PTC Inc. got its start in 1985 as the Parametric Technology Corp. selling computer-aided design software. But today the “p” might as well stand for pivot. PTC has embarked on its own digital transformation with a major push into technology for “internet of things.”

“It went through a pretty dramatic transformation,” said Dave Vellante (@dvellante), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the LiveWorx 18 event in Boston, Massachusetts. “They’ve taken their legacy software and updated that for the digital world.”

Vellante was joined at the conference by co-host Stu Miniman (@stu), and they discussed the need for partnerships in a successful IoT strategy, changes affecting operations and information technology roles, and PTC’s acquisitions to add new capabilities for its growing digital portfolio. (* Disclosure below.)

System integrators see opportunity in IoT

PTC’s pivot into IoT comes with its own set of challenges, not the least of which is the significant reliance on technology partners to deliver edge computing solutions. The presence of system integrators, such as Accenture Inc., Infosys Inc. and Deloitte LLP, at the conference was a sign that delivery of IoT will need to be a team effort.

“The number that caught my ear was the 20 to 25 partners that it takes to deploy a single IoT solution,” Miniman said. “When you see these complicated stack solutions, the system integrators need to be here.”

Keynote remarks delivered by PTC’s President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Heppelmann touched on the importance of innovation being a non-linear process requiring strong machines, fast computers, and creative humans. As Heppelmann’s company moves more strongly into providing IoT solutions, it will also require a new way of thinking about the organizational computing structure itself.

“This is the mashing together of operations technology with information technology,” Vellante said. “IT is actually leaning in and embracing this notion of edge computing and IoT.”

To reposition itself in the software space, PTC has made a number of acquisitions over the past several years. One company was ColdLight, a firm acquired in 2015 to provide big data machine learning and predictive analytics.

“Artificial intelligence is getting infused in here because with so many devices and so much data, we really need the machines to help us process that,” Miniman concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the LiveWorx 18 event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the LiveWorx event. Neither PTC Inc., the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: PTC Inc.