Industrial IoT (IIoT) is gaining traction quickly as the world has had to rapidly adapt to COVID-19 and all of the challenges that come along with it: reduced consumer spending, stagnating economies, and higher logistical and shipping demands. Global consumer habits may have changed for good, and these new realities necessitate a bigger push to roll out IIoT across industrial and manufacturing companies. According to research by London-based PwC, 91% of industrial companies are investing in digital factory transformations with ROI plans and outlined goals for the next 5 years.

It’s crucial now, more than ever, to implement IIoT tools for short- and long-term business health and longevity. Getting started with IIoT now is better than later and many competitors have taken the lead by investing time and effort into upgrading their technology. If you’re on the cusp of implementing IIoT technology, we’ve outlined how to address 5 of the biggest challenges when adopting IIoT. With these tips, you may be able to catch up to your competitors in no time.

#1: Outdated Data Systems

It would be ideal to find an IIoT tool that seamlessly integrates into existing data systems to save money and effort. But the reality of the situation is that most advanced manufacturers use a variety of data systems like Excel, MES systems, ERP systems, and more, to manage their data and data analysis workflows. Of course, adding IIoT into the mix can complicate the current operational processes by creating gaps between systems and requiring constant coordination of tools in the system.

But it turns out that companies don’t need to replace all of their data systems and infrastructure to implement IIoT. Many manufacturers have layered new technology on top of existing systems to enable them to continue working, effectively simplifying IIoT implementation. Often, there is no need to worry about the details of the integration as IIoT tools have become more flexible, adjustable, and innovative than ever before. They also add extra value by including intelligence, automation, and sensors on top of the existing data systems.

With added layers of technology, companies can consolidate all legacy layers, data, and functionality into a single framework. They can also add AI into their IIoT systems, allowing the implementation of state-of-the-art tools like recommendations, alerts, and predictions. Additionally, new technology layers empower companies to automate previously manual processes.

#2: The Reality of ROI of IIoT

Estimating ROI for IIoT solutions implementation can be tricky and unpredictable, which can easily shake out companies who don’t have the credit or budget for new technology. Although it would be best to know the costs and ROI of the technology, it can depend heavily on the business’s unique needs, IIoT’s future developments, and the emergence of new technologies like 5G and AI.

Calculating ROI depends on translating terms like automation and AI into numerical values like productivity and efficiency. IIoT firms are still in the process of shifting from proof of concept to proof of value, and companies should also take the lead in creating ROI estimates.

#3: Picking the Biggest Areas for Change

For large and advanced manufacturers, there is a multitude of areas and ideas for change within the company, business operations, and workflows. But in order to control the efficacy of new solutions, companies should prioritize changes by asking the following questions: What should executives be appointed for the project? What budget should be allocated? Should new solutions replace existing systems or be added on top of them? How should we measure success? And which areas should we focus on first: material management and savings, tool and inventory management, quality control and process optimization, or something else entirely?

Although it sounds like a lot of questions, the answers to these heavy-hitting queries will elucidate and uncover a lot of important information about the company’s priorities, teams to manage the changes, technology infrastructure needed, and more. Without these questions, the possibilities are endless and overwhelming. But we have to start somewhere.

Begin with the questions above and take down every single answer from your team, even if they are similar or unrealistic. Then define the main business problem you want to solve. Take your time during this initial exploration stage, and don’t be afraid to change your mind halfway through if you believe more strongly in something else. After that, seek out the best technology vendors to guide you through a successful IIoT implementation.

#4: Effectively Using Data

IoT development and IIoT technology generate more data by nature, allowing companies to optimize their processes like never before. But the amount of data can be much more than expected, so much so that companies become paralyzed when considering how exactly to start using all of the data. It’s imperative to identify which parts of your company can be improved with data analysis, and pursue the data generation while looking for a suitable IIoT systems vendor.

Whether it’s reducing errors, improving maintenance of machinery, optimizing worker schedules, or syncing with inventory to know when to slow down manufacturing processes, it’s important to take stock of the available data and predefine what you want to measure next.

#5: Knowing When to Stop

Like we mentioned above, when the possibilities for your IIoT system are endless, they are also extremely handicapping and overwhelming. Limitless possibilities also exist when choosing which vendor to collaborate with, which experts to consult with, and how to find the best use for the new IIoT system. It’s important to take recommendations from colleagues and competitors, but remember that your business is unique and may require a different team to be assembled. Know what you’re looking for first, and when you find it, make sure you completely stop looking.

Evolving Your Plan Over Time

Manufacturers have reached a significant inflection point for business, and how they successfully implement IIoT technology may be the difference between staying afloat or filing for bankruptcy in the next 5 years. Although the above 5 challenges don’t cover every single challenge that comes with implementing IIoT, it should start turning gears and generating ideas across the company. IIoT technology will continue to grow and evolve, and companies must have a plan for how to evolve with it.

In this post, we’ll cover what exactly Industrial IoT (IIoT) is, how you can implement IIoT to work seamlessly with your existing infrastructure, and what it can do for the industry’s exiting maintenance workforce.

Industrial IoT

The IIoT involves the same things as an IoT system (connectivity between devices and sensors to the cloud and IoT software) but it also adds another layer of complexity. By connecting machinery, computers, and people into the system, IIoT applications use advanced data analytics to optimize industrial operations. IIoT systems can be applied to any facility, especially if they’re experiencing more downtime than revenues allow. With IIoT, maintenance personnel and the maintenance budget can work more efficiently to combat losses in revenue and product quality.

