Revised February 16, 2023
Revised September 29, 2021
Revised August 3, 2020
Revised March 6, 2019

The emergence and spread of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has dramatically changed the game for both B2B vendors and customers. Producers of a wide array of products—from vehicles to machine tools to jet engines to officer copiers—now have access to the kind of user and usage data that, not long ago, only SaaS software developers could capture.

For suppliers, that means a vast new stream of data that can be used for marketing, warranty, maintenance, and other purposes. But it also means a dramatic leap in customer expectations.

Professional customers (i.e., those in business/industrial firms, government agencies, non-profits, educational institutions, financial services, and healthcare) are well aware of the data they are providing to vendors, just through normal product usage. They don’t mind giving up their data—as long as that leads to better support and product development.

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