Tag: Favoriot

Favoriot’s Journey: Lessons from Lord of the Rings

The journey of Favoriot, from its earliest days to where it stands today, mirrors The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in a way that feels less like fantasy and more like lived experience.

Not because of epic battles or dramatic villains, but because both stories are really about endurance, pivots, and choosing to continue when the original plan no longer fits the road ahead.

A Journey That Did Not Start With a Grand Map

When Frodo left the Shire, there was no detailed map to Mount Doom. Gandalf did not hand him a ten-year plan. The mission evolved as dangers revealed themselves.

Favoriot began the same way.

The early vision was simple. Build an IoT platform that works. One that local engineers, researchers, and institutions could rely on. What came next was not a straight line. The platform did not arrive fully formed. It grew through experiments, false starts, and product decisions that looked right at the time but later needed rethinking.

Like Middle-earth, the terrain kept changing.

Products as Paths, Not Destinations

In The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship does not walk a single road. They split. They detour. Some paths fail. Others reveal their purpose much later.

Favoriot’s products followed the same rhythm.

Early versions focused heavily on basic device connectivity and dashboards. That was the Shire phase. Simple. Familiar. Necessary.

As real customers arrived, the needs shifted. Monitoring alone was not enough. Scale introduced complexity. Rules became more complicated to manage. Alerts became noisy. What worked for a pilot did not hold up in production.

That forced pivots.

  • From simple dashboards to structured data models
  • From manual rules to more intelligent behaviour detection
  • From pure IoT to AI-assisted decision support
  • From cloud-only thinking to edge-aware architectures

Each pivot felt like leaving a known path and stepping into uncertainty. Some features were retired quietly. Others were reshaped instead of discarded. Just as characters outgrow their early roles, products evolve because the journey demands it.

The Cost of Carrying Too Much

Frodo’s burden was not the distance. It was the Ring.

For Favoriot, the “Ring” often took the form of technical debt, early assumptions, and customer expectations set too soon. Decisions made for speed later demanded patience to untangle. Features built for one market created friction in another. Supporting early users while reworking the core tested both systems and people.

Letting go was hard.

Just as Frodo struggled to release the Ring, teams struggle to let go of products they worked hard to build. Yet progress required accepting that not everything belongs in the final version.

Splitting the Fellowship to Survive

The Fellowship did not stay together because it looked nice. It split because survival required it.

Favoriot’s journey did the same. Engineering focused on stability, while product teams listened closely to users. Business teams dealt with timing, cash flow, and long sales cycles. Partnerships opened doors while internal teams strengthened the foundation.

At times, it felt fragmented. In reality, it was a focus.

Each group carried a different part of the burden. No single team saw the whole picture at all times. Trust became the glue.

Long Stretches Without Applause

Middle-earth did not pause to celebrate milestones. Neither did the market.

There were long periods where progress was invisible from the outside. No launches. No announcements. Just refactoring, rewriting, rebuilding. Customers rarely see this phase, yet it defines whether a platform survives.

Favoriot lived in this space for years.

Quiet work. Fewer shortcuts. Many trade-offs. The kind of progress that feels slow until one day it becomes evident that the platform is stronger, calmer, and more reliable than before.

When the Mission Changes the People

By the end of the trilogy, Frodo was not chasing adventure. He was carrying wisdom earned through pain and persistence.

Favoriot’s journey shaped its people the same way.

Engineers learned restraint, not just speed. Product teams learned when to say no. Leaders learned that timing matters as much as vision. The company knew that building trust outlasts chasing trends.

The platform today is not just more capable; it is also more capable. It is more deliberate.

Not Glory, But Completion

Destroying the Ring was not a victory parade. It was relief. Completion.

Favoriot’s goal has never been to build everything or to shout the loudest. It has been to finish what was started. A platform that can grow with its users. A system that learns instead of overwhelming. A foundation that can support the next chapter without collapsing under its own weight.

That goal shaped every pivot.

The Quiet Parallel

Frodo was not the strongest.
Favoriot did not have the most significant budget.
Neither took the shortest route.

Yet both stories prove the same point.

Lasting impact rarely comes from perfect plans. It comes from adjusting without losing purpose, letting go without giving up, and continuing to walk when turning back feels easier.

That is the shared truth between Middle-earth and Favoriot’s journey.
A long road.
Many pivots.
One mission that refused to be abandoned.

Favoriot: AI Agents Not Needed Now

Do Favoriot need to develop an AI Agent feature?

Short answer? No, Favoriot does not need full AI Agent automation right now.

And yes, what you have today is more than enough for the market you are serving.

Let me explain this the way I usually reason with myself.