Using IIoT to Augment Your Assets

It’s important to take a look at your current assets and operational workflows to get a baseline idea of what can be optimized and fixed with an IIoT application. IIoT applications work best when they’re targeting specific problems and workflows, rather than being a one-size-fits-all solution that tries to fix everything. An IIoT expert can help you analyze your current infrastructure and devices as well as pinpoint how an IIoT solution can work alongside existing assets while complementing maintenance plans that are already in place.

Look for an IIoT firm that offers the latest technology and has a proven record of helping incoming employees train on information that could be lost by employee turnover. Craig Resneck is VP of Consulting at Boston-based ARC Advisory Group, a leader in technology research and advisory role for the IIoT industry. According to Resnick, in the process industries, the average impact of unplanned downtime is around $20 billion, which accounts for about 5% of the annual production of these companies. IIoT is a great tool to automate maintenance to minimize unplanned downtime and maximize the return on automation assets. Reliability experts say that unplanned downtime costs companies 10 times as much as planned downtime for maintenance.

Although IIoT can fix a lot of problems your company might be facing, it’s important to know that IIoT technology is not a good investment if it doesn’t enhance the value of your current machinery and equipment. On the other hand, there are many companies that haven’t considered IIoT-enhanced predictive maintenance or haven’t found a viable solution and are still able to combat unplanned downtime using other methods and tools. By maintaining their equipment more frequently and having replacement parts on hand, these companies are fighting downtime risk in a suboptimal way that costs a lot in the way of maintenance and parts.

IIoT technology can bring a balance to situations where companies are fearful of the next machine break-down, giving companies a tolerable target for downtime. Think of IIoT as augmenting your company’s existing machinery assets and optimizing your maintenance budget with predictive maintenance and minimal unplanned downtime. Seek out a predictive maintenance firm if you think your company would benefit greatly from a combination of computing technology, sensors, and IIoT to leverage your maintenance dollars in an optimal way.

Finding New Talent

In the past three decades, industrial facilities have become much more complex and technologically enhanced. Manufacturing facilities now work 24/7, and their equipment is at a high risk of breakdown due to the increased stress on the machinery. Employees also are at risk of becoming burned out and unhappy with their jobs.

While the demand for equipment uptime has increased enormously, the availability of skilled maintenance personnel that knows how to keep machinery working and running 24/7 has decreased considerably. Those that do have the experience to maintain equipment under strenuous conditions are older and reaching retirement age. But there is a massive shortage of skilled workers that can replace the older, more experienced maintenance workforce. College graduates have shifted into pursuing more innovative roles, rather than seek employment that involves equipment and hardware maintenance.

With the increasing popularity of IIoT technology, we need to fill the void of the exiting maintenance workforce and lower numbers of new, trainable employees with sensors and computing technology that can help companies achieve a tolerable downtime risk. Using IIoT, companies can get an hourly report on machinery efficiency and output which can help identify anomalies faster. This can augment routine maintenance and lower the impact of downtime on the company’s bottom line.

IIoT and Beyond

IIoT is a flexible and highly impactful technology that can be used to fix a multitude of problems and issues within a company. No one should be able to say that they tried implementing IIoT technology and it didn’t work. Without the correct guidance from experts and experienced professionals, IIoT can’t provide the maximum return on investment or find immediate value in your business. If you’re going to give IIoT a shot, make sure you’re optimizing its chance for success.

For organizations that haven’t embraced IoT yet, we’ve gathered some tips that can guide you in developing an IoT product that works seamlessly for your unique processes and needs.

#1: Don’t Assume You Know Everything

While working with an IoT developer may feel overwhelming due to your lack of IoT domain knowledge, don’t assume you know everything about your business and its customers. There is a lot of unknown information to be uncovered with IoT applications, and it’s important to keep an open mind throughout the entire development process.

If you want more training on the IoT side of things, look for courses to help your team improve their understanding of IoT as it relates to your business. If you’re confused about the direction that the IoT development team is heading towards, don’t be afraid to ask for more clarification!

Not being an expert in IoT and not knowing every single little thing about your business isn’t unusual; it’s actually normal. You know your products best, and you still control your company’s brand and image towards its customers. Take charge of what you can manage while spending some time every week to learn more about each team in your company and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Use this information to inform what kind of IoT product you’re seeking to develop, as well as how it will directly improve the customer experience.

#2: While Planning, Don’t Get Hung Up on Budget

IoT is still a new technology, and it’ll get cheaper as the years go by. But if your competition is implementing IoT applications and seeing marked improvements in their business processes and revenues, your company cannot haggle over budget, especially not at the beginning of the project. According to AVSystem, an IoT development company, over 50% of IoT projects fail to move forward at this stage of project planning.

Fixating too much on the cost of the system means you’re not thinking about what savings it could provide for you down the line. In the best-case scenario, your project gets delayed and your competition keeps pushing forward after your company undergoes lengthy talks about budget.

#3: Consider Manufacturing Processes While Planning

Many businesses have a manufacturing side of operations, and optimizing the industrial end of your business can bring cost and time savings pretty quickly. The manufacturing processes inform the operational, marketing, and retail parts of your business, so cutting the fat on the factory floor can be a great way to dip your toes into the IoT world.

