IIoT

Avoiding downtime is a huge motivator for companies embarking on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and can pay big benefits for organizations that do it right. Here are four best practices about keeping your eyes on uptime as you embark on IIoT.

Computing infrastructure is an ever-changing landscape. The rise of edge computing capabilities, coupled with traditional industrial control system architectures, provides increased levels of customization.

To help navigate the new world of machine intelligence, we have teamed up with the International Society of Automation (ISA) to provide informative articles discussing the power of machine intelligence and how facilities can best utilize intelligence to enhance operations, productivity and uptime.

The concept of digitalization within the manufacturing industry can feel a bit like trying to build a bridge between two islands – IT and OT. Each side has been aware of the other and each understands the other’s importance. But the idea of connecting to one other can be met with resistance.

Downtime disrupts the supply chain on the front and back end of the food and beverage industry. Behind the curtain; profits and compliance are at risk when the production floor grinds to a halt. Safety also becomes a concern since injuries often occur when equipment is down, plant managers have limited visibility or systems are in maintenance mode.

The rising tide of data that organizations now receive, manage and analyse shows no signs of receding. The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) in particular has increased data management exponentially. More than ever before, the need for reliable hardware and accessibility solutions is a pivotal part of most organizations’ long-term plans.

Manufacturers leaning on outdated, stacked systems could very well find themselves left behind if they don’t modernize in order to keep pace with the explosive IoT. Gartner predicts that by 2020 the number of IoT devices will reach an astounding 50 billion. The need to maintain a system with zero downtime will continue to rise as the the existing network of physical devices grows.

This article offers highlights from a recent newsletter featuring Gartner content. Learn how digital businesses can stay competitive by adopting an edge computing strategy.

For most the path to IIoT will be an evolutionary journey. Before you can start to tap the potential of next-generation, big data-driven, intelligent automation, you must modernize the foundation on which it is built. And that means taking a hard look at existing operational technology. Modernizing your infrastructure will deliver incredible benefits in terms of reliability and manageability to create a future-proof platform to build your organization’s IIoT strategy.

Large Fortune 500 companies with deep pockets are investing in IIoT technologies. These projects are yielding results, although implementations are not without their challenges. An increasing number of industrial companies are looking at ways to leverage analytics, outside of the traditional applications that helped them on the production side. Some have a clear idea of what they want to achieve, some are trying to understand what various technologies could do for them. What does seem clear is that some form of IT/OT convergence and collaboration is necessary to achieve success.