Making the most of the IoT Revolution: Telkonet Inc.

“Companies’ ability to adapt and thrive in this new era of the Internet of Things is likely to determine who the next set of winners and laggards will be in the new connected age.” – Simona Jankowski, Goldman Sachs

Today, the explosion of data, driven by trends such as the “Internet of Things” presents enterprises with the challenge of managing and extracting critical intelligence from it. At the same time, continued understanding of the IoT and its evolution for commercial and consumer markets enables the very same enterprises to prioritize need with innovation and provide relevant solutions to its customers. With R&D and innovation as its USP, Telkonet Inc. has put this opportunity to the best use and has established itself as a leading IoT provider for commercial markets, since EcoSmart’s inception in 2011.
With an interesting journey that began with Telkonet functioning as a provider of products for networking over low voltage power line infrastructure, Telkonet expanded its operations quickly, and today, has offices spread across Milwaukee- WI, Waukesha- WI and Germantown- MD. In 2007, the company indulged in two major acquisitions and redefined its business strategies. The first acquisition was of EthoStream, a company that designed, installed and supported High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) networks within the Hospitality market. The second acquisition was of a manufacturer of HVAC controls equipment located in Las Vegas, NV. This company, then named Smart Systems International (SSI), manufactured energy-saving HVAC controls for the Hospitality market. The technology acquired through this transaction became the root of Telkonet’s current EcoSmart platform, the second division within Telkonet today.

Going an extra mile to address the clientele’s concerns
Over the years, Telkonet has addressed the needs of clients across the Hospitality, Education, Healthcare, Military/Government and MDU/MTU verticals. Although it has historically seen the largest percentage of its business come from Hospitality, a phenomenal revolution is now being witnessed and the most rapid growth is coming through Education. “We maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and recognize an outstanding amount of repeat business,” says CEO, Jason Tienor. “There are several reasons for this, but a few of the most relevant are our dedication to continuous innovation, our policy of providing customized solutions for our customers needs and our internal program, CustomerFirst. The Customer First program provides the framework for our staff’s dedication to customer care and our comprehensive platform for successful customer engagements.”

Telkonet is well-positioned for its current markets based on its innovation and integration with other third party technologies. Its ground-breaking EcoSmart platform answers various concerns affecting the domain today. The platform’s ability to help customers save up to45% on existing energy costs is a major benefit. And now, with the availability of public funding to subsidize its cost, even more recognition has grown for EcoSmart’s value proposition.

A value added proposition in itself
Talking about the different challenges and competition in the market and how Telkonet tackles them, Jason said, “We position ourselves as a full solution provider within the markets that we serve. While there are companies that carry similar products or services, we believe that we’re competitively unique because of the one-of-a-kind, comprehensive platform that we provide. The fact that we constantly strive to innovate and provide extensive professional services for our customers – such as rebate and incentive research, utility integration and customized solution development – makes us a preferred choice among clientele that include JCI, Trane, Carrier, NYU, UC Davis and major Hospitality franchisors”.

Dan Levine, CEO of Cytexone (one of Telkonet’s reputed clientele) adds, “Telkonet is a true game changer in hospitality. Their devices are top notch and the cloud-based EcoCentral software is second to none. The easy-to-read information dashboard sets them apart from all other products on the market. The Zigbee integration is flawless. We rely on their exceptional technical skills and are thrilled they’re so responsive to product application. Telkonet is a revolutionary product and service combination.”

The undisputed domain leader
Braving the challenges of market adoption rates, the broad range of companies deploying technology, locating and securing talent, etc., Telkonet worked hard towards fulfilling its growth strategy goals in 2015. Making a successful mark in the rapidly growing international markets for intelligent automation, it expanded its presence in the US, Canada and South America. “Our present focus areas include market penetration domestically– in our target markets of Hospitality, Education, Military/Government, MDU/MTU and Healthcare–as well as expanding our existing channel relationships. Our future growth strategy involves international growth for sales, growth in number of and activity of channel partners, and continued innovation in platform development and integrations,” added Tienor.

Telkonet’s EcoSmart Platform is based on four individual pillars:

EcoSmart Suite: A comprehensive platform of hardware products that enables full measurement, monitoring and control over all energy consumed within a space. This platform includes wired and wireless thermostats and controllers; door, window and remote sensors; wireless outlets and switches; and networking components connecting the entire platform.

EcoCare: Extensive support services including real-time monitoring, integration assistance, truck-roll capabilities and on-demand assistance.

EcoCentral: A Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform providing aggregated data collection and reporting, comprehensive platform monitoring, complete platform management and control, extensive platform reporting and analytics, and integration with third party systems including Utility, PMS and Building Automation.

EcoMobile: An innovative set of native mobile applications providing partners, customers and guests with significant comfort, productivity and control over their environment using Bring-Your-Own-Devices (BYOD).

Meet the CEO
Jason L. Tienor was introduced to Telkonet through the acquisition of his second startup company, EthoStream. Prior to that, he served as CEO, Founder, Partner, Director and Advisor for numerous businesses throughout his career. As the President and Chief Executive Officer of Telkonet, he has strengthened his experience and become a favorite among his peers for his visionary decision-making and execution capabilities, in a very short span of time.

Over the past few years, Jason has strategically taken Telkonet to new heights by repositioning the business into a profitable and sustainability-focused company. He holds a BBA in MIS and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and an MBA from Marquette University. As head of Telkonet, Jason is responsible for strategy, planning, business development and investor relations.

The Telkonet Advantage

• EcoSmart is able to reduce energy usage up to 45%, and thus decrease energy expenditures, through reduction in energy consumption based on occupancy, load shedding, proactive management and other triggers.
• EcoSmart is able to further reduce operational costs for customers by minimizing personnel costs, reducing maintenance costs, proactively monitoring equipment efficiency, and deploying repair and replacement resources effectively.
• By providing innovative services and capabilities such as EcoMobile, EcoSmart is able to increase user comfort and satisfaction, and improve productivity.
• Through trend analysis and proactive integrations, EcoSmart’s ability to utilize data, predict patterns and maximize efficiencies creates enormous value for customers.

“For over eighteen years, Telkonet has been successfully deploying solutions that accelerate business growth and ensure profits. Through their constant innovation, comprehensive IoT platform designed from the ground up to provide savings through complete energy consumption management, and comprehensive reporting and control, the company’s products and services are a one-stop solution for its clientele’s needs.”