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Machine-to-machine (M2M) technology is all about working smarter; it’s about taking previously laborious business processes and making them simpler, faster and more instantaneous to realize real impact. M2M truly has a direct hand in it all – from the food and beverage to mining to agriculture to the public safety industries. During the first day of ITEXPO (News - Alert) West 2013, Christopher Kuntz, director of marketing, and Stacey Schwind, marketing coordinator at ThingWorx , shed light on the limitless possibilities of the M2M and interconnected world.

This company’s name may ring a bell, seeing how ThingWorx walked away victorious – for the second year in a row –at this year’s Battle of the M2M Platforms at ITEXPO Las Vegas 2013. The company takes pride in its ability to help companies build applications 10 times faster than traditional platforms.

With the number of connected mobile devices rivaling that of the global population, Kuntz and Schwind pose a very interesting question: How can companies drive business value from this? Kuntz expects to see about five million applications created to support growth and to drive real business value from the Internet of Things (IoT).

M2M application usage truly encompasses every industry. For example, a smart agriculture application can help farmers save 10 percent of water usage. Or, a chicken coop monitoring application can help ensure that chickens are being grown profitability in breeding environments, where elements such as the temperature and humidity within hen houses can be measured.

Another great example can be seen in the public safety space, where the speeds of certain areas can be regulated according to times of the day via electronic signage devices – such as in school zones in the early morning. Or, imagine auto companies changing consumers’ rental rates based on information they can access based on driving habits and behavior. This is all possible with innovative M2M applications.

At the end of the day, Kuntz reiterates two fundamental questions: “What’s the real business value and how do we actually realize that value?” This is a question ThingWorx is diligently working to answer.

Next month, ThingWorx is debuting its all-new app store for the Internet of Things, which enables anyone to build their own applications, no matter the level of experience. For example, it can put the power of building apps in the hands of a business analyst, Kuntz notes.

“Exciting things are happening. We’re happy, and we’re excited about the maturation of the space,” Kuntz explained.