Navigant: IBM and Cisco retain lead positions for smart city tech providers

Tuesday March 15, 2016 0 comments Tags: Navigant Research, Eric Woods, smart cities, IBM, Cisco

BOULDER -- A new Leaderboard report from  Navigant Research  finds IBM and Cisco retaining their leading positions as smart city technology providers.

The report examines the strategy and execution of 16 leading smart city suppliers, providing industry participants with an objective assessment of these companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses in the global market.

Navigant said city leaders around the world are embracing the smart city concept by heralding innovative projects and laying out a vision for how cities can use technology to meet sustainability goals, boost local economies, and improve services.

Despite increasing competition, IBM and Cisco continue to lead this market, offering a breadth of experience with cities globally and a commitment to innovation. 

“The smart city market continues to be highly attractive to a broad range of suppliers, but it is also a challenging area with complex dynamics,” said Eric Woods, Navigant research director.

“City leaders are often cautious about new technologies, budgets remain tight, and decision-making can be complicated. In this environment, suppliers need to be prepared to adapt to the evolving needs of their customers and innovative in their approaches.”

Though IBM and Cisco continue to lead the market for smart city technology providers, a number of other players are investing in their smart city capabilities, partner networks, and city relationships, including Microsoft, Siemens, Huawei, SAP, Panasonic, and General Electric (GE).

According to the report, today’s competitive suppliers are developing offerings that meet the growing interest in urban Internet of Things (IoT) applications, Big Data solutions, and the transformation in city approaches to energy policy, urban mobility, and city resilience.

The report, Navigant Research Leaderboard Report: Smart City Suppliers, examines the strategy and execution of 16 leading smart city suppliers with the capacity to provide leadership on large-scale smart city projects spanning multiple operational and service areas.

These smart city suppliers are rated on 10 criteria: vision, go-to-market strategy, partners, product strategy, geographic reach, market presence, sales & marketing, product performance & features, product integration, and staying power.

An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.