Whether your ideal IoT application keeps an eye on your machinery for early maintenance and upkeep or it tracks the incoming and outgoing shipment times and weights, there are a variety of improvements to be made if you keep looking. If your business has a manufacturing component, make sure you take it into account when you’re planning and prototyping.

#4: Ask for Prototypes While Designing

Any design and development company worth their salt will multiple prototypes of varying fidelity. At the beginning of the planning process, prototypes may look like quick hand-drawn ideas. But as the project progresses into requirements definition and evaluation, higher-fidelity prototypes (even interactive ones) should be shown and tested before moving onto the next stage.

Sure, it’s way cheaper to skip prototyping but don’t let the cost stop you from envisioning exactly what you want with prototypes. Designing interfaces and dashboards can spark some ideas and creativity for the business’s stakeholders, and minimum viable products are a great end-goal for prototyping. While it may feel like the prototyping and evaluation stages are taking a long time, planning the design, features, and interactivity ahead can save much more on development costs and time.

It’s imperative that you show several loyal customers your ideas so you can get valuable feedback to inform the development of the interface. Oren Ezra from Seebo says that prototypes can even “help to identify possible conflict areas of the product related to the operation of a microphone, speaker, and location of the Bluetooth antenna.”

These small details may not feel important during the design and planning stages, but they affect the user experience and can drive away customers if not implemented correctly. This is a great time to iron out nice-to-have and must-have features, as well.

#5: Add Mobile Connectivity While Developing

Wi-Fi is more likely to be hacked, and it’s important that you don’t subject your customers to this level of cybersecurity risk. Developing your IoT application using a cellular connectivity technology like LTE-M1 or LPWA (both of which are low-cost and work seamlessly with battery-powered devices) can bring down energy costs and still get the job done well. London-based market research company Kantar has been testing shopping scanner devices for years using mobile connectivity with success.

Above All, Keep An Open Mind

As you plan, design, and develop your IoT product, you’re going to come across competing products that introduce ideas that you hadn’t thought of before. That’s awesome: write them down to add to your current developing product or for future rounds of feature development.

It’s important to keep an open mind while you jump into IoT because it can help you achieve almost any goal you want to meet. Investing in emerging technologies and keeping an eye out for new ideas can elevate your company from the competition, and your customers will definitely notice.

Have you developed an IoT product for your business? How was the process for you and your team? What would you improve if you could do it all over again? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Embracing change and adapting to newer paradigms is essential to surviving and thriving in the tech industry. When Dogtown Media first opened for business in 2011, we knew that the Internet of Things (IoT) was something special. Since then, we’ve striven every day to establish ourselves as a leading IoT app development organization.

Well, it turns out that hard work and perseverance pays off — TopDevelopers.co has named Dogtown Media as a leading IoT app developer!

IoT is evolving fast. It’s imperative that developers in this space keep up with the latest trends and rapidly become efficient at implementing them. We understand the importance and urgency that often come with business augmentation. Whether you’re a fast-growing startup or a large enterprise organization looking to add new capabilities to your fold, consider working with us.

Of course, you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out our portfolio! We’ve worked on everything from cardiac arrest emergency protocols and mobile education technology to apps for better road trips and sleep. Our varied array of work experience, dedication, and proven track record of happy clients are why leading organizations such as Google, YouTube, The United Nations, Lexus, and RedBull have chosen to work with us.

Landing on TopDevelopers.co’s list of top IoT app developers is no easy feat. They meticulously evaluate numerous organizations in this field across the world, not just in our hometown of Los Angeles or even the United States. After narrowing down their list, they trim it even further by examining the experience of every candidate and their history of consistent client satisfaction. With all that said, it’s an amazing honor to make the cut!

Besides being dubbed a top wearable app developer, Dogtown Media was also recently named a top U.S. mobile app developer by TopDevelopers.co. We were also fortunate to be lauded as one of California’s leading app developers by Clutch!

Thanks so much to TopDevelopers.co for recognizing our work. And thanks to our clients, team, and community as well. We often say, “If you can dream it, we can build it!” But you’re really the ones who make this mantra possible.

Who is TopDevelopers.co?

TopDevelopers.co is a widely respected directory and review platform for B2B IT service providers. They take a neutral approach to analyzing companies. The team of analysts at TopDevelopers.co vets organizations through stringent parameters which ensure that only the most competitive firms, businesses, enterprises, and entrepreneurs are filtered through their process. This helps service seekers find the most appropriate solutions for their needs.

Over the past few years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has rapidly grown in numerous industries due to the immense benefits it offers. But many organizations still don’t know where to begin when it comes to their own IoT development endeavors. To clear up any confusion around this topic, we’ve decided to write about it!

Welcome to the second chapter of our two-part series on the essential components of a successful IoT ecosystem. In our previous post, we delved into what an IoT ecosystem actually is and the crucial role that embedded elements like sensors and actuators play in them. In case you missed it, you can catch up here.

In this article, we’ll cover connectivity, the cloud, data analytics, and end-user devices. Ready to begin? Let’s jump right in!

Connectivity

Numerous components comprise an IoT ecosystem. With interconnectivity, these elements are able to work with each other to decipher data and implement meaningful actions. Essentially, connectivity enables an IoT ecosystem to become greater than the sum of its parts. We can break connectivity down into two puzzle pieces: protocols and gateways.

