Source:IHSIBM plans to set up an Internet of Things (IoT) business unit and build a cloud-based open platform to help clients and partners build IoT solutions. The company also says it will invest $3 billion over the next four years for this effort.

“Our knowledge of the world grows with every connected sensor and device, but too often we are not acting on it, even when we know we can ensure a better result," says Bob Picciano, senior vice president, IBM Analytics.

IBM says it plans to build on its expertise from the Smarter Planet and Smarter Cities initiative to help customer and partners integrate data from IoT and traditional sources. These resources will be available on an open platform to allow manufacturers to develop a new generation of connected devices.

As part of this effort, IBM says it will launch three offerings:

• IoT Cloud Open Platform for Industries: IBM says this will offer analytics services that can be leveraged to deliver vertical industry IoT solutions.
• Bluemix IoT Zone: IBM says this will add IoT services to the companies existing Bluemix platform-as-a-service, and will allow developers to integrate IoT data into cloud-based development and deployment of IoT apps.
• IoT Ecosystem: IBM says it will expand its list of IoT partners to industry-oriented solution providers to better integrate data services on the open platform.