MEDIA 7: What’s your superpower? ED BREAULT: I would say it’s applying the full spectrum of art and science that is required in marketing today. Not just left or right brained, but whole-brained strategy. Being human yet data-driven and really understanding numbers and (the right) metrics to make connections to business drivers. Add storytelling to that, so I can effectively communicate to my team, the CEO and CFO as well as my Board of Directors on those metrics, and connecting all that we are doing in marketing to the mission of the business. Then quickly shifting gears to the art and creative aspects of marketing that are required to engage an audience and tell great commercial stories that take complex concepts and craft them in a way that is interesting for people to pay attention to. I have to be the ultimate point of truth for the brand. M7: At Aprimo, how have marketing leadership roles and responsibilities evolved over the past few years? EB: There are so many dimensions needed by marketing leaders today. There are several elements driving this evolution, it’s the new experience battlefront that is emerging and also marketers themselves driving changes. From a market perspective, there is a clear appetite for disruption and consumers are wanting more experiential elements to their buying experience and interactions with brands. Take a few direct to consumer disruptions like trialing products in-home, purchasing directly from a brand or even wanting to ensure that the producer’s trade practices are in line with the buyer’s or even a regulator’s for that matter. Then we want to try before we buy, and we emotionally care about the supply chain of products. Do we TRUST this brand to do business with them? Behind all of this is a story that needs to be told, and it is those marketers who know their audience well and make connections that will win the commercial game. Back to the marketer, there are so many diverse backgrounds that marketers bring now and I’m really intrigued by those who have unconventional backgrounds because they contribute something uniquely new to the field. I love hearing about the marketer’s journey.

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MEDIA 7 | December 5, 2019

Andrea Lechner-Becker, Chief Marketing Officer at LeadMD is an experienced Marketing and Sales Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Skilled in Business Process, Marketo, Sales, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and IT Service Management, Andrea is also a strong business development professional and a storyteller. MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing? ANDREA LECHNER: Frankly, not having better options. I originally attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse thinking I’d major in Archaeology. I wanted to be Indiana Jones! But, after visiting the archaeology building – i.e. the cold, dark basement of the science building – where a girl sat to piece together pieces of an old Native American vase, I knew archaeology was not going to be the right path for me. And so, without being good at science and a major in art or art history was unlikely to pay my bills, I decided to go into “business”. I originally registered as a management major, but took my first marketing class and thought it was more interesting and switched my sophomore year. That was pretty much it. I’d never been involved in business classes or DECA in high school – I didn’t really know what to do or what jobs in marketing were even possible. I dumb lucked myself into it really. M7: As a storyteller, do you relate the brand to a story or story to the brand? AL: Both? Neither? I think there are stories in every brand, because there are people working on the brand and people engaging with the brand and people using what the brand creates. People, most often a single person, are at the heart of great stories. You can start with the “point” of the story you’re trying to tell. Say you have a software that help accountants better create reports for board meetings. It’s likely you’ll want to tell a success story about an accountant getting promoted to CFO in part because your software helped better communicate their work product to the board. You could have the idea for that and go looking for that story in your customers. OR, you could hear that story, and say, “That’s amazing!” and share it with customers, partners and internal people. Stories are all around us – the most important thing is to keep your ears and eyes open for finding them.

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Media 7 | April 22, 2020

Cameron Worth, CEO & Founder of SharpEnd leads the company’s mission to help brands move closer than ever to consumers by connecting packaging, retail and experiential activity. He is a regular speaker and writer on how to build brands in a connected world. He has spoken at Cannes, the Festival of Marketing, LuxePack Monaco and New York, Ad:Week Europe and New York, DMA, the Connected Consumer Conference, Mobile World Congress and the IoT World Forum. MEDIA 7: How did the idea of “the agency of things” come to your mind? CAMERON WORTH: SharpEnd was created in 2015 as the world’s first Internet of Things focused agency, so there is a slight play on words when we say we’re the Agency of Things. I think the idea of giving things their own agency is an interesting concept, and the strapline fits our capabilities on multiple levels. M7: In what way does technology drive the association of SharpEnd with global brands? What approaches are followed to enable sustainability? CW: Our simple proposition is to help build brands in a connected world, and to do that you must always start with identified consumer needs or pain points and look at technology as just an enabler to deliver an appropriate solution (when appropriate).  Take the issue of sustainability, which is often a pain point for brands that grapple with issues such as how we can reward sustainable behaviour change. One of our approaches to this could be to look at communicating the recycling credentials of the different products. Whilst the consumer can engage with a product as part of a wider consumer experience, the same technology could also house content that could tell you whether the product is recyclable, which type of bin it goes in etc. SharpEnd’s work with Unilever is a case in point. We built a digital product that incentivised recycling through gamification but also served to educate through informing people how and where to recycle in a clear fashion. All users had to do was simply scan their packaging to have all this information at their disposal.