I asked myself this quietly

“Do customers really want systems that act on their own…

or do they want systems they can trust?”

When I sit with city operators, facility managers, engineers, or even researchers, one thing keeps coming up.

They are not asking for autonomy.

They are asking for clarity.

They want fewer surprises.

They want earlier signals.

They want confidence before taking action.

That matters.

What Favoriot already does well

Right now, Favoriot Intelligence does something very important and very rare.

It learns patterns from real operational data

It surfaces what looks unusual

It feeds those insights into a Rule Engine

And then… it stops

That stopping point is not a weakness.

It is a design choice.

The system says,

“Here is what changed.

Here is why it matters.

You decide what to do next.”

That is precisely where trust is built.

Rule Engine + ML is not a compromise

Some people frame this as:

“Rule Engine now, AI Agents later.”

I don’t see it that way.

I see it as:

ML decides what deserves attention

Rules decide what action is allowed

This separation is powerful.

Why?

Because rules are:

  • Auditable
  • Explainable
  • Governable
  • Aligned with SOPs and regulations

And ML is:

  • Adaptive
  • Pattern-driven
  • Good at spotting drift and anomalies

Together, they form a human-in-the-loop intelligence system, not a black box.

That is exactly what enterprises and public sector teams are comfortable with today.

Do customers actually want AI Agents?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth.

Most organisations say they want AI to “automate everything”.

But when you ask one more question…

“Are you okay if the system shuts down equipment on its own?”

“Are you okay if it triggers evacuation automatically?”

“Are you okay if it changes operating parameters without approval?”

The room goes quiet.

What they really want is:

  • Earlier warnings
  • Better recommendations
  • Fewer false alarms
  • Less manual rule tuning

Favoriot Intelligence already delivers that.

Where AI Agents actually make sense later

I’m not against AI Agents. Not at all.

But their place is conditional, not universal.

AI Agents make sense when:

  • Policies are mature
  • Actions are reversible
  • Risk is low
  • Trust has been earned over time

For example:

  • Automated report generation
  • Recommendation ranking
  • Suggesting rule adjustments
  • Proposing actions for approval

Notice the word: suggesting, not executing.

That is a natural evolution path.

Not a starting point.

Strategically, Favoriot is in the right place.

By keeping:

  • ML for learning and insight
  • Rules for control and action

Favoriot positions itself as:

  • Reliable
  • Safe
  • Deployable today
  • Acceptable to conservative sectors

Smart cities.

Utilities.

Campuses.

Critical infrastructure.

These sectors do not reward “full autonomy” first.

They reward predictability and confidence.

My honest conclusion

If I had to answer this as simply as possible:

Favoriot does not need AI Agents to be valuable.

Favoriot Intelligence with ML-driven rules is already the right solution for today.

AI Agents can come later, carefully, selectively, and with guardrails.

Right now, Favoriot is doing something more important than automation.

It is helping people think earlier, not react later.

And that, in my book, is real intelligence.

Favoriot – The Journey of an IoT Startup: A Free eBook for Thoughtful Makers, Thinkers, and Doers by Mazlan Abbas

Today (1 January 2026), I’m thrilled to share something that’s been quietly taking shape over the past year. My latest eBook titled “Favoriot – The Journey of an IoT Startup” is now officially released and available for free download. You can get your copy right here: https://payhip.com/b/GbOyo

Writing this book was not a sprint. It was more like those slow early mornings when you sit with a cup of coffee before the world wakes up and try to make sense of what you’ve learned, what you’ve unlearned, and what still puzzles you.

“What if I just write this down now before I forget how it felt?” I asked myself more times than I can count.

That question became this book.

Why This eBook Exists

I didn’t set out to write an eBook that checks all the “how to succeed” boxes. I wrote something more honest. More personal. More reflective of real work and real life.

This is a piece of writing that came from:

  • Conversations I had with founders and students
  • Moments when I wasn’t sure if something would work
  • Times when a quiet insight changed my view more than any big announcement ever could

Some parts feel calm and clear. Some parts feel messy and uncertain. In all of them, you’ll find reflections that resonate with the kinds of questions we all silently carry with us.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Am I doing this right?” or “What truly matters here?” then this book was written with you in mind.

What You’ll Find Inside

This eBook isn’t a step-by-step guide or a list of formulas that promise success. You won’t find shortcuts here. What you will find are reflections rooted in real experience:

  • How clarity often arrives slowly
  • Why patience matters more than speed
  • What it really takes to think long term
  • Why credibility beats noise
  • How do you navigate uncertainty when the path ahead isn’t clear

These are not theories. They came from living through questions that didn’t have neat answers.