IoT Protocols

As we discussed in our previous post for this series, sensors collect data. But after that, this information needs a medium to get where it needs to go. Put another way, IoT ecosystems require a communication channel between its sensors and the cloud. This is where IoT protocols come in.

Using an “invisible” language, IoT protocols transfer data online between two connected devices. They basically allow physical objects to “speak” to one another.

Power consumption, range, bandwidth, and data transmission should all factor into your choice of network protocol. Popular options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DDS, cellular, ZigBee, and MQTT. These channels make information exchange in your IoT ecosystem seamless and secure.

IoT Gateways

To reach the cloud, the incoming raw data collected by the sensors must pass through a gateway. Remember that “invisible” language we mentioned earlier? Gateways translate network protocols so that all devices within the network can communicate efficiently. They’re an integral communication point and make data traffic management much easier.

Gateways also provide a much-needed layer of security by protecting the IoT ecosystem from unauthorized access. All of the information that flows through a gateway is protected by the latest encryption standards.

As if these capabilities weren’t enough, gateways also preprocess sensor data before transferring it to the cloud. New IoT gateways even have the ability to analyze and minimize sensor information so that the cloud only receives what’s relevant.

The Cloud

Think of the cloud as the place that ties all of your IoT ecosystem components together. A large chunk of your information processing, including data handling, storing, and even decision-making, take place in the cloud. This is even more amazing when you consider that the cloud does all of this for gargantuan amounts of information in a few milliseconds.

Time is a critical factor for IoT, especially for real-time systems being used in healthcare and safety. This means latency cannot be compromised. Thanks to enormous computing power, vast storage capabilities, and myriad networking options, cloud systems are able to cater to an IoT system’s time-sensitive needs while handling a ton of data. In essence, they form the brain of an IoT ecosystem.

It’s worth noting that the cloud isn’t always necessary for IoT; edge computing is a viable option as well. But the cloud is usually preferred due to its high performance, simple scalability, and cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, edge computing may be favored if your IoT initiative requires large amounts of data processing and storage on-premises.

IoT Data Management

Data is the lifeblood of your IoT system. But without proper management and analytics, you can’t make sense of the large amounts of information you’re collecting. Whether you want to hone in on key performance indicators of your system or identify errors in real-time, data management and analytics are a must.

Analytics revolves around converting the raw data of your IoT system into intelligent insights that can be leveraged to make better decisions. Unsurprisingly, this capability is useful in multiple situations; measuring a facility’s temperature or an equipment failure rate are both common scenarios.

Data management and analytics need robust computing power and storage to make sense of an IoT system’s information. But it’s well worth the investment since they help determine vital business insights, predict trends, and drive better efficiency. Many of the tasks involved in analytics can possibly be hosted on the cloud. This will ultimately depend on your IoT architecture.

End-User Devices

End-user devices provide an easily accessible interface that people can use to control various components of the IoT ecosystem. Basically, this is where users can set their preferences for the system. And the more user-friendly the interface is, the easier it is to interact with.

When it comes to the actual interaction, users usually have a couple of options: either interact with the device itself or do so remotely via other devices such as smartphones or tablets. An example of this would be the smart home devices developed by Seattle-based Amazon; these allow users to seamlessly communicate with a variety of “things.”

Design is key here. IoT devices can easily set themselves apart from competitors with better user interfaces. Colors, font, voice, and menus all play important factors here. Just remember that the goal is to remove as much friction as possible.

Time to Get Your IoT Ecosystem off the Ground!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the essential components of an IoT ecosystem. These systems, as well as their use cases, are constantly evolving. And mechanisms can differ depending on industry use cases and budget. But each of the components we discussed usually remains the same.

Are you working on building out an IoT ecosystem or initiative right now? Let us know about it in the comments below!

By now, everyone has heard of the Internet of Things (IoT). Since its rapid rise in the tech industry a few years ago, IoT development has become an essential part of nearly every vertical and niche. In fact, we’re on track to having 21.5 billion IoT devices connected by 2025. This isn’t so surprising when you consider that IoT can be integrated into everything from home appliances to children’s toys to automated industrial equipment.

Consumer demands are only shifting more towards smart, connected products. Look no further than smartwatches, electronic door locks, robot vacuums, and GPS-enabled pet collars to see evidence of this. It’s really no wonder why; connecting these assets to the Internet offers them more capabilities and opportunities for better efficiency.

But we must remember that IoT operates on a vast network comprised of various components that work together to form a cohesive data ecosystem. Understanding the factors at play here, such as how data is collected, devices are connected, and autonomous actions are implemented, is vital to comprehending how IoT works.

In the first chapter of this special two-part series, we’ll delve into the basic definition of an IoT ecosystem and the first component you need to make your own IoT system succeed.

Wait, What’s an IoT Ecosystem?

Regardless of the objective, you can always break down an IoT system into two elements: the object you intend to make intelligent and the embedded system that provides the connectivity to do so. It may sound simple, but things become drastically more complex when we examine the second part.

Sensors, actuators, data management, and more all play an integral role in making your embedded system function. They are what actually enable your object to be programmable and capable of interaction with assets or humans. To understand this better, let’s take the connected doorbell for example.

Connected doorbells can detect a visitor at your door, even if he or she hasn’t rung your bell. It then displays this data in video or voice format. This elegant solution needs multiple components. Once the visitor is detected, information must be interpreted, sent, and communicated to the user. Keep in mind that this doesn’t even consider the ability to open the lock remotely.

