The IIoT will revolutionize the future, not just of industrial systems, but of the many people involved. If the full potential of the Industrial Internet of Things is realized, many people will create value and benefit from its myriad opportunities. Examples include smart grids and smart healthcare, as well as the development of new conscious manufacturing ecosystems.
The Internet of Things has begun to penetrate into various market segments, and one of the most significant vertical areas of this penetration is in the industrial world. In fact, energy, healthcare, automotive and other industries are also starting to converge with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Devices used in these industries, such as sensors, robots, mixing tanks, and insulin pumps, are increasingly joining the IoT "army."
The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most important trends in technology today. As an innovative fusion of computing and communications, the Internet of Things and its "smart" devices are poised for a revolution in human-computer interaction.
The problem is that devices that can communicate with each other and access the Internet have the potential to compromise the security of industrial control systems (ICS). These systems are critical to the operations of the utilities, energy and nuclear industries. More precisely, due to commercial demands, these industries are forced to use "smart" devices as and only as a means of control. They may encounter obstacles in their quest to incorporate the IIoT into their office environment.
There will be many challenges when deploying the application of the Industrial Internet. Here are five of the most prominent ones.
Key Challenge 1: Choice of Device Functions
One of the most fundamental challenges facing IIoT today is how manufacturers and process control operators choose from a diverse set of device capabilities.
Machine-machine interconnection and communication solutions are emