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AT&T wants to be known as an Internet of Things (IoT) leader.

Executives from AT&T Partner Exchange, Alternate Channels and Business Solutions will discuss the technology April 12 at the Channel Partners Conference and Expo in Las Vegas.

Lisa Park, AT&T Business Solutions’ assistant vice president of channel marketing for IoT, will lead the keynote. Sue Galvanek of AT&T Partner Exchange and Kevin Leonard of AT&T Alternate Channels will be panelists for the talk.

We spoke to them to get a preview of their discussion.

The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Channel Partners: The Internet of Things is often presented as an exciting technology of the future. How far have businesses and the channel tapped into its potential?

Lisa Park: The Internet of Things has evolved very quickly and AT&T has recognized the opportunity this presents for businesses. Laying the groundwork for IoT and having IoT discussions with customers creates a very real opportunity for solution providers today. AT&T has helped prime solution providers for the IoT opportunity so that they can explore the benefits of the technology with their customers.

We’re helping companies innovate and accelerate their IoT solutions across devices, networks and platforms. Using AT&T Control Center, powered by Cisco Jasper, solution providers can think more broadly about how they can use IoT to meet their customers’ needs. They can either find repeatable use cases that they can sell to multiple customers, or they can create an IoT solution that meets the specific needs of one customer. This gives them the ability to create and sell IoT solutions to customers across different verticals.

CP: What knowledge or actions do you hope channel partners will apply from your keynote?

LP: I think the biggest takeaway is that if the channel isn’t taking action around the IoT and where it fits into their business, they may be putting their firms at a disadvantage. IoT is more than just hype and solution providers are already making money from it today. Companies of every size can use the IoT to help lower costs, gain efficiencies and …

.. improve  competitive  advantage. No matter what stage of the IoT journey a solution provider is in, AT&T has the right tools to help businesses capitalize on the benefits of IoT.

Channel Partners: How has IoT impacted your partner program?

Sue Galvanek: The IoT has limitless opportunities. Last year, AT&T Partner Exchange introduced AT&T Control Center, powered by Cisco Jasper, to give solution providers the foundation to deploy, manage and scale IoT devices. The platform brings IoT opportunities within reach of enterprising solution providers and helps them get in front of the customer need and increase the value they can provide. Since launching IoT, we continue to make tools and resources available to better equip solution providers for IoT success.

Kevin Leonard: The world of IoT is an exploding marketplace and the opportunities for the channel are endless. Customers are working to navigate the right IoT opportunities to benefit their businesses. This is the advantage of working with the AT&T Alliance Channel. Solution providers can help customers make the right IoT decisions for their businesses with the full breadth of AT&T’s resources at their disposal. AT&T continues to grow its IoT ecosystem with new tools and solutions to help businesses capitalize on the many benefits of the connected landscape.