As different use cases are constructed, the definition of what constitutes an IoT ecosystem is greatly expanding. Any ingredient that’s involved in connected organizations or users to their devices would fall into this category. And besides the visible elements like hardware or user interfaces, “invisible” components such as software or storage must also be accounted for.

Embedded Components

Whether you’re running a manufacturing facility outside of Dallas, Texas, or launching a new tech toy across the United States, sensors and actuators form the backbone of your IoT ecosystem. Data is the oil of every IoT machine, and these two tools allow you to attain accurate, credible information.

Sensors

Sometimes called “detectors,” sensors capture the slightest changes in your environment. As a result, sensors shine a light on relevant aspects needed to improve your system in real-time or later down the line in post-processing.

Sensors may be small pieces of hardware, but don’t underestimate their benefits. They can gather information on factors like temperature, pressure, moisture, motion, and more. It’s not unusual for an IoT device to employ various types of sensors to collect a wide range of data. This usually allows the device to perform multiple functions.

For instance, our smartphones are capable of motion detection, GPS location, fingerprint recognition, and camera features. And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Another prime example is smart ACs or thermostat controls; these can sense both temperature and humidity simultaneously. Since different applications strive to accomplish different objectives, each one will use a different group of sensors.

To achieve automation based on specific triggers, sensors are essential. Let’s revisit our smart AC example to see why. Let’s say a user sets their automated room temperature to stay between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. When the room’s temperature goes over 75 degrees, the sensor will pick this up and trigger the AC system to cool it down. If the room drops below 70 degrees, the sensor will “tell” the AC via a transmitter to heat up the room so it falls back in the appropriate range.

Perhaps the best part of sensors is that they are now extremely affordable and smaller than ever before thanks to vast advancements in technology.

Actuators

Think of actuators as the opposite of sensors. Just as the word “sensors” implies that they sense, “actuators” act! When they receive a signal, they cause an action. Basically, once a sensor detects an environmental change, it’s up to the actuator to make the appropriate response occur.

For smart ACs, actuators are the components actually controlling the heating and cooling. If a person exits this smart-controlled environment or it reaches a satisfactory temperature, the sensor will then trigger the actuator to stop the airflow.

Just as with sensors, there are various types of actuators to use, depending on your unique situation. Besides turning something on or off, they can also control valves or implement actions such as gripping or turning — both of which are crucial actions for numerous industrial applications.

Stay Tuned for the Next 4 Components

Did you enjoy the first chapter in our “Essential IoT Components” series? If so, then stay tuned! In a blog post next week, we’ll round out this series with the final four components you need to make your IoT system a success.

In the meantime, let us know in the comments how you utilize IoT in your day-to-day or business operations!

The Internet of Things (IoT) allows us to send, receive, and act upon data in myriad ways by connecting physical objects. Cellular IoT is a way of connecting these physical things through the same mobile networks that smartphones utilize. Its infrastructural elegance and the arrival of 5G mean that cellular IoT will play an integral role in the future of IoT development and innovation.

Cellular Networks Empower IoT Innovation

The world runs on cellular technology. Whether you’re looking for directions on Google Maps, checking your email, or posting to Instagram, cellular networks are responsible for getting your data where it needs to go. But we’re no longer just using these modern technological capabilities for only connecting with friends and family.

The advent of IoT has opened up society’s eyes to the vast value of connecting physical objects around us. Whether it’s streetlights and parking meters, heart rate monitors and hospital asset management tools, or tractors and assembly lines, IoT connectivity offers the ability to enhance numerous industries and sectors.

The same cellular technology empowering your smartphone is driving the next wave of IoT innovation. Stockholm-based telecom company Ericsson projects that amount of devices connecting to cellular IoT networks will expand at a combined annual growth rate of 19% until 2023. Essentially, this means that more than 3.5 billion of the 20+ billion IoT devices connected by 2023 will be cellular.

So, What’s Cellular IoT, and Why’s It Expanding So Much?

Simply put, cellular IoT is a way of connecting physical objects, like IoT devices and sensors, to the internet through the same means that your smartphone uses. Rather than necessitating a new private network for your IoT devices, they can instead piggyback on mobile networks.

This is especially important for devices that require a wide range of coverage. Cellular IoT is basically an alternative to low-power, wide-area (LPWAN) networks.

Because the infrastructure to support cellular technology is already in place, we don’t need to build any new systems for cellular IoT. The networks are already there, and as we each know from our smartphone use, they’re capable of facilitating massive flows of data.

Now, you may be wondering, if this has been available for a while, why haven’t we leveraged it before? Great question! For a long time, cellular IoT devices consumed a gargantuan amount of power. This limited their usefulness and versatility for applications.

Today, cellular sensors can collect and transmit data across considerable distances without expending too much energy. And when you couple this with the addition of 5G, cellular IoT’s future couldn’t look brighter.

LTE-M or NB-IoT?

Nearly every cellular IoT application today relies on one of two technologies: LTE-M or NB-IoT. Each option possesses unique advantages that could be more appropriate for specific applications. But, generally speaking, cellular IoT device users usually depend on whichever one is the standard of their region. For instance, the North American continent, from Toronto to Los Angeles, relies on LTE coverage, whereas Eastern Europe and Africa utilize GSM.

