ANSWERS
DAQ: I O T IMPLEMENTATION
Nicole Dyess, Motors@Work
Six IoT challenges, solutions
While Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining acceptance, getting over six common
concerns can help with implementation and address management concerns.
S
uccessfully implementing the Internet of
Things (IoT) requires a change-manage-
ment approach. Six common implemen-
tation challenges that organizations may
face, along with ways to address those
challenges when implementing the IoT.
1. The “high” investment cost
Moving from one end of the maturity curve to the
other may require a substantial investment. Compa-
nies shouldn’t try to make the leap from beginning to
end in one step. A grand vision may be persuasive, but
its cost may prevent management from giving the go-
ahead. To manage risk and mitigate cost, several suc-
cessive “bite-sized” IoT projects implementations with
concrete milestones and reasonable costs are recom-
mended. Start small with pilot technologies and then
invest in foundational pieces rolled-out in phases.
To control costs further, make use of public infra-
structure and software-as-a-service in lieu of more
expensive private or on-premise installations. Alter-
nately, make the case for improvement more persua-
sive by identifying the IoT projects with the best bang
for the buck and documenting business cases.
2. Security
Posting data to—or transferring data via—the
internet seems to be the source of many information
technology (IT) department nightmares, and rightful-
ly so. Hacking is an international industry producing
frequent announces of security breaches.
Putting data online—particularly data related to
critical equipment—may seem dangerous. Many IoT
platforms consider security a core element and work
to ensure that any potential leaks are stopped before
hackers find them.
3. Technology infrastructure
Often, clients have instruments tied into SCADA
that generate the data needed to provide analyt-
ics and insights. Or, even without power monitor-
ing equipment, SCADA’s network potentially could
provide the communication infrastructure need-
ed to connect new instrumentation. First, connect
the asset performance management system to SCA-
DA’s historian. The historian, a database record con-
taining all instrument readings and control actions,
typically resides in a demilitarized zone where it
can be accessed by internet-connected applications.
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Applications can only view the data stored in the
historian.
Only a SCADA can write to this database, typi-
cally by sending an interval-based outbound signal to
the historian. Many EAM systems use SCADA histo-
rian data to populate dashboards. The second option
involves using an independent infrastructure, such as
cellular service, to send data to the IoT platform with-
out connecting it to the SCADA.
4. Communications infrastructure
Using a cellular gateway to connect IoT instru-
ments sounds great, but users don’t get phone recep-
tion at some remote sites. Building an infrastructure
would be too costly. Although LTE-M and LTE-NB
use existing cellular towers, these low-powered, wide-
area networks provide much broader coverage. Even
if the user doesn’t get a strong-enough signal for voice
calls or 4G-LTE data, he or she may still be able to
access LTE-M.
5. Immaturity of IoT standards
While some IoT standards are still in development,
and there’s still a lot of fragmentation in the market,
standards affecting currently available devices were
mostly ironed out in 2016 and 2017.
The Open Connectivity Foundation joined the
Open Interconnect Consortium in pushing a united
protocol. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) published its draft P2413 standard
for IoT architecture, creating a universal language for
IoT that would greatly reduce the effort required to
share data among competing platforms.
Regardless of the platform, users will soon be able
to share data across all IoT devices and platforms.
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Internet
6. Procuring IoT of Things, project
Implementing IoT often involves procuring devic- management, security
es and services that don’t have IoT in their name, such ONLINE
as instrumentation, communication networks, stor- Read this story online
age, and data management consultants. The complex- at www.controleng.com
ity of procuring these services and the lack of the IoT for more advice about
successful IoT project
label can make it difficult for stakeholders to see how implementation, more on
the multitude of pieces fit together. ce each point, and a graphic.
Link to more stories from
Nicole Dyess is the director of client solutions at Motors@Work.
Motors@Work, a CFE Media content partner. Edited by CONSIDER THIS
Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering, Which steps will help ensure
CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com. an IoT project’s success?
CONTROL ENGINEEERING October 2018 • 21