How to Get Ready for the Industrial Internet of Things
5 Ways to Prepare for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
The Internet of things (IoT) has gained momentum globally as a technology trend that is shaping the way we live and work. According to a 2016 Gartner survey, 43 percent of businesses were already using IoT with an additional 14 percent planning to implement IoT in the coming 12 months, with an additional 21 percent planning to implement after 2016. More and more industries are continuing to adapt to the IoT revolution, including energy, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing.
The Industrial Internet of things (IIoT) is disrupting businesses across the globe and will also change the way we live and work. It will not only redefine how machines and humans interact but also improve operational efficiency and increase levels of productivity. The willingness to change your business’ blueprint and operations is essential to understanding the opportunities the IIoT bring. The benefits of the IIoT also include process and product optimization, improved quality, increased operational processes, new and more job opportunities, as well as new skill sets to be learned.
Preparing for the IIoT is a journey. We take a look at five ways which will help you prepare your business for the IIoT.
1. Assess Your Current Assets and Map the Industrial Infrastructure
The first step in preparing your business for the IIoT is to evaluate its current state and decide of where you want to take it which will help to identify and overcome any challenges that may arise in the process. In this case, it can be the connectivity at the factory, i.e., wireless, wired, bandwidth, etc. and what are the changes required. What are the functionality goals your business wants to achieve? These steps will help your team reach an accurate plan of the network infrastructure which is the base of IIoT.
2. Migrate and Update to an Ethernet Connection
After assessing the current state of your business, the second step is to migrate and update to an Ethernet connection. Can any of the existing legacy systems be repurposed or upgraded? You will want an Ethernet connection to be the foundation of your communications infrastructure, so for existing components – such as sensors, actuators, and electric motors – that communicate using Fieldbus, plan their migration to Ethernet.
3. Update Network Design to Meet Best Practices
This step is to ensure the plan meets best practices and industry standards. Create goals and benchmarks for your business before the network design begins.
4. Reliability and Security
Cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges in the IoT industry. In the industrial cyber security, the threat is not only from hackers but also human errors, device flaws, and accidental malware. A proper risk assessment of the systems will need to be performed to identify the most critical assets and protect them firsthand.
5. Monitor for Changes, Anomalies, and Malware
Technology is constantly changing as are security threats and business needs. Monitor and make changes to the systems, accordingly.
Are you prepared for implement best practices and IIoT strategies? Implementing these strategies will help your business redefine its relationships with employees, clients, and partners. At MosChip, we identify best practices and strategies aligning them with your business goals for a successful IoT implementation. From mobile application development to enterprise cloud development, remove device management, and embedded product development, our solutions are highly secure and easily scalable. Our skilled experts have a proven track record of addressing challenges and providing customized solutions.
Are you interested in discussing the IIoT opportunities for your organization?
