Technology
Industrial Internet of Things Progress Report A broad set of IIoT-enabling technologies from Industrial 5G to OPC UA, cloud and edge computing, Time Sensitive Networking and Single Pair Ethernet, to name just a few, are continuing to emerge and will empower and drive new levels of innovation for companies implementing IIoT applications.
The system is always greater than the sum of its parts, and IIoT-enabling technology is emerging that will provide new levels of connectivity in manufacturing. NEW INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS technologies are creating a richer and richer ecosystem of connected devices, controllers and subsystems, from the sensor to the cloud, enabling new levels of digital innovation that is rippling through and transforming global manufacturing. The rate of change may not always seem to be profound, but when you stack all of the significant areas of technological change related to the IIoT together, we see a different picture. Major initiatives including development of Industrial 5G, Edge Computing, IT/OT Convergence, Time Sensitive Networking, Single Pair Ethernet, Cybersecurity Standards and OPC UA provide an impressive array of developing new possibilities that will drive the IIoT forward for the foreseeable future. Even though we already have a decade of IIoT development in the books, in many respects we are still early in the process and the best is yet to come.
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IIoT progress report
For this IIoT progress report, IEB reached out to major players in the development of the Industrial Internet of Things to get their perspective on the megatrends shaping and enabling development of the IIoT in 2021 and beyond. We wanted to know what specific benefits these enabling technologies will provide versus what is possible with typical applications today—along with the challenges that these technologies address. And finally, given that the IIoT is already ten years in the making, we asked for their assessment of the progress and overall impact of the IIoT on industrial automation and smart manufacturing to date, and what are the key next steps and/or technologies that will enable more rapid development of IIoT applications.
Cloud, edge and Industrial 5G
Key IIoT enabling developments are continuing refinements of cloud, edge and Industrial 5G
technology solutions with a focus on the needs of IT/OT convergence. The reality is that the potential of the IIoT depends on tight integration between operating machines, on one hand, and business information systems, on the other. Katrin Kunz, Head of Marketing for SIMATIC IPC/HMI/IoT Products at Siemens said she expects the convergence process to continue to develop, aided by new cloud and edge computing solutions along with the emergence of Industrial 5G. “I expect the OT and IT worlds to grow even closer together,” Kunz said. “This will result in a greater degree of networking of IoT devices. At the same time, the data volumes to be handled will continue to increase. IoT systems in the cloud and edge computing environment will continue to develop,” Kunz stated. “The number of cloud and edge apps available on the market will explode. And I am sure we will see more and more virtual reality and artificial intelligence installations.”
in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k
02.2021