“Oh… so this is what that moment was really teaching me,” I found myself saying as I shaped these chapters.

A Free Book for the Curious Mind

You might wonder why this eBook is free. There are reasons.

Most books you see are behind paywalls. You sign up. You subscribe. You unlock. All of that has its place.

But I wanted this one to be different.

I wanted it to be reachable by anyone who might benefit from it — no barriers. No barriers, no hoops, no strings attached.

Just download it, read it at your pace, and keep what matters to you.

Who Should Read This

This is a book for people who:

  • Are you building something without a clear path
  • I’m thinking about the next step, but don’t know exactly what it is
  • Feel the tension between urgency and patience
  • Need space to reflect instead of being told what to do

If you’re looking for hype or fast answers, this may not be a perfect match.

If you’re looking for thoughtful reflections that support your own thinking, then this book might feel like a companion for that journey.

Grab Your Copy

Here’s the link again:

👉 https://payhip.com/b/GbOyo

Download it, read it, and then take a moment to reflect on one question:

Which part stayed with me the longest after I closed it?

If you feel like sharing what that was, I’d really like to hear it. Drop a comment. Send a message. Pass the link to someone else who might need it.

Because sometimes the meaning of a book only shows up after you’ve walked a few steps beyond the last page.

Thank you for being here. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Let’s continue the conversation.

When Saying “Not Yet” Is Better Than Saying “Yes”

There was a time when I thought saying “yes” was the mark of progress.

Yes to meetings.
Yes to collaborations.
Yes to pilot projects.
Yes to opportunities that sounded exciting on paper.

I told myself this is how momentum works. You say yes, doors open, things move.

Then one quiet evening, after another long day, I stared at my notebook. It was full. Pages packed with ideas, arrows, half plans. And yet, nothing felt complete.

Why does being busy feel so hollow right now? I asked myself.

That was the moment I began to respect the power of “not yet”.

Not no.
Not rejection.
Just not yet.

The Hidden Cost of Saying Yes Too Quickly

Early in my career, and even during the early years of building Favoriot, I treated every opportunity like a rare train that might never come back. If I missed it, I feared regret.

So I boarded many trains.

Some took me forward.
Some took me sideways.
A few quietly took me backwards.

Each “yes” came with invisible baggage. Time. Energy. Attention. Emotional load. Once you say yes, you owe something. A reply. A follow-up. A delivery. A meeting. Another meeting.

One day I caught myself replying to emails at midnight, agreeing to things I barely remembered discussing.

This isn’t growth, I muttered. This is drift.

Saying yes too fast often means borrowing time from the future. And the interest rate is brutal.

Why “Not Yet” Is Not a Weak Answer

Many people hear “not yet” and assume hesitation or fear.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Not yet” is clarity without arrogance.
It is patience without laziness.
It is confidence that does not need applause.

When I say “not yet” today, it usually means one of three things.

I have not thought this through deeply enough.
My current priorities would suffer.
The timing is wrong even if the idea is right.

Why rush something that deserves care? I often ask myself.

In a world addicted to speed, restraint feels radical.

Timing Is a Strategy, Not an Excuse

I have seen great ideas fail not because they were flawed, but because they arrived at the wrong time.

Too early and the ecosystem is not ready.
Too late and the window has closed.

I learned this the hard way.

There were moments when partnerships looked perfect. Strong names. Good intentions. Big promises. On paper, it all made sense.

But something inside me hesitated.

Can we execute this properly right now?
Do we have the mental space to do this well?

When I ignored that inner voice and said yes anyway, the result was often messy. Delays. Frustration. Quiet disappointment on both sides.

Now I treat timing as a first-class decision variable.

A good idea at the wrong time is still the wrong move.

The Discipline of Protecting Focus

Focus is fragile.

Once broken, it takes far longer to restore than we admit.

Every “yes” competes with what you are already building. It steals attention in small, almost polite ways. One extra call. One more document. One more thread to keep in your head.

I used to pride myself on juggling many things. Then I realised juggling means nothing ever truly rests in your hands.

What if fewer things, appropriately done, are the real advantage?

Saying “not yet” protects the work that matters most. It keeps the main thing the main thing.

Relationships Respect Honest Timing

Here is something I learned with age and a few scars.

Serious people respect honesty more than enthusiasm.

When you say yes too quickly and later underdeliver, trust erodes quietly. No drama. No argument. Just a subtle shift.

When you say “not yet” with clarity and respect, something else happens.

People listen.

They know you are not chasing noise. They sense you are playing a longer game.

I have had conversations where a simple “not yet, let me come back to this in a few months” led to stronger partnerships later.