It’s worth noting that LTE is likely to overtake GSM for cellular IoT applications. LTE-M (Long Term Evolution for Machines) is a network standard that lets IoT devices readily use existing cell networks. With one simple software update, LTE-M-enabled devices can communicate with the cloud. They’re also better-suited for “mission-critical” applications where real-time data transfer is imperative, such as autonomous vehicles or emergency devices.

NB-IoT (Narrowband-IoT) can support regions without great LTE coverage or applications that only need to transfer small amounts of data. Examples include an energy usage monitor in a smart building or a soil sensor on a farm. As its name implies, NB-IoT only leverages a narrow sliver of the total bandwidth that cell towers project. If you foresee that you’ll only need to send small amounts of information or are in an area where GSM is the standard, NB-IoT may be the better option for you right now.

5G’s Fueling Cellular IoT’s Future

There’s no shortage of hype surrounding 5G, the fifth generation of cellular technology, and for good reason — it’s poised to transform emerging technologies like IoT. It’s likely that 5G will operate alongside LTE and GSM cell networks well into the better part of this decade, though.

For industrial applications, 5G will be able to provide ultra-secure, hyper-fast capabilities that can support thousands (if not millions) of devices in manufacturing plants or logistics centers. These networks will operate at ten times the speed of what we have available today.

On the consumer side of things, 5G will give self-driving vehicles more autonomy and enhance virtual and augmented reality to the point that they’re truly immersive.

It’s honestly difficult to predict or comprehend the changes that 5G-fueled cellular IoT will bring. It’s unprecedented, to say the least. But one thing is certain: Cellular IoT will usher in a new wave of innovation, one that will be tangible and visible to everyone. And the world will never be the same.

What do you think about cellular IoT? What do you think the future technological landscape looks like with 5G added into the mix? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The IoT market is forecasted to reach $922.62 billion by 2025, making it one of the fastest-growing emerging technologies. Due to this rapid growth, many experts worry that we’re overlooking strong cybersecurity protocols and standards by only paying attention to the myriad benefits and potential of IIoT.

The Far-Reaching Consequences of Poor Security

For many IoT app developers, security is usually an afterthought. Even worse, sometimes it gets lost in the shuffle of development, only to be remembered at the end of the project, when the time and budget has run dry.

There are no real, published, official security standards that developers and industries must operate by. Security frameworks simply aren’t accommodating emerging technology fast enough. And no one has settled on an agreement for a minimum protocol of best practices for cybersecurity in their IoT applications.

This means device manufacturers have to layer some sort of security into their physical products, and this, of course, will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some may even circumvent the hassle by not providing any sort of security or encryption. When an organization utilizes devices with no security software, it’s extremely difficult to add encryption and security afterward. What’s worse is that, once devices leave the manufacturing plant, they aren’t updated with the newest security patches, leaving them extremely vulnerable to malicious attacks.

For many organizations utilizing IoT, this isn’t a big deal until a data breach occurs, a hack prevents operations from running smoothly, or until customers and the bottom line are directly affected. For IIoT, however, these consequences could result in power outages for entire regions, causing chaos and disrupting many public necessities, like hospital communications systems.

When implemented poorly, both IoT and IIoT can have disastrous and unnecessary effects.

The Compounding Effect

Organizations utilizing poorly-secured devices start creating a compounded problem for themselves and their end-users. Devices layered on top of sensors, with physical products and software on top of everything else, all become inundated with subpar security due to a lack of strong security on every level of the IoT or IIoT system.

When a system grows in complexity (i.e. multiple sensor types, multiple product types, multiple warehouses, multiple software systems to accommodate everything), it makes even an in-house IT security team’s job difficult. IIoT systems, as they are, are already dynamic, diverse, and independent, and keeping inventory of every interaction and process is extremely cumbersome, especially as the system keeps evolving.

Monitoring and managing these components without transparency, control, and access over every single element at any given time becomes next to impossible. Often, an organization will layer an entire IIoT system over its outdated infrastructure and equipment, which further muddles the task for an IT department.

Addressing the Foundational Problems

Another looming issue affecting every organization that utilized any form of IoT is the lack of IoT security knowledge and awareness. Due to no published standards or laws to abide by, there isn’t much of a talent pool to hire from.

Besides that, most organizations don’t even really know what they’re looking for when they do understand that they need to work to mitigate the exposure and risk of a hacking attempt. They don’t know what to look for when building their IIoT security infrastructure and strategy, and they certainly don’t know how to maintain it when it’s built.

Experts recommend using a managed security service provider (MSSP) to work through the security foundation and long-term strategy. An MSSP will have the expertise, experience, and continuous knowledge to manage a complex IIoT system. Since IIoT devices have different deployment conditions, networking needs, and application requirements than a regular IoT system, a dedicated team will spend budget in the most efficient way.

Most MSSPs have also developed best practices from experience and networking internationally with other MSSPs, giving you the best bang for your buck in both preventative maintenance and on-demand needs.

But it’s not enough to simply hire an MSSP. The organization must carefully vet the experts that the MSSP brings on board, taking into account their services, expertise, resources, and guarantees. An MSSP that requires continuing education for their employees, offers cutting-edge security knowledge, includes data correlation and dashboards to track security threats in real-time, and also returns a customized solution for your enterprise is the best partner to pair up with.