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ENTERPRISE IOT

Skylo | March 20, 2023

Cloud-based cellular network provider Monogoto today announced a new roaming agreement with Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) service operator Skylo Technologies. This new agreement lowers the barrier for developers to add satellite connectivity to existing public and/or private networks already available on Monogoto Cloud, delivering the world's most affordable and accessible solution for NB-IoT Satellite connectivity for asset tracking products. In addition, low-power tracking and sensing solutions provider SODAQ will launch a new asset-tracking trial kit, using Monogoto connectivity and network. "Using Monogoto Cloud developers can now add satellite connectivity with a single API call, without worrying about expensive setup or training and for just a dollar per month. The advent of satellite NB-IoT technology, coupled with the maturity of 5G and 3GPP standards is game-changing for developers," says Monogoto CTO Maor Efrati. "For the first time, they can seamlessly connect their products, built for the regular cellular model, to satellite networks and add satellite coverage at a significantly lower cost." Efrati illustrates the potential of the Monogoto/Skylo/SODAQ solution by outlining a use case of a global logistics provider that is reliant upon cellular connectivity only to monitor driver behavior and/or assets. "Imagine the ability to add satellite connectivity when cellular or other networks are not available, giving developers the ultimate resiliency that devices will always be connected," he notes. "Skylo is excited to partner with Monogoto as its wholesale NTN operator partner," said Eric DaVersa, Vice-President of Business Development for Skylo Technologies. "The Monogoto focus on addressing the developer community where IoT solutions are conceptualized is ideal for the rapid integration of terrestrial/satellite roaming. This offering will help fleets obtain ubiquitous connectivity, which is becoming essential for their businesses." "Having the possibility to use the same hardware for both terrestrial and satellite communication is a real breakthrough. We can now offer connectivity with our hardware in places where it was never possible before and we can still benefit from the great throughput of the terrestrial networks to, for instance, do software updates," says Jan Willem Smeenk, Co-founder & Senior Solutions Architect, SODAQ. About Skylo Skylo Technologies is an NTN service provider based in Palo Alto, CA, offering a service that allows cellular modems and devices to connect directly over existing satellites. Devices connected over satellite are managed and served by Skylo's commercial NTN vRAN, featuring a 3GPP standards-based cloud-native base station and core. Skylo works with existing satellite operators, terrestrial mobile network operators, and device makers to provide subscribers with an anywhere, anytime connectivity solution that seamlessly roams between terrestrial and satellite networks. Skylo's focus is on enabling connected services for people outdoors and connected workflows for machines at work across critical industries such as agriculture, maritime, logistics, mining, and others, in addition to mass-market consumer devices.

