VDC Research Blog




The RSA Conference is Back, Now With More IoT

by Steve Hoffenberg | 6/13/2022

Back in 2020, RSA was the last conference I attended—and the last tech industry event to occur—before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down nearly all large public gatherings. Now that many events have resumed, RSA 2022 in San Francisco is the first conference that I’ve attended in more than two years. (And not having left the Eastern US time zone in the interim, I apparently forgot that jet lag was a thing.) This year’s RSA included more than 26,000 attendees, compared to 36,000 in 2020, and 42,000 in 2019. Although the aisles were notably less crowded than pre-pandemic, even with less exhibit space occupied, there was still plenty of activity. Learn more

Lighter and Mightier: New Rugged Devices on Opposite Ends of the Spectrum Released by Zebra Technologies and Panasonic

by Emily Gove and Rowan Litter | 6/9/2022

Two new rugged device lines have recently been announced, which have promising features designed to improve usability and durability for their respective markets. Zebra Technologies has announced the release of two new members of its TC5X Series of mobile computers (TC53 and TC58), while Panasonic is launching its new TOUGHBOOK 40 laptop. With the TC5X devices offering optimized screen size and enhanced dimensioning capabilities, and the TOUGHBOOK 40 exceeding durability standards of past devices, these new products will collectively cater to a wide range of user needs. Learn more

The Impact of Recent Acquisitions on Peak Technologies’ Future Outlook

by Greg Amador | 6/8/2022

Peak Technologies is one of the market leaders in the AIDC space, offering digital supply chain solutions utilizing enterprise printing, labeling, mobile data collection and a full suite of lifecycle and managed services. Peak focuses on end markets such as manufacturing, wholesale distribution, e-commerce, transportation, and logistics and retail. In April 2021, Peak Technologies was acquired by Sole Source Capital, a private equity firm that thematically invests in fragmented, high-growth industrial subsectors. Sole Source seeks founder-owned businesses or corporate carve-outs that will benefit from the team’s operating and M&A capabilities. Sole Source Capital has a strong operating heritage that enables it to execute a buy and build strategy with significant downside protection. Learn more

Welcome to the Industrial Metaverse: XR Powerhouse Roundtable Discussion – Key Implications for enterprise mobility

by James Asselmeyer and Rowan Litter | 5/26/2022

On May 18, RealWear hosted Welcome to the Industrial Metaverse: XR Powerhouse Roundtable Discussion with Andrew Chrostowski (Board Chair & CEO| RealWear, Inc.), Indranil Sircar (CTO, Manufacturing Industry | Microsoft), Brain Vogelsang (Sr. Director, Product Management – AR | Qualcomm), and John Fan (Board Chair & CEO | Kopin). The discussion explored the benefits, challenges, technology requirements, and potential use cases of the industrial metaverse. Benefits are expected in productivity, access to data, and worker experience, but the panel anticipates the most impactful changes will relate to worker safety. For this technological revolution to occur and place safety at the forefront, the worker and physical world will always take priority over the digital world. Panelists stressed that, while much of the technology required for a metaverse experience in the enterprise already exists, there are still gaps which will be addressed in stages over the coming years. Learn more

Shipium Raises Largest Ever Series A by Supply Chain Software Provider, Highlighting a Strong Year for the Category

by James Asselmeyer | 5/4/2022

Shipium, a supply chain software company announced its Series A funding on April 14. The $27.5M funding round is the largest ever Series A for a supply chain software provider and brings the company’s total funding to $38.7M. Shipium, which calls itself a “fulfillment management platform for e-commerce retail” posits that with the right modern solutions, any e-commerce retailer can compete with Amazon. Amazon, the e-commerce titan and de facto measuring stick for all things online retail, is on the resumes of both Mac Brown and Jason Murray, who co-founded Shipium in 2019. Learn more

Green Initiatives and Sustainability Practices are increasing in the World of Enterprise Mobility

by Rowan Litter | 5/2/2022

Climate change is one of the most important issues affecting the future of all life around the globe. Growing advocacy movements to address the causes of man-made climate change and prepare society for a greener future have led leaders in both the public and private sectors promising to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices. Governments are enacting policies that encourage the reduction of their nation’s carbon footprints, while enterprises are adapting to these policies with more sustainable and cleaner business models. In the world of enterprise mobility, solution providers are taking action to “go green” while also reducing the footprints of their customers. Learn more

Urban Centers Around the World Get Out in Front of Urban Air Mobility

by James Asselmeyer | 4/20/2022

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) – also known as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) – has the potential to revolutionize life in urban centers for residents and enterprises. UAM has varying definitions across existing groups in the space, all of which refer to the airborne movement of goods and/or people in urban spaces, carried out by a highly automated VTOL drones; the Urban-Air-Mobility Initiative Cities Community (UIC2) of the European Union simply defines it as “very-low altitude airborne traffic, above populated areas, at scale.” Learn more

Organizations Challenged by Increasingly Complex DAQ Environments

by Jared Weiner | 3/18/2022

The global market for data acquisition (DAQ) solutions—technologies used to convert physically or electrically measured signals such as temperature or pressure into digital output suitable for computer processing—will continue to expand as business leaders worldwide increasingly emphasize the importance of data-driven decision making. Learn more

Philips Announces Expansion of PerformanceBridge Analytics Solution Into Cardiology

by James Asselmeyer | 3/17/2022

This week at the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society conference in Orlando, Florida, Philips unveiled the latest development of its Enterprise Performance Analytics program. The company announced that its PerformanceBridge offering, which provides operational insights and deep analytics capabilities to radiology practices, will now be available to cardiology practices. While mobile analytics have historically focused on the device itself, Philips’ offering is part of a new wave of mobile analytics programs which offer much more. Learn more

Utilizing Mobile Analytics and DaaS to Improve Seasonal Employee Onboarding and Efficiency

by Greg Amador | 3/10/2022

Mobile devices are becoming essential tools for enterprise operations across many verticals. Whether it’s providing consumers with mobile app options or utilizing mobile devices to increase employee productivity, enterprise mobility is one of the most influential trends for businesses today. While these mobile solutions are becoming increasingly popular amongst US businesses, they come with inherent challenges. Learn more