Zebra Technologies is expecting to become a major player in the emerging Internet of Things market following its $3.45 billion acquisition of Motorola Solutions' enterprise business late in 2014.

The Lincolnshire, IL-based vendor builds tracking technology and solutions. In January, the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority deployed Zebra's wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies to deliver Wi-Fi connectivity service to one of the largest subway systems in the world.

Gary Singh leads global product and strategic marketing for the enterprise network communications division at Zebra and said the company is positioned in the marketplace to capitalize on IoT.

Singh tells IT Best of Breed about Zebra's IoT vision and future expectations, his thoughts on how solution providers can capitalize on the current trends in IoT and WLAN, as well as what Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Aruba Networks means for his company.

How is Zebra Technologies currently utilizing IoT?

Zebra has a number of initiatives that address the IoT market. We have been shipping modular access points (APs) which allow for sensors to connect as modules to the AP - thus allowing "things" to use the WLAN infrastructure to connect and control lighting and temperature settings.

Our MPact platform provides indoor mobile marketing solutions by utilizing (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons and WLAN access points. The Zebra MotionWorks real-time motion and location analytics platforms track and locate valuable assets. And our Zatar cloud-based platform connects IoT applications to things to deliver unique solutions such as timely critical care in hospitals by digitally interconnecting the patient, medical staff and medical equipment providing a quicker response time and saving lives.

What else is Zebra Technologies doing to prepare for IoT?

Zebra's platforms are prepared to address the needs of IoT trends. Connected devices, mobility and cloud applications are generating invaluable and always-on data streams. Through these new technologies and visibility solutions, Zebra helps customers simplify what they do so they can reach new levels of efficiency and deliver greater value.

We are helping customers empower their mobile workforce with tools optimized to easily capture critical information, as well as make data accessible to the people that make the business run.