8. The Channel Flexes Its IoT Muscles

Solution providers and distributors are racing to establish a leadership position around the Internet of Things (IoT) as its usage becomes more mainstream in the enterprise space.

Tech Data unveiled an IoT practice in July focused on aggregating products from different vendors in the manufacturing, logistics, retail and Smart Cities spaces. Arrow Electronics, which has already established itself as an IoT leader, joined forces with crowdfunding platform Indiegogo in August to offer up to $50,000 in prototyping manufacturing benefits to IoT-focused innovators.

And Trace3, No. 54 on the CRN SP 500, credited IoT in part for a 20 percent increase in sales to $500 million and a $300 percent increase in net income in 2015. The company said its focus on IoT bleeds into all of its other technology practices.