Good relationships survive patience. Weak ones do not.

Saying “Not Yet” to Protect Your Future Self

There is a version of you six months from now who will inherit today’s decisions.

That future self will deal with the consequences. The deadlines. The stress. The regret.

I try to picture him often.

Tired? Calm? Proud? Frustrated?

When I say yes impulsively, I am often being unfair to that future version of myself.

“Not yet” is a gift to him.

It buys space.
It buys clarity.
It buys better decisions.

When “Yes” Becomes a Reflex

Reflexive yes is dangerous.

It feels polite. Productive. Cooperative.

But reflexes bypass thinking.

I noticed this pattern during periods of pressure. When things feel uncertain, the instinct is to grab everything. To say yes to feel safe.

Ironically, that is when restraint matters most.

What am I trying to compensate for? I ask myself now.

Scarcity mindset whispers lies. It tells you this is your last chance. Those opportunities are rare.

Experience teaches otherwise.

The right opportunities return. Often better prepared. Often clearer.

The Confidence to Wait

Waiting is uncomfortable.

Silence feels awkward.
Unanswered emails create tension.
Pauses invite doubt.

Yet waiting is where conviction forms.

Some of my best decisions were made slowly. They survived weeks of thinking, rewriting, second-guessing, and walking away before returning.

The bad decisions? They were fast. Exciting. Urgent.

Confidence is not loud. Sometimes it looks like waiting calmly while the world rushes.

What “Not Yet” Sounds Like in Practice

It does not need drama.

It can be simple.

“Let me revisit this after we complete our current milestone.”
“This deserves more thought. Can we talk again later?”
“I like the direction, but the timing isn’t right for us now.”

Clear. Respectful. Honest.

No long explanations. No guilt.

You do not owe the world your exhaustion.

Building Things That Last Requires Patience

Startups. Products. Careers. Even personal growth.

They all punish haste.

I have come to believe that longevity favours those who can delay gratification. Those who can sit with incomplete answers. Those who can say “not yet” without anxiety.

Am I building momentum or just motion? That question guides me now.

Motion looks busy. Momentum compounds quietly.

The Quiet Strength of Saying “Not Yet”

There is a strange calm that comes with this shift.

Fewer meetings.
Clearer priorities.
Deeper work.

And when I finally say yes, it means something.

It means I am ready.
It means I can commit fully.
It means the answer has weight.

Not yet creates space for better, yes.

A Question for You

Where in your life are you saying yes out of habit rather than intention?

What would happen if you replaced one of those yeses with a calm, honest “not yet”?

You might find that nothing collapses.
You might find respect grows.
You might find your focus returning.

I am curious to hear your thoughts.

Have you ever said “not yet” and later realised it was the right move?

Share your story in the comments.

Download eBooks from Mazlan Abbas

  1. Favoriot – The Journey of an IoT Startup
  2. The Favoriot Way – Life of Curiosity and Courage
  3. Hello IoT
  4. Mastering IoT with Favoriot: A Comprehensive Guide for Business and Educational Institutions
  5. Internet of Things (IoT): A Beginner’s Guide
  6. Startup Survival: The Journey of a Tech Entrepreneur
  7. Your IoT Journey
  8. IoT Notes

Why I Stopped Chasing Visibility and Focused on Credibility

There was a time when I thought visibility was the game.

More views.
More likes.
More stages.
More mentions.

I watched founders celebrate follower counts like revenue. I saw announcements dressed up as progress. I saw loud success everywhere.

And quietly, I asked myself a question I did not say out loud.

“Is this what winning looks like?”

That question stayed with me longer than I expected.

I come from a background where results mattered more than noise. Engineering. Telecommunications. Research. Systems that break if you get one assumption wrong. You cannot bluff physics. You cannot sweet-talk a network into stability. Either it works, or it fails. Publicly. Painfully.

When I stepped into entrepreneurship and started building FAVORIOT, I carried that same mindset with me, though I did not realise how rare it would feel in a world obsessed with attention.

At the beginning, I tried to play both games.

Build quietly, but also stay visible.
Ship code and post updates.
Solve problems, but also explain myself repeatedly.

It was exhausting.

Not because visibility is bad. But because chasing it changes how you think.

The Seduction of Being Seen

Visibility feels productive. That is the danger.

You post something.
People react.
The numbers move.
Your brain rewards you instantly.

I felt it too.

A speaking invitation arrives.
A panel slot opens up.
A logo appears on a slide.

“This must mean we are doing well,” I told myself.

But late at night, when the office lights were off, and the dashboards were still open, another voice appeared.

“Would this platform survive if nobody mentioned it tomorrow?”