IoT Security Is a Team Effort

Of course, the organization’s leadership must understand the importance of keeping security procedures and policies up-to-date, using assessments and audits regularly to revisit what needs improvement and optimization. Whether or not it’s a new implementation of an IIoT system, cybersecurity should be at the core and foundation of all IIoT systems.

It’s important that your IoT systems developer also takes security seriously. An MSSP might be seen as a band-aid or be a part of an organization’s post-implementation plan, but as we’ve discussed, security standards start at the root of the IoT system. At our studio’s Los Angeles headquarters, our IoT developers are trained to prioritize cybersecurity as a top need for all implementations. Your organization should settle for nothing less.

Internet of Things (IoT) applications are so encompassing that they work in the background where we can’t see them, using devices that many of us already own, like smartwatches and smart home appliances.

But industrial IoT (IIoT) is a different breed of technology that will truly be all-encompassing: It will track materials from the source to the customer’s doorstep, monitor machine wear and tear, and ensure city grids have 24/7 uptime for their residents. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Welcome back to our “What’s Industrial IoT” series! In our first post, we covered what IIoT is, how it works, and its benefits. In case you missed it, you can check it out here. In this entry, we’ll discuss how IoT differs from IIoT, which areas will see IIoT proliferate and flourish, which companies will drive the most innovation in IIoT in the coming years, and what the future holds for IIoT technology overall.

IoT versus IIoT

So far, IIoT sounds like a beefed-up version of IoT. But even with the smart machines, smart devices, and edge computing, IIoT and IoT differ on a fundamental level: their purpose.

IoT applications bridge connections between devices across several verticals, like agriculture, healthcare, enterprise, cities, and more. IoT devices encompass fitness trackers, smart home appliances, cars, and other consumer-focused devices.

In IIoT, connections are developed between machines and devices in large industries like oil and gas, manufacturing, and utilities. When an IIoT system fails or faces downtime, it has real life-or-death consequences, like loss of power to hospitals and transit systems. IIoT applications are geared towards improving health and safety, while IoT applications are focused more on the customer and user.

Innovative IIoT Applications

IIoT applications are globally developed and sold to other worldwide industries, creating an international ecosystem of stable, valuable IIoT applications. Let’s take a look at some of the many innovations occurring in this fast-paced sector.

Airbus, a commercial jetliner designer and manufacturer, has launched “the factory of the future”. Their factory streamlines operations, improves production rates, and integrates seamlessly with employees’ wearable tech. Smart glasses are integrated with machines’ and tools’ sensors on the shop floor, and Airbus has seen a decrease in errors and an improvement in workplace safety as a result.

Japanese robotics manufacturer Fanuc is adding sensors to its robotics; the company is also integrating their robotics with cloud-based data analytics software to predict component failure in its robots before it happens. The plant manager simply needs to schedule maintenance at a time that’s convenient for him or her, which reduces costs, improves employee scheduling, and prevents downtime.

Boston-based Embue is a real estate organization that’s using IIoT to build smart buildings. Building owners and managers can get an idea of the building’s status at any time using data from on-site equipment and indoor sensors. The buildings’ residents also benefit from this IIoT application: they get an Embue thermostat, leak detector, sensor, shut-off valve controller, smart controller, smart core, and a smart wall outlet.

Austrian company Magna Steyr, an automotive manufacturer, is using IIoT to track assets like vehicle parts and tools. They’re also using asset tracking to order more inventory as needed — automatically. Additionally, the company is implementing “smart packaging” with Bluetooth integration in a test run to track components and parts in their warehouses.

Meanwhile, ABB, a robotics and power firm based in Switzerland, deployed IIoT with smart robotics, using connected sensors. These sensors monitor robots for maintenance needs, prompting stakeholders to perform repairs before parts were forecasted to break.

IIoT’s Major Players

IIoT has a host of companies that are driving research, innovation, and optimization in its earliest days. These players include well-known companies, and they encompass a global network. Besides the innovators we’ve discussed above, here are the other big names in IIoT you should be familiar with.

Cisco has a product called IoT System that connects devices, secures systems, and helps with data management. Similarly, MindSphere by Siemens is a cloud-based open-source operating system for IIoT applications.

GE Digital developed an IIoT application called Predix, which connects, optimizes, and scales IIoT systems.

Connected Performance Services by Honeywell introduces AI and machine learning into an IIoT system’s data analytics suite.

Fanuc created FIELD, which stands for FANUC Intelligent Edge Link & Drive. It seamlessly connects machines to the IIoT system, and it doesn’t matter if the machines are from different generations or different manufacturers. This product affords strong flexibility in any IIoT system, making it extremely valuable.

And last but certainly not least, Connyun is an IIoT product by German company Kuka that develops future-proof IIoT applications.

The future of IIoT

IIoT is expected to boom for the next few decades, and its growth rate will peak when 5G, AI, and edge computing are added to IIoT systems. According to consulting firm Accenture, IIoT added $14.2 trillion to the global economy in 2018, growing at a 7.3% compound annual growth rate through 2020.

Industry and manufacturing companies have been steadily investing more and more budget into improving and upgrading their IoT applications to become IIoT systems; a report by Boston-based IDC Research shows the top three industries that invested in IIoT in 2018 were manufacturing ($189 billion), transportation ($85 billion), and utilities ($73 billion). Consumer IoT spending reached $62 billion overall that year.

