Israel’s Big Impact on the Internet of Really Important Things

You’ve probably heard about the Internet of Things, but what about the “Internet of really important things?” At GE, we describe this – our version of IoT – as the Industrial Internet.

Isn’t GE known for Big Iron, rather than Big Data? While GE still very much is an industrial company – we build and operate the “things” that power and move the world – GE has also become a major software player.

If the last decade was about the consumer Internet, the next decade is going to be about the Industrial Internet – connecting machines with data and people to help them perform better, faster, more reliably and safely. The Industrial Internet is revolutionizing 21st century infrastructure. From energy and healthcare to transportation and manufacturing, all industries are being defined by intelligence and connectedness.

And when you think about industrial hubs and where this Industrial Internet activity is happening, the usual suspects come to mind: China in manufacturing and services, the U.S. and Germany in manufacturing automation and efficiency. You might not know that Israel is playing a serious role in this Industrial Internet revolution.

With more than 1,000 new startups founded each year and a tech sector that employs nearly 300,000 people, Israel’s startup nation has produced interesting sources of innovation. Companies like Precog, Plataine, nJoin, Imubit, ICS2, Liola Tech and DeepSense are focused on optimizing industrial processes in power and manufacturing. The industrial cyber security sector in Israel has grown significantly too, with startups such as Indegy, CyberX, Waterfall, Scada Fence and Team8 building solutions to secure critical infrastructure.