That question became my compass.

Because visibility without substance is fragile. The moment the spotlight shifts, so does the relevance.

I had seen this pattern before, long before startups.

In telco projects.
In smart city pilots.
In technology programs with beautiful launches and quiet endings.

Everyone remembers the launch. Few recognise the maintenance.

Credibility works the opposite way.

It grows slowly.
It compounds quietly.
It shows up when no one is clapping.

When I Noticed the Shift

The shift did not happen because I decided to be noble or disciplined.

It happened because of a simple pattern.

People started finding us without us having to chase them.

An email would come in.
A message from overseas.
A partner inquiry that started with, “We’ve been reading your work.”

And every time, I asked the same question.

“How did you hear about us?”

The answers were almost boring.

They searched.
They read.
They compared.
They waited.

No viral post.
No paid campaign.
No dramatic announcement.

Just years of writing, building, fixing, and explaining the same things again and again.

That was when it hit me.

Credibility travels further than visibility, but it moves on its own timeline.

The Cost of Chasing the Wrong Metric

Here is the uncomfortable truth.

Visibility rewards what looks good today.
Credibility rewards what holds up tomorrow.

When you chase visibility, you optimise for speed.
When you build credibility, you optimise for truth.

Speed loves shortcuts.
Truth does not forgive them.

I learned this the hard way in IoT.

You can demo anything.
You can mock data.
You can polish dashboards.

But real deployments are unforgiving.

Sensors fail.
Connectivity drops.
Edge devices behave badly.
Security holes appear where nobody looked.

If your system only works when everything is perfect, it is not a system. It is a slide deck.

So I made a quiet decision.

I stopped asking, “How do we look?”
I started asking, “Would I trust this if I were the customer?”

That question shaped everything.

The way the platform was designed.
The way documentation was written.
The way training was structured.
The way we said no to shortcuts that looked tempting.

No announcement could replace that.

Writing Without Chasing Applause

My writing changed, too.

I used to wonder why some posts did not perform.
Why do some articles feel invisible?
Why did the numbers look flat?

Then I realised something.

I was writing to be understood, not to be shared.

Those are two different goals.

Writing for shares means simplifying until nothing is left to challenge.
Writing for understanding means explaining until clarity replaces confusion.

Clarity takes time.
Understanding takes patience.

And patience does not trend.

But credibility remembers.

Months later, someone would quote an old article.
A student would reference a post I barely remembered writing.
A partner would say, “This helped us avoid a mistake.”

That mattered more than any spike.

Credibility Is Built When Nobody Is Watching

Here is the part nobody glamorises.

Credibility is built in moments that feel invisible.

Fixing a bug nobody will thank you for.
Rewriting documentation for the third time.
Saying no to a deal that feels wrong.
Admitting uncertainty instead of pretending confidence.

These moments never trend.

But they stack.

I spent years in environments where mistakes had consequences. Networks go down. Cities stall. Systems fail publicly. That background wired me to respect fundamentals.

So when trends shifted, buzzwords changed, and hype cycles rotated, I anchored myself to a simple principle.

If this disappears from the internet tomorrow, would the work still stand?

That question saved me from many distractions.

Panels, Stages, and the Quiet Filter

I still speak.
I still write.
I still show up.

But the filter is different now.

I no longer ask, “Will this increase my visibility?”
I ask, “Does this reflect what I actually believe?”

If it does not, I pass.

That choice costs opportunities.
It also protects credibility.

When I sat on panels discussing AI, IoT, and cybersecurity, I was not there because I was loud. I was there because of years of consistent work connecting systems, understanding risks, and dealing with consequences.

That is the kind of visibility credibility earns on its own.

The Long Game: Most People Quit

Here is something I wish more foundershad heard earlier.

Visibility is rented.
Credibility is owned.

Visibility disappears when platforms change.
Credibility stays when people remember.

Visibility flatters.
Credibility humbles.

One feeds the ego.
The other feeds trust.

Trust is slower to build.
It is also harder to destroy.

I chose the long game because I have seen what happens when shortcuts collapse. I have seen systems that looked impressive but could not survive reality.

I did not want to build that.

What I Focus On Now

Today, my priorities are boring in the best way.

Does the platform work when things go wrong?
Can a student learn without being overwhelmed?
Can a partner deploy without calling us every hour?
Can the system explain itself clearly?

These questions do not trend.
They endure.

I still share stories.
I still write reflections.
I still show the work.

But I no longer chase the spotlight.

If it comes, it comes.
If it does not, the work continues.

Because credibility has a strange habit.

It introduces you when you are not in the room.

A Quiet Invitation

If you are building something today and feeling invisible, let me say this gently.