There’s no stopping IIoT now, and we wouldn’t even dream of it. With IIoT, the consumer’s quality of life is expected to improve; businesses will also see an inordinate amount of savings.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on Industrial IoT! What’s your favorite aspect of this burgeoning industry and technology? Where do you think it will go in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

In industrial IoT (IIoT), smart sensors, actuators, devices, and people make up the IoT system to enhance processes and operations for maximum profit, yield, and machine uptime. In this multi-part series, we’ll discuss what exactly IIoT is, how it works, and its many benefits.

A New Frontier

IIoT is also known as Industry 4.0, named for the disruptive changes it’s bringing to manufacturing. Special features of IIoT include smart machines, real-time analytics for non-smart machines, smart notification systems for maintenance and repairs, and more.

There’s no doubt that IoT will bring the next revolution in industry and manufacturing. A study by IoT Analytics forecasts that manufacturing will be the biggest IoT application developer, reaching $438 million by 2021. And according to a Genpact survey, almost 81% of organizations around the world believe that successfully adopting IIoT will be critical to future success, especially for high-tech and large organizations.

In IIoT, the main idea is that smart machines are better than humans at generating and analyzing data in real-time, less error-prone, and better at communicating information used to prompt important business decisions. With 24/7 monitoring, connected actuators and sensors find inefficiencies and issues faster. They also seamlessly load their data into business intelligence software, creating an efficient data pipeline that faces less downtime when software updates roll around.

It may sound to you that smart machines will take over humans’ jobs. In reality, however, these smart machines are freeing up employees to focus their time, expertise, and energy on other more important tasks.

IIoT’s Inner Workings

In each IIoT ecosystem, there are four main components: smart devices that sense, share, and store information; public and private data infrastructure; analytics and applications that work to clean and transform the raw data generated from the connected devices; and people.

IIoT creates a network of smart, connected devices that communicate to form efficient systems that monitor, generate, share, and analyze data with each other. It’s a highly productive system whose benefits wholly outweigh its initial costs, upfront investments, and ongoing updates.

For manufacturing and industrial companies, IIoT will be a must-have for quality control, supply chain transparency and efficiency, and eco-friendly and sustainable practices. It will also improve field service, asset tracking, energy management, and predictive maintenance.

IIoT’s Long List of Applications

IoT will enable large-scale industries to improve economies, accelerate growth, and promote more competition, which will, in turn, improve lives. Let’s take a look at the few of the ways it will do this.

Predictive Maintenance

We briefly mentioned predictive maintenance, and you might have wondered: How exactly do smart machines help with predictive maintenance? With their real-time data generation, smart machines can know immediately if a part is becoming defective over time, losing its efficiency, or if it needs general maintenance earlier than scheduled. This saves companies from extended downtime in operations, which in turn produces more stable revenues.

When manufacturing time decreases, repeated work decreases, and scrap and waste amounts are reduced significantly. This benefit, of course, will need some human oversight and management because a defective smart machine could find false errors with itself or other machines.

Field Service

For global companies that have distributed their products and equipment globally, post-sales service and troubleshooting is a necessary part of business. In these cases, field service executives visit locations globally to troubleshooting and service equipment. During these visits, field executives spend a lot of time communicating back-and-forth with back-office experts for complex issues, technical help, and repair manual checks.

IIoT systems can remain in constant communication with field service technicians to identify potential problems with customer equipment, train techs quickly on new procedures, and give extra information on how to fix a problem that the tech doesn’t have much experience with.

Additionally, IIoT can identify potential problems before they arise, sending field technicians to a location before any major happens. Smart glasses afford hands-free labor and remote communication with back-office experts.

Asset Tracking

One of IIoT’s biggest strengths is asset tracking: this benefit weaves together sourcers, suppliers, manufacturers, and customers together seamlessly. It helps companies track the location, condition, and status of products within the supply chain. If anything becomes damaged, becomes at risk for damage, or disappears in transit, an instant notification enables stakeholders to take preventative and immediate action.

Edge Computing

Edge computing will also eventually bring another layer of efficiency and productivity to IIoT systems; with the addition of stable 5G networks, IIoT will rapidly shift to realize its full potential.

Customer Service

With asset tracking, customer service will already be improved quite a bit over our current standards. But with the addition of connected products, the manufacturer can use data about how the customer uses their products to improve and optimize their product design, development, and features. This will create truly customer-centric companies.

Facility and Energy Management

IIoT systems can constantly monitor their facilities for temperature, humidity, vibrations, and other factors that could impact how operations are performing. With this information, changes can be made as necessary to ensure the facility is in full working order.

IoT can help reduce energy bills by up to 20% by optimizing energy expenditures through data generated from smart meters. These meters not only track how resources are distributed and consumed, but they also help improve forecasting, reduce thefts, and lower operating costs. Remote kill switches can yield energy savings of up to 70% per machine. Energy management systems can also help reduce CO2 emissions.

IIoT’s Bright Future

Industrial IoT is a new, innovative, and revolutionary technology that uses learnings and best practices from our current IoT systems to produce a network of connected machines, devices, and cities. Globally, Boston-based consulting group Bain & Company forecasts that, by 2020, IIoT applications will generate more than $300 billion, which is double the amount from consumer IoT systems ($150 billion).

IIoT is here to stay, and it hasn’t even reached its full potential. With more efficient processes, numerous industries will be reshaped in the near future. What IIoT applications do you think will be the most game-changing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!