Podcast Title: Embracing Digital Transformation
Episode: #281 Revitalizing IoT Solutions
Host: Dr. Darren Pulsipher
Guest: Lee House, CEO of IoT83
Release Date: July 29, 2025
Introduction
In episode #281 of Embracing Digital Transformation, Dr. Darren Pulsipher delves into the complexities and future of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions with Lee House, CEO of IoT83. The conversation explores the evolution of IoT, the challenges of integrating diverse technologies, and strategies for creating scalable, secure, and effective IoT systems in the public and private sectors.
Origin Stories and Superpowers
Lee House begins by sharing his professional background, highlighting his time at IBM where he contributed to building the first wireless LAN. This foundation gave him a unique perspective on the interplay between technology and market readiness.
“We built the first wireless LAN and we were the first people not paying attention in meetings because we were on the Internet and we could not give it away. We tried to give it to the highway patrol, we tried to give it to fleet management, we tried to give it to warehousing. Nobody wanted it. Two years later, everybody had to have it.”
[03:19]
Dr. Darren Pulsipher appreciates Lee’s ability to bridge the gap between technological advancements and real-world applications, referring to it as a crucial "superpower."
The Rise and Plateau of IoT
The discussion transitions to the initial hype surrounding IoT a decade ago, where industrial IoT was expected to revolutionize industries as part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, the momentum slowed as businesses struggled to scale prototypes into enterprise-grade solutions.
“We had a long gestation period and some of the early hype... pulling all of that together became tricky.”
[04:22]
Lee House emphasizes that while the foundational technologies for IoT—such as edge computing and sensor availability—had advanced, integrating these into scalable systems remained a significant hurdle.
Managing Diversity and Standards in IoT
A critical challenge addressed is the diversity of protocols and devices, which complicates integration efforts both in consumer and enterprise environments.
“The proprietary protocols are less of an issue than the brownfield protocols.”
[09:29]
Lee House explains that legacy protocols like Modbus and OPC UA pose integration challenges with modern IoT protocols like MQTT over TLS. He highlights the role of edge gateways in normalizing these protocols to facilitate smoother data integration.
“Edge gateways can take all of these various protocols and bring them in and normalize those protocols into protocols like MQTT over TLS.”
[10:20]
The Role of Digital Twins
The concept of digital twins—a digital replica of physical assets—is introduced as a solution for contextualizing IoT data. Digital twins help in understanding the purpose and functionality of sensors, enabling more meaningful data utilization.
“The digital twin is a great... way to talk about contextualizing data.”
[12:00]
Lee House elaborates on how digital twins can range from simple models for individual devices to complex systems involving multiple assets and AI-driven analytics.
Handling Variability in IoT Systems
Variability is inherent in IoT deployments due to unique building structures, environmental factors, and diverse user interactions. Dr. Pulsipher relates this to his personal experience with home automation, where managing multiple apps and devices becomes cumbersome without a centralized system.
“We have seven or eight different apps... I gotta go do that.”
[28:44]
Lee House discusses strategies to manage variability, emphasizing the importance of standards, customizable business logic, and role-based access control to maintain system integrity and usability.
“Embracing that variability is crucial... allowing for secure and flexible integrations.”
[25:11]
IoT83’s Approach to Enterprise IoT Solutions
Lee House outlines how IoT83 addresses the complexities of enterprise IoT by offering a centralized platform that balances flexibility with ease of use. This platform supports various enterprise needs, from asset performance management to advanced AI and machine learning integrations.
“We have to offer solutions that allow them to be extremely sophisticated in some areas and begin to walk in other areas...”
[31:27]
He contrasts IoT83's approach with traditional mega OEM solutions and low-code platforms, highlighting IoT83’s focus on reducing technical debt while maintaining high scalability and customization.
“We tried to find the sweet spot in the middle that gives you all the flexibility... without all of the technical debt and cost and risk and time to market.”
[33:55]
Importance of Role-Based Access and Security
Security and role-based access control are critical in managing large-scale IoT systems. Both hosts agree that strict access management ensures system reliability and protects valuable assets.
“Role-based access control is really important.”
[27:00]
Lee House emphasizes logging changes and controlling who can make modifications to maintain system security without stifling innovation.
“We have to log any of the changes, understand why anything was changed, who changed it, when did they change it.”
[28:27]
Conclusion and Future Outlook
The episode concludes with Lee House encouraging listeners to explore IoT83’s offerings through their website and LinkedIn for deeper insights into enterprise-grade IoT solutions. Dr. Pulsipher reiterates the importance of embracing digital transformation to navigate the complexities of the digital revolution effectively.
“IoT83.com we've got a comprehensive website... All of those are good places to learn more about IoT83.”
[35:23]
Lee House and Dr. Pulsipher agree on the necessity of specialized expertise in accelerating IoT innovations, underscoring the value of collaboration between technical and business leaders.
Key Takeaways
- Integration Challenges: The primary hurdles in IoT adoption lie in integrating diverse protocols and scaling prototypes to enterprise solutions.
- Digital Twins: Essential for contextualizing data and enabling meaningful analytics in IoT systems.
- Managing Variability: Balancing standardization with flexibility through customizable business logic and role-based access.
- IoT83’s Innovation: Striking a balance between flexibility and manageability to reduce technical debt while supporting scalable and secure IoT deployments.
- Security and Access Control: Critical for maintaining system integrity and protecting assets in large-scale IoT environments.
For more insights and detailed information on enterprise-grade IoT solutions, visit IoT83.com or follow Lee House’s weekly articles on LinkedIn.
This summary encapsulates the rich discussions and expert insights shared by Dr. Darren Pulsipher and Lee House, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state and future directions of IoT solutions.