M2MApps is a new site that positions itself as “Your Ultimate Intelligence Hub of the Global M2M Market”. It’s under construction and it will be a few weeks before it’s launched. Right now it is being populated with content, but you can and should register now in order not to miss the launch date.

Go to www.m2mapps.com to register, which I did when I was at an international M2M event. While there I was given a sneak preview of the real thing, i.e. the look and feel of the site when content is in place. It blew my socks off. There is a real need for a single-stop shop that embraces the entire M2M ecosystem. Recently I was working on a large M2M project and I had to Google (News - Alert) my way around maybe 80 sites in order to get the additional information I needed. Had this site been up and running not only would I have saved Googling time, but I would also have been able to drill down and find the precise information that I needed. 

M2M technology isn’t difficult, but the value chain makes it a confusing and complex subject. If you’re a C-level manager and you’ve heard the term and think you should look into it, where do you start? There’s no obvious market leader: no equivalent to a Cisco (News - Alert) or Microsoft. The market is fragmented.  This is a key issue that M2MApps addresses.

On this site the uninformed visitor can forget about vendor names: instead they will be able to drill down to their area of interest. For example, applications are divided into twelve sections, clicking on building automation brings up nine sub-sectors, clicking on retail brings up twelve and so on. Clicking on a sub-sector brings up content from the vendors.

When the site is launched you re-register and define the profile of your company or organization and that stage content can be uploaded. As more and more profiles are created so the value of the site increases. M2MApps follows the Facebook (News - Alert) system and this will enable hundreds and then thousands of focused discussions.

Vendor neutral and free

M2MApps is vendor neutral and the service is free. If there were a sales pitch it would go like this:

Present your offer to the global M2M community

Reach out to potential partners and clients around the world

Promote your products, service and solutions

Showcase your reference cases and best practices.

The big benefit for the market, interested parties and end users is:

The much needed granular ability to find and qualify companies, products and solutions

The ability to evaluate the core technological and business trends by connecting to international M2M thought leaders and get access to premium market intelligence briefings.

In addition, there will be regular interviews with M2M experts and an M2M blog. And the latest entries will be highlighted on the home page.  

Too good to be true?

Yes, it does sound like something that’s too good to be true. Why would anybody go to this much time and trouble and do it all for free? But I know that it is true and I also know the motivation for creating what will eventually be a huge global database. Global both in terms of geographic locations as well reach: M2M covers a lot of diverse applications. The business rationale is very simple. A group of M2M experts recognized the need to generate informed awareness and to facilitate market growth. In a nutshell to pull everything together: in a rising tide all the M2M ships will rise, including those of the anonymous experts.

Want to learn more about M2M technologies? Then be sure to check out the M2M Evolution conference, collocated with TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. The M2M Evolution Conference is for those industry professionals interested in capitalizing on a rapidly growing segment of the telecom industry. The M2M Evolution Conference embraces the any-to-any strategy of the Internet today. Co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media, it showcases the solutions, and examines the data strategies and technological requirements that enterprises and carriers need to capitalize on a market segment that is estimated to grow to $300 Billion in the year ahead. To register, click here.