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ENTERPRISE IOT, DEVICES

globenewswire | March 29, 2023

Lantronix Inc. a global provider of secure turnkey solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and the Intelligent IT market, today announced its new X300 Compact Gateway IoT Solution. Ideal for secure mission-critical applications, the new X300 Cellular Compact IoT Gateway Solution combines Lantronix’s IoT gateway hardware with a premium services subscription, including centralized device management, integrated cellular data, enhanced device security and expert technical support in an all-in-one package. “At Lantronix, we are committed to providing our customers with turnkey IoT solutions that efficiently solve their connectivity and remote device management challenges while offering expert technical support to ensure a successful deployment,” said Paul Pickle, CEO of Lantronix. “With the new X300 Compact Gateway IoT Solution, our customers can rest assured that they have a reliable, easy-to-manage solution, achieving maximum uptime and data security for mission-critical applications.” According to Berg insights, more than 4.5 million cellular IoT gateways were shipped globally during 2021, a 23 percent increase, at a total market value of approximately $1.15 billion as annual sales grew at a rate of 14 percent as demand recovered following the COVID-19 pandemic. Annual revenues from the sales of cellular IoT gateways is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 percent to reach $2.18 billion by 2026. The X300 Compact Gateway IoT Solution includes: X300 Gateway, a compact (79mm X 79mm) IoT industrial gateway with suitable hardware interfaces, including a Multi-mode Serial port, an Ethernet LAN port, Wi-Fi® 5, Bluetooth/BLE and Worldwide cellular options, enabling the connection of any type of industrial machine and sensor with any type of network. Services included in the first-year subscription: Free upgrade to ConsoleFlow™ premium cloud-based device management with analytics Connectivity Services global, convenient and scalable cellular data plans Free upgrade to LEVEL 2 Services prompt expert technical support and warranty with advanced hardware replacement Lantronix InfiniShield™ built-in security, including a Secure Element (SE) chip to enable secure boot, secure equipment access and secure communications and to prevent unauthorized access of confidential information. Thenew X300 Gateway IoT Solution will be displayed at ISC West in Las Vegas from March 28–31, 2023, in the Lantronix booth, Number 2097. About Lantronix Lantronix Inc. is a global provider of secure turnkey solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Remote Environment Management (REM), offering Software as a Service (SaaS), connectivity services, engineering services and intelligent hardware. Lantronix enables its customers to accelerate time to market and increase operational up-time and efficiency by providing reliable, secure and connected Intelligent Edge IoT and Remote Management Gateway solutions.

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ENTERPRISE IOT, DEVICES

prnewswire | March 28, 2023

KORE Group Holdings, Inc. a global leader in Internet of Things ("IoT") Solutions and worldwide IoT Connectivity-as-a-Service ("IoT CaaS"), announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Twilio's IoT business unit as part of a growth strategy to provide customers with a unified, seamless approach to launching IoT solutions as the world's leading pure-play IoT provider. As consideration for the acquisition, Twilio (NYSE:TWLO), the customer engagement platform that drives real-time, personalized experiences for today's leading brands, will receive 10 million shares of KORE common stock, which will represent approximately 11.5% of KORE's issued and outstanding shares. "IoT has immense potential to change the world," KORE President and CEO Romil Bahl said. "Whether it is ushering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, supporting chronic disease management through remote patient monitoring, or optimizing agriculture and supporting sustainability, IoT has many powerful applications. Combining the digital prowess of Twilio's IoT business and the comprehensive connectivity-solutions-analytics portfolio of KORE is a meaningful step toward proliferating IoT and making it more accessible and successful." Continued Bahl, "KORE is thrilled to augment our best-in-class IoT CaaS offering with Twilio's IoT talent and customer portfolio. This acquisition represents exactly the kind of investment we have said we are willing to make to become an exciting top-line growth company, and specifically, we will benefit from the world-class digital experience and developer community Twilio has built for its IoT business." This acquisition will bring to market: A powerful connectivity suite, including best-in-class eSIM technologies with KORE OmniSIM™ and Twilio Super SIM A one-stop shop for building, deploying, managing, and scaling IoT operations throughout the entire lifecycle via award-winning technologies and world-class facilities An accelerated time to market through global, 24/7 customer support and 20 years of IoT experience through KORE and the Twilio IoT team's depth and breadth of digital experience "We are just scratching the surface of the opportunities IoT can unlock for customers," said Twilio's Head of IoT, Taylor Wolfe. "As a global leader in IoT, KORE has the right expertise, vision, and technology to expand the robust offerings that Twilio's world-class IoT team has built. KORE is the right home for Twilio's IoT business, and we look forward to this acquisition increasing scalability and creating even more powerful business outcomes for our customers going forward." Completion of the acquisition transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including, among other things, the negotiation and execution of certain ancillary agreements. About KORE KORE is a pioneer, leader, and trusted advisor delivering mission critical IoT solutions and services. We empower organizations of all sizes to improve operational and business results by simplifying the complexity of IoT. Our deep IoT knowledge and experience, global reach, purpose-built solutions, and deployment agility accelerate and materially impact our customers' business outcomes.

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