Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

Real-Time Monitoring
Enables Real-Time Decisions

Real Time Monitoring

More customers in the industrial world are embracing the Industrial Internet
of Things. While a number of factors has contributed to the way tech has
evolved and changed, there are a few main reasons for the increased
adoption of IIoT tech: The reducing costs of cellular communications, the
proliferation of open-source platforms, and the emergence of the Automation
and Data Exchange (ADX) Engineer. These very different factors have one
important thing in common – they facilitate better, easier communication
between teams and locations..

Everything Goes Open Source

After moving on from slow point-to-point systems, PSTN, serial radios, and ethernet in
previous decades — each with their own advantages and disadvantages — the industry
moved toward proprietary protocols in the 1990s. These became popular because they
were cost-effective, efficient, and could be adapted easily to suit specific customers,
applications, or geography.

But there were downsides too. Proprietary protocols required specific hardware and were
often platform-dependent. A lot of data was trapped in a proprietary language. End
customers realized the reliability of their data depended on a single enterprise, and if that
company went under or decided to pull support for a product, they had to start from
scratch.

This inspired a slow migration over to open protocols. The proliferation of open-source
platforms and communication protocols make transferring and translating data easy and
secure. Different types of data can all be viewed on a single, common format and
dispersed to teams as needed.
 What to Consider When Starting Your Industrial
3 Internet of Things Journey

While many of your field devices are

likely already on a network, it is
probably not an Internet Protocol-
based network. Not to worry! As you
see the need to move device data up
to higher-level systems, you won’t
need to scrap that tried-and-true device network. Gateway devices and
in-rack protocol interfaces in your controller allow you to easily connect
those older networks to the IP-based applications that need that device
data. Serving up data from smart devices adds value to your operation,
but it doesn’t necessarily require changing everything that is already
there.

Vendors everywhere have grand visions

for what the IIoT can do for
manufacturers. But remember, you don’t
need to dive in head first to get benefits
from IIoT. Look for applications in your
industry that make sense, and give them
a try. One of the best parts of the IIoT
concept is its scalability – Internet-based
applications can just as easily serve one
deployment as one million. Pick an
interesting application, and run a pilot
in a small area. There’s no better way to learn about a new technology than
by giving it a go.
While the interoperability of the IIoT brings great benefits, it also opens
up new risks that we need to address.
In reality, many automation systems are
already “connected,” so cybersecurity
should already be on your mind. It is
important to understand what
equipment can be accessed by whom,
what connections are necessary and
not necessary, and how data that’s
transmitted outside the boundaries of
your organization’s network is protected.

Protect Your Industrial Control System with a Defined

4 Security Strategy

Cybersecurity is a key concern for many companies. With

practically every organization guarding proprietary information
or strategic plans, there’s a great need to implement safeguards
and make sure employees are well-versed in doing their part to
protect sensitive information and valuable equipment.
There’s a number of elements involved in securing your
industrial control system and the equipment surrounding it.
An effective security strategy needs to address both internal
and external threats.
By internal threats, we don’t necessarily mean actions taken
with malicious intent. Instead, there’s human error or shortcuts
taken that can make your ICS more vulnerable. If a process isn’t
followed for machine maintenance or remote access, there