So your IoT’s that big, check mine out LOLZ – Cisco

VimpelCom has selected Cisco Jasper to be the smart connectivity management platform across its network operator properties globally.

The announcement is ultimately a bit of chest-beating from Cisco, but does demonstrate there is a bit of substance to this IoT thing. It’s a busy day for the IoT sub-sector following SAP’s announcement this morning that it was growing its connected portfolio, however a client win does indicate the market is becoming a commercial reality, even if it is in the early adopter stages. While SAP hinted its IoT is massive, Jasper has whacked it’s on the table for the world to bathe in its glory.

“VimpelCom is focused on developing its digital strategy and the Group is investing in new and innovative technologies that will enable our customers to fully embrace the digital economy, now and in the future,” said Eugène Viskovic, VimpelCom Group Chief Business Officer. “This partnership will provide our business customers with new technologies such as M2M and IoT.”

As part of the agreement, VimpelCom will use the Jasper machine-to-machine (M2M)/Internet of Things (IoT) platform, to drive towards IoT monetization such as fleet management and smart metering.

“Through this partnership, Cisco Jasper will enable innovative global enterprises to capitalize on IoT services and capture their share of the connected service market,” said Kalle Ward, Managing Director EMEAR, IoT Cloud at Jasper. “Our collaboration with VimpelCom will enable enterprises to pioneer industry transformation, introduce new business models, and create never-before-seen, high-value experiences for their customers.”

It’s a positive sign for the IoT industry, though it could be the starting gun for a lot of posturing over the next couple of months as vendors announce a stream of new customers. So we’ve seen SAP’s and Jasper’s, who’s going to be the next IoT flasher.