Deeyook has successfully redefined location technology through its patented, wireless-based firmware solution. Now the company is taking Software as a Service (SaaS) to the next level by introducing Location as a Service (LaaS). We sat down with Deeyook Co-Founder and CEO Gideon Rottem to discuss the advantages of transforming the company's project-based model into a service-based model and how Deeyook clients will benefit from this strategic move.
What are the advantages of moving from a project-based model to Location as a Service (LaaS)?
From our perspective, the biggest advantage of moving to a LaaS-based model is the increased scalability that it will allow us to provide. As a LaaS solution, our technology will be relevant to a wider range of customers, from small and medium to large companies.
Another advantage is that our customers will find it easier and more cost-effective to access and implement our ultra-precise location technology. Whereas our previous project-based model defined a specific site for us to bring in our technology, our LaaS solution enables broader, more ubiquitous coverage wherever the customer's assets are, whether we're talking about 100, 1000 or 1,000,000 sensors.
Additionally, customers will only pay for the location information they need no matter how many sensors they have on site or how often they use them. Think of a company that needs to track thousands of employees to make sure they are socially distancing during shifts, or another company that tracks thousands of pallets on a weekly basis. In both cases, there are thousands of sensors but a totally different location usage pattern. Our LaaS model provides a flexible, scalable tracking solution that works for customers' ever-changing needs.
And the last, but perhaps most significant, advantage of moving our operations to the cloud is that it enables us to offer a truly ubiquitous tracking solution. This is very important for companies that provide supply chain management, as it helps them maintain a continuous, unbroken chain of custody.
Let's say you're a manufacturer of goods. Whether you manufacture Covid-19 vaccinations, luxury goods or wind turbines, you need to know where all the product parts are at your factory as well as where they are enroute to and from your site. This means maintaining continuous, real-time tracking of assets from/to your suppliers and end users.
Today, the world's logistics industry is based on gatekeepers who scan packages at each point of delivery in the supply chain. But without the capabilities for continuous, real-time asset tracking, it's impossible to know what happens to those assets during transport between their different points of delivery – and whether vulnerabilities have allowed for a break in the chain of custody.
Manufacturers need to know that the product being delivered is actually the same product or part that was manufactured on site and that it has not been switched with a fake or tampered with and then mixed into the shipment.
This is where our location sensors and both our cloud-based and on-prem wireless tracking solution come in. Our LaaS solution covers the upstream and downstream of the supply chain on a real-time, continuous bases.
What is it about Deeyook's asset tracking solution that makes it optimal for LaaS?
What makes our product uniquely optimal for LaaS is that while it has the scalability, it also has the ubiquity and precision. First of all, compared to GPS, for instance, Deeyook doesn't need a lot of data or power for transmission. This makes it easier for us to shift and scale; our ability to grow from a few users to many is therefore seamless.
While some wireless tracking solutions may have a level of precision that's comparable to ours, they don't have the same level of ubiquity, or scalability. As far as I understand, our product is the only product on the market that is scalable in an unattended, automated way.
Additionally, we are the only wireless tracking solution that passively utilizes everybody else's WiFi and 5G networks. In comparison, everyone else is deploying their own infrastructure – and given the growing thirst for data, companies are investing in more and more infrastructure and WiFi access points to meet the insatiable demand for data. Meanwhile, we use everyone else's existing infrastructure and transmitters, passively listening to cell transmissions and then using that data to determine and provide locations. We are the only company doing this.
What's unique about the way Deeyook is making this transition?
While there's nothing original about moving to the cloud, it's what we're doing that is unique: A ubiquitous and scalable location solution that provides high levels of precision. We differentiate ourselves by providing a necessary service that was not available before: precise location, all the time, everywhere. We're currently offering both cloud-based and on-prem solutions.
SaaS tends to be more scalable but less tailored to specific clients' needs, how do you intend to address this challenge?
It all comes down to APIs, which will help us meet each customer's needs. Each partner has an API that allows him to connect to the cloud. With SaaS, we can take the readings from our interferometer (i.e., sensor) and translate them into a precise location. The customer's multiple APIs are what will enable the integration of our technology into their systems so that we can help them find the specific locations they need.
Again, it is the APIs that will allow us to supply and tailor any type of usage pattern to provide a precise location. While we aren't trying to replace Waze or Google Maps, we are trying to provide a better information source for them, and make them ubiquitous, outdoor, and indoor. Take Waze as an example. Currently, they use GPS. In the future, we believe they'll use Deeyook.