Industrial Internet of Things.
The term Internet of Things (IoT) is very popular these days. Well, this technology is nothing more than smart devices that have good connectivity and can communicate seamlessly. The number of IoT devices is growing at the speed of light with each passing day.
Another same term in this digital disruption is IIoT or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Although the two terms sound almost identical, as if they are both based on the same technology and rely on device interconnectivity, there are significant differences between the two concepts. IoT is commonly used by consumers, and as the name suggests, IIoT is suitable for industries such as transportation, water, and oil and gas.
The Industrial Internet of Things has caused massive disruption to industrial operations and can attract many technology solution providers to this market. Leading vendors offering IIoT solutions may come from adjacent markets, and their IoT solutions may not be sufficient to meet the needs of each industry. At the same time, today's solutions are rapidly evolving and the market is very active. Whether it's consumer IoT or industrial IoT, IoT adopters must look beyond the "wow" factor to ensure they get an IoT solution designed specifically for their needs.
Here you can find out how they differ from each other and what those differences are.
Whether it's the Industrial Internet of Things or the Internet of Things, security becomes a key element in data ingestion and transmission. However, IIoT solutions require a stronger approach. Interruptions in high-volume manufacturing processes can lead to lost production, millions of dollars lost every day. The collapse of the power grid can disrupt the economic activities of large numbers of people and jeopardize*** IIoT solutions include a variety of advanced security measures, including secure and resilient system architectures, encryption and authentication, dedicated chipsets, and threat detection.
But on the other hand, in IoT connected systems, security is not a big issue because consumer data doesn't need any security. Apart from the occurrence of any cyber attack, the risk of any major security incident is very small.
Learn more: IIoT vs. SCADA: Which is more powerful?
The networks required by the industry are large-scale networks that support thousands (or more) of robots, controllers, machinery, and other specialized applications. The same is true for IIoT solutions deployed into these networks. IIoT solutions must scale seamlessly to support hundreds of new devices, sensors, controllers, and non-IoT devices. These include scheduling, interoperability, data collection-data analysis-decision-making, and integration with manufacturing and other existing business execution systems.
Learn more: 12 IT competencies you need to implement an IoT solution.
The development of the Internet of Things is to use smart devices to improve the convenience of consumers, and gain some advantages by enabling human-machine communication. For example, connected home appliances will further reduce your energy bills, as you will be able to control the use of assets, such as automatically turning off the power when you leave your home or adjusting the room temperature according to the current climate conditions.
The Industrial Internet of Things leverages advanced industry-standard equipment to improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes and first-chain processes through integrated machine control and advanced analytics.
IIoT solutions must coexist with legacy operational technologies (OTs) such as SCADA, M2M, and other manufacturing execution systems. As we all know, traditional OTs are hard to disappear quickly, and the Industrial Internet of Things will replace them, but to do so, it must first integrate with them. IIoT solutions must support a wide variety of protocols and datasets. We should not underestimate the integration of back-office ERP systems and the Industrial Internet of Things.
IIoT solutions must be highly precise and accurate compared to IoT solutions. From data ingestion to analysis, precision and accuracy shouldn't be compromised, as the synchronization time of automated high-speed, high-volume manufacturing processes is milliseconds. The quality assurance system detects small dimensional changes in the data and immediately takes action that depends entirely on these measurements. In an industrial setting, "close enough" is not good enough and can lead to downtime and ultimately loss of revenue or personnel**.
To sum up: Yes, functionality is critical, but it's not the only determinant of whether an IoT solution is "industry-ready" or not. In the real world, IIoT and IoT solutions may or may not contain all the essential parameters, but they will differ in what and how they are implemented.
Business processes are not the same as industrial processes. IoT project managers must consider the requirements and specific use cases required by consumers or industries. They also need to understand the context in which the solution is located.
In short, it can be said that IoT and IIoT are completely different, also because of the end users of today's technology. If you are looking for a best-in-class IoT solution, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will further help you choose the right solution based on your requirements.