This week’s Smart DevOps roundup features a study that reveals the monetization in Internet of Things (IoT) apps, a partnership to deliver cloud PaaS to IoT developers, and a company that’s adopting a new app framework to improve its IoT platform.

IoT apps generate revenue

Global software company Progress Software Corp. released the results a study which shows that Internet of Things apps are generating revenue. Progress commissioned Harbor Research, Inc. to conduct the study, revealing 65 percent of IoT apps today are now generating revenue and the number is expected to rise to 80 percent by 2018.

The survey was conducted from January to February 2015 involving 675 app developers from the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Sweden, The Netherlands and India.

The respondents stated that currently, the smart home is one of the key industries in the IoT app development. In the next three to five years, this is expected to shift with healthcare, smart city and automotive markets seen as the primary drivers for IoT app development for generating the most revenue.

“The number of connected things is set to explode, with Gartner forecasting it will reach 25 billion by 2020. Our research shows developers put their long-term bet on industry and infrastructure IoT apps as the foundation for revenue generation. They just need the right technology tools to gather, analyze, use and manage contextual IoT data to maximize this opportunity, from both a creative and revenue perspective. With the right approach, developers can turn their big ideas into business reality, helping define the IoT and its future,” said Mark Armstrong, Vice President and Managing Director EMEA at Progress.

IBM’s latest IoT team up

IT consulting company Sogeti, a subsidiary of the Capgemini Group, and IBM announced a partnership that would bring Big Blue’s Bluemix, a cloud platform-as-a-service, to Sogeti developers in 15 countries worldwide.

Access to Bluemix will allows developers to integrate and analyze data easier and efficiently.

With the use of smartEngine, Sogeti utilized IBM’s Bluemix to build a solution that manages smarter buildings so they can provide clients with insights regarding the performance of their Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning, lighting and other areas that use energy to minimize energy costs, optimize environmental impact, and increase security. Sogeti will use the same combination of its smartEngine and IBM’s Internet of Things service on Bluemix to provide insights on data for clients in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, utilities management and more.

Choosing Vert.x app framework for API-based IoT platform

Internet of Things middleware company MachineShop, Inc. announced that it has adopted the Vert.x Application Framework which is an asynchronous, event-driven application platform for the Java Virtual Machine designed for modern mobile, web, and enterprise applications.

Vert.x is built for high volume and scalability and will provide for higher throughput for API-based services. The move will support Machine Shop’s continued push towards zero latency solutions for enterprise IoT as well as the Industrial Internet.

The shift to Vert.x is part of the company’s recent product enhancement which includes the introduction of flexible security and authorization model for IoT solutions.