THE name of iO3's digital platform, Jarviss, may sound familiar to comic book fans - just one letter off from the Marvel universe's artificial intelligence system Jarvis.
"I am an Iron Man fan," quipped Kenny Koh, co-founder of the maritime technology firm.
While not as sentient as its fictional namesake, Jarviss is the backbone of iO3's ship connectivity and digitalisation solutions. It is the main network device enabling ships to connect to the internet, and offers a suite of services such as aggregating data collected by the ship's sensors and ensuring its cybersecurity.
iO3 was founded in 2019 by Koh and three others who now make up the firm's management. This was prompted by the rise of cellular networks on ships in the past five years, said Koh, its chief executive.
"At the time, ships were starting to get broadband connectivity, but it was very narrow, and only enough to send a couple emails a day," he said.
His background in satellite technology led him to become interested in digitalising the maritime industry, as satellite communications largely dealt with ships. But companies in the industry face challenges in going digital, due to the complexity of fitting vessels with the appropriate infrastructure and crew members not being trained to handle such equipment.
In addition, some software may not be compatible with a ship's environment, as developers may be unfamiliar with a ship's layout and its constant movement at sea. This is where iO3's digital services come in. Said Koh: "What we try to do here is to facilitate maritime customers adopting digital technology to improve their efficiency."
An all-in-one platform
He wants Jarviss to be the single platform on ships that can handle all digital services. "Think of it like the iOS of an iPhone," he said, referring to the Apple product's operating system. "It comes with native applications, but is not limited to it."
Clients pay for the hardware upfront, while the applications come under a monthly subscription.
iO3's suite of services can be complemented by third-party software, which is integrated into Jarviss so that clients only have to interact with one operating system. Koh said the company is happy to collaborate with developers in customising their services for ships. "They are good at writing their software, but they don't understand ships and are not able to implement their solutions onboard vessels," he said.
This "open ecosystem" approach allows the firm to consider different developers when picking the best solutions for each client's needs. "When planning the client's digital roadmap, we determine what kind of satellite connectivity is suitable for them and the most cost-effective way," he added.
By providing the operating platform on which these applications are hosted, iO3 can get "a leg in with customers. Said Koh: "Once they are ready to adopt more digital solutions, we have their natural attention."
Sailing ahead
iO3's clients include container transporter K Line Singapore, to which it provides remote surveillance and cybersecurity services for its vessels. Another customer, Thailand-listed Tipco, uses iO3's remote video conferencing and data aggregation tools for maintenance in its fleet of nine large bitumen carriers.
In fact, the firm's remote video conferencing tool V.sion, which uses smart glasses, played an instrumental role during periods of the pandemic when engineers from iO3 could not enter vessels to install servers.
The firm was new at the time, so they had to get creative to stay afloat despite the uncertainty, noted Koh. Smart glasses allowed users to participate in video calls while keeping their hands free, which in turn allowed them to continue working.
"When we realised that V.sion could allow us to instruct the crew members on the ship on how to install and maintain the servers on the ship, we focused all our attention on getting it up and running," he added. It has since become one of iO3's primary offerings alongside Jarviss.
iO3's FY2021 revenue was US$3.6 million, and Koh expects revenue for this year to reach around US$6.5 million. The firm, which currently does not have external funding, has been profitable since its first year, he added.
iO3 aims to expand both its range of solutions and geographical presence in the coming few years.
This July, the company signed a partnership with United States-based data analytics company DTN to integrate its marine weather data and analytics into iO3's offerings, allowing clients to understand their vessels' performance in relation to the weather on the voyage.
Meanwhile, its technical office in Kaohsiung, Taiwan will be joined by an office in Vietnam in the fourth quarter of this year, and another in Tokyo in 2023.
Koh is not ruling out raising fresh funds for future expansion to regions like the Middle East and Europe.
"Today, we remain in the black and will continue to develop our software and develop our technologies," he said, "But at some point, we are going to have some external cash injection. It's just a matter of time."