You might not be behind.
You might be early.

Keep building things that last.
Keep explaining things clearly.
Keep choosing substance over speed.

The world is loud.
Credibility whispers.

And whispers travel further than we think.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have you felt this tension between being seen and being trusted?
Where are you placing your energy right now?

Share your reflections in the comments.

Reflecting on a Grounded 2025: Lessons from Favoriot’s Journey

I am writing this ten days before 2025 comes to an end.

When I look back at the year, it does not feel loud. It does not feel dramatic. It feels focused. Demanding. Grounded. A year where most of my time, energy, and thinking revolved around one thing only: Favoriot.

If I am being honest, 2025 was not a year of balance. It was a year of commitment.

Most of my days were spent at the office. And when I was not physically there, my mind was still working on Favoriot. Nights. Weekends. Quiet moments that could have been rest often turned into planning or problem-solving. I did not spend much time on myself personally. There were no real holidays. The only breaks I had were during overseas business trips, and even then, work followed me closely.

I told myself more than once, This is not a sacrifice. This is a choice.

And I am at peace with that choice.

Fewer Invitations and a Shift in How We Connect

One noticeable change in 2025 was the drop in invitations from universities and public conferences. Many engagements that used to be physical moved online. Meetings became links. Conversations became scheduled time slots on screens.

I realised something about myself quite clearly this year.

I do not enjoy online meetings anymore.

They are convenient, but they remove the human layer. The casual chats before meetings start. The spontaneous conversations after sessions end. The subtle signals that build trust faster than formal presentations ever can.

I still prefer face-to-face meetings. They feel more honest. Better for networking. Better for understanding people beyond their titles.

Public conferences were fewer as well. Part of it could be the current spotlight on AI. IoT felt quieter this year, almost like it had stepped back from centre stage. I was not bothered by it. I was observant.

Trends move quickly. Real work moves steadily.

Why Panel Sessions Still Matter to Me

While formal speaking invitations slowed, one format still felt right to me: panel sessions.

No slides. No heavy preparation. Just conversations.

Sitting on stage, exchanging views, listening, responding, sometimes disagreeing politely. That feels closer to how decisions are made in real life.

I often think that insight shows up better in dialogue than in bullet points.

That belief stayed strong in 2025.

A Year Focused on Partnerships

Behind the scenes, 2025 was anything but quiet.

We spent a significant amount of time building partnerships. By the end of the year, we had signed MOUs with more than 40 partners across 15 countries. Our original target was 25 countries, so on paper, we fell short geographically.

But numbers do not tell the whole story.

I have learned that more partners do not automatically mean more revenue or more projects. Partnerships only matter when they are actively engaged, aligned, and nurtured.

Signing is easy. Building trust takes time.

Some partnerships moved faster. Some are still warming up. Some will likely take longer to show results. That is the nature of building across borders.

This year reminded me that ecosystems are built patiently, not collected quickly.

When People Find You on Their Own

One encouraging pattern this year was how people and companies started approaching us unexpectedly.

Each time, I asked the same question. “How did you find us?”

The answer was often simple. They searched online. They did their own research. They were surprised to discover an IoT platform company operating from this region.

That always made me pause.

Years of writing, sharing, and building quietly compound over time. Visibility does not always arrive with announcements. Sometimes it comes as an unexpected email or message.

That is when you realise the work has travelled further than you thought.

Fewer Projects, Fewer Trainings, a Cautious Market

Not everything grew this year.

Real IoT projects were fewer compared to previous years. IoT training numbers dropped as well. In-house training, which used to scale better, became harder to secure. We relied more on public training sessions, which are always challenging when it comes to attendance.

The market felt cautious.

Budgets were tighter. Decisions took longer. Interest was still there, but commitment required more patience.

There were moments when I questioned the pace. Is this a temporary slowdown, or is the market resetting itself?

Perhaps it is both.

Shifting My Focus Between Industry Associations

This year, I was less active in the Malaysia Smart City Alliance Association.

At the same time, I became more involved with the Malaysia IoT Association, partly due to my role as Vice-Chairman.

More importantly, MyIoTA’s Smart City Nexus activities align closely with the reasons I joined the association. The Nexus focuses on bringing members’ solutions directly to local councils. It creates a practical space for business matching, not just discussion.

That matters to me, and I plan to be more active there moving into 2026.

Favoriot Sembang Santai Podcast: Keeping Conversations Human

Another meaningful chapter in 2025 was the start of the Favoriot Sembang Santai.

We started the podcast in February 2025, and by December, we had reached Episode 38.

