In episode 84 of the IoT For All Podcast, Hark Founder and CEO Jordan Appleson shares some of the key considerations in remote monitoring and asset management in the industrial space, including the importance of partnerships and some of the obstacles companies should account for when planning their proof of concept or pilot.

Jordan Appleson has spent the last ten years solving problems through software and hardware expertise. He founded Hark after seeing many pharmaceutical and life science companies using pen and paper to document and monitor the storage conditions of drugs and other perishable assets.

Since its founding, Hark has been building an interconnected cloud-based sensor platform to allow users to monitor and gain insight into their environmental data in real-time. By leveraging key hardware partners, Hark has enabled factories, offices, supermarkets, and more to monitor assets, ensure compliance, and reduce energy waste.

Jordan started by giving us a bit of background on Hark and how they do things differently. Jordan said that Hark’s greatest advantage is their expertise both in hardware and software - although they don’t manufacture the sensor technology themselves, anymore, their unique understanding allows them to create a truly end-to-end solution for their customers, and one that can operate with the hardware they already have.

Speaking to his own expertise, Jordan also mentioned the importance of partnerships. “We don’t manufacture hardware, and we don’t use specific hardware,” Jordan said, “we work with the customer to use their existing hardware and systems.” That’s only possible, he said, through a large ecosystem of partners and businesses - each an expert in their field. “That’s very specialized knowledge and it’s very important.”

He also gave a couple of examples of where their platform really shines. In the supermarket space, they do a great deal of real-time energy monitoring - from lighting, HVAC, to freezers, they’re able to gather both real-time and historic data to ensure compliance and reduce energy costs. In life sciences, Jordan said, the same technologies are used for refrigeration units, freezers and incubators. “If something goes down, there are samples and tissues that could be at stake.”

But the needs have really changed since the pandemic. No company had planned for the sudden need to evacuate and no one had answers as to what to expect. “When it comes to what we do and the IoT space,” Jordan said, “we assumed that everything would go on hold. But if you look at what has happened, everyone has gone remote.” From office buildings to factories, even really mission-critical operations, have gone completely virtual. Visibility into what’s going on on-site has become exponentially more important and enabling companies to ensure that their assets are operating efficiently and reducing waste is paramount to their success right now.

To close out the episode, Jordan spoke to the IoT landscape as a whole - he shared his view on the space and where it’s going and some of his best advice for companies looking to start their IoT journey, especially when it comes to ensuring ROI.

Interested in connecting with Jordan? Reach out to him on Linkedin!

About Hark: The Hark Platform is an interconnected cloud-based sensor platform that allows users to monitor and gain insight into their environmental data in real-time.

Key Questions and Topics from this Episode:

(01:21) Introduction to Jordan Appleson

(02:19) What inspired you to found Hark?

(04:39) Introduction to Hark

(10:30) What does a typical customer engagement look like for Hark?

(12:53) Are there any Applications or specific examples you can share?

(15:09) Have you seen any changes as a result of COVID? Both on your business and on the industry as a whole?

(18:49) How do you view the current state of IoT and where do you think it’s going?

(22:18) What should the start of a company’s journey into IoT look like? How important are a pilot or POC?

(26:33) Along their IoT journey, where do you see companies make the most mistakes and how can they avoid them?