The reason was simple. I wanted a space for honest conversations. No scripts. No slides. No pressure to sound formal. Just honest discussions about Favoriot’s journey and what we were seeing in the IoT space.

The primary host is Zura Huzali, and I serve as the primary guest and speaker. The chemistry works because it feels natural. Curious questions. Straight answers. Occasional debates. Plenty of laughter.

The topics evolved naturally from Favoriot’s story into broader themes such as AI, robotics, satellite IoT, and Ambient IoT. Not as buzzwords, but as technologies we were trying to make practical sense of.

Anyone who misses the live sessions can catch the recordings on YouTube, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

The podcast will continue throughout 2026. For me, it is a long conversation, not a series.

TikTok Live on IoT Man: Ask Me Anything

Alongside the podcast, we also started doing casual TikTok Live sessions on the IoT Man channel.

The central theme is simple. “Ask Me Anything.”

No agenda. No slides. Just live questions and real-time answers. What excites me about these sessions is that they capture a different segment of listeners. Shorter attention spans. Younger audiences. People who may not sit through a long podcast but are curious enough to drop in and ask.

It feels raw. Immediate. Human.

Sometimes the most honest questions come without preparation.

Working With AI to Prepare for 2026

As 2025 draws to a close, one personal highlight has been working with my AI companion.

Not to replace thinking, but to sharpen it.

I spent many late nights shaping 2026 playbooks. How we approach the market. How we engage customers. How we manage partners. New business models. New IoT solution ideas.

The picture ahead feels clearer now.

Looking Forward

2025 was not flashy. It did not come with loud milestones.

But it mattered.

It tested focus. It strengthened conviction. It prepared the ground.

I am genuinely excited about 2026. The plans are clearer. The energy feels different. I hope the long-standing plans around IoT certifications with universities will finally become a reality.

Here is to a better, steadier, and more rewarding year ahead.

I would love to hear how your 2025 has been. Share your reflections in the comments.

Why Some Startup “Failures” Are Actually Training

Failing Forward… Startup Mistakes I’d Make Again

Here’s a truth most founders won’t say out loud.

Some mistakes are not regrets.
They are training.

I’ve made decisions that looked wrong on paper.
Moves that confused people.
Choices that invited questions, doubts, raised eyebrows.

And yet…
I’d make many of them again.

Because those moments shaped how I think today.

I learned what spreadsheets never show.
I learned how people behave when pressure enters the room.
I learned how fast confidence disappears when certainty is gone.

There were launches that came too early.
Partnerships that felt right but weren’t.
Features built with hope instead of evidence.

Painful? Yes.
Pointless? No.

Those moments sharpened my judgement.
They taught me what signals matter.
They taught me what noise to ignore.

Growth rarely comes from getting everything right.
It comes from staying awake while things go wrong.

From asking better questions next time.
From spotting patterns sooner.
From knowing when to push… and when to pause.

Founders don’t grow by avoiding mistakes.
We grow by surviving them with our eyes open.

So if you’re replaying a decision in your head tonight…
Wondering if it set you back…

Take a breath.

Some steps only make sense later.
Some lessons only arrive through friction.
Some mistakes are simply tuition fees for better judgement.

Failing forward is not weakness.
It’s how builders are made.

And some mistakes?
They’re worth every step they gave you.

We’re Teaching IoT Wrong … And Industry Is Paying the Price

We don’t have an IoT talent shortage.

We have a relevance problem.

I’ve seen too many IoT syllabuses that look good on paper…
but fall apart the moment students touch the real world.

Slides are polished.
Exams are passed.
Graduates are confident.

Then industry asks a simple question.

“Can they deploy this?”

Silence.

Building an IoT curriculum is not about chasing buzzwords.
It’s about closing the gap between classrooms and construction sites.
Between theory and messy reality.

Students don’t need more definitions.
They need exposure.

To sensors that fail.
To networks that drop.
To dashboards that confuse users.
To data that refuses to behave.

Industry doesn’t need perfect graduates.
It needs graduates who can think, troubleshoot, adapt.

Who understand why edge matters.
Who know when cloud makes sense.
Who can justify costs, not just architectures.
Who see security as responsibility, not a chapter at the end.

TVET schools and universities hold a powerful lever.
They shape how the next generation thinks about building systems that people rely on.

If we teach IoT as a subject, we produce students.
If we teach IoT as a practice, we produce builders.

The future skills gap is not about technology.
It’s about judgement.

And that starts with how we design what we teach.

Books Written by Dr. Mazlan Abbas

My Journey Through Academia, Telco, and Startup Mayhem — And Why I’d Do It Again

From Signals to Sensing: The Early Spark

Every time I look back at where this whole adventure began, I’m reminded of how simple the starting point was. I was just a young engineer obsessed with how things connected. My academic path shaped the first chapter — electrical engineering, telematics, and finally a doctoral dive into telecommunications.

Those years were filled with long nights, dense textbooks, and moments where I quietly wondered, “Is this really the road I want to stay on?” But something about networks — the way invisible signals could connect lives — kept pulling me forward.

My early years in academia gave me a grounding that I still rely on today. Teaching forced me to explain ideas clearly, question assumptions, and stay curious. It was the first real test of whether I understood the world of connectivity or was just reciting formulas.

Into the Telco Trenches

Eventually, the classroom walls felt too small. I wanted to see how these theories behaved under real pressure. That shift took me deep into the telecommunications industry.

Those years were intense: real customers, real failures, real deadlines. It wasn’t just about making a system work; it was about keeping it alive when the world depended on it.

Later, I moved to a national research agency, where I led teams working on early broadband, wireless sensor networks, and technologies that today fall neatly under the label of IoT. Back then, it felt like tinkering with the future. Testing prototypes in rural villages, deploying sensors in unfamiliar places, experimenting with wireless technologies that many considered too early or too ambitious.

Yet I couldn’t shake the thought: “What if this tech leaves the labs and enters daily life?” That question lingered for years.

The Entrepreneurial Leap

Eventually, that question grew too loud to ignore. I left the comfort of corporate structures and returned to the raw, unknown world of startup life.

First came a role in shaping a national IoT initiative. Then came the big leap: building a company from scratch.

That company was REDtone IoT. Running it taught me one of the toughest lessons — great tech means nothing if people can’t use it easily. Every client wanted IoT, but most didn’t know where to start. They struggled with device integration, cloud setups, dashboards, maintenance, and the countless hidden complexities that IoT quietly hides behind its shiny promise.

That frustration became the seed for something bigger.

The Birth of FAVORIOT

By 2017, the vision crystallised: create a platform that removes the chaos and gives everyone — students, SMEs, city councils, engineers — a simple way to bring IoT ideas to life.

FAVORIOT wasn’t built to be fancy. It was built to be practical.

I wanted a platform where a lecturer could run a complete IoT project without having to manage 10 different systems. Where a hardware company didn’t need to customise dashboards endlessly. Where a city council could monitor sensors without drowning in integration nightmares.

FAVORIOT was designed for inclusion. For accessibility. For the everyday builder, not just the big spender.

And every year since, that vision has deepened.

Wearing Many Hats

Even as FAVORIOT was growing, I continued teaching and speaking. These weren’t side gigs. They kept me grounded. They reminded me why I started.

Standing in front of students made me rethink complexity. Speaking to industry leaders challenged my ideas. Engaging with smart city stakeholders, founders, and device makers kept me aware of the real obstacles people face.

Sometimes I’d walk out of a lecture hall thinking, “This feedback is better than any consultancy report.”

Sometimes a conversation with a frustrated engineer made me go back and tweak the platform design.

Those experiences shaped FAVORIOT as much as any technology roadmap ever did.

Recognition and Reality Checks

Over time, things began to click. FAVORIOT earned recognition. My own work in IoT and smart cities gained global visibility. Industry groups listed me among the top influencers. Conferences kept inviting me to speak.

But none of that ever felt like a trophy finish. If anything, it reminded me that the journey had only just reached a new checkpoint.

“Alright, Mazlan, now don’t get comfortable,” I’d quietly tell myself.

The pressure increased. Expectations rose. The work became heavier… but also more meaningful.

Why the Story Still Matters

When I piece the chapters together, it becomes clear that every phase — the student, the professor, the telco engineer, the researcher, the entrepreneur — served a purpose.

  • Academia taught discipline.
  • Telco taught scale.
  • Research taught imagination.
  • Entrepreneurship taught resilience.
  • Teaching and speaking taught clarity.

FAVORIOT stands today as more than a platform. It’s a symbol of what happens when technology is shaped around people — their pains, their limitations, their hopes.

I’ve always believed IoT should be accessible. Not something locked behind expensive teams or giant corporations. Not something only “experts” can touch.

If we can empower everyday builders, we’re doing something right.

A Note to My Younger Self

If I could sit with the younger version of me — the one carrying textbooks thicker than his arm — I’d probably smile and say:

“Every jump you make will make sense one day. Every detour, every frustration, every late night… you’re collecting tools. Don’t rush the process.”

And maybe I’d add:

“When you build for people, not systems, that’s when the real magic happens.”

If you’ve read this far, I’m curious — which part of this journey speaks to you the most? Drop your thoughts. Let’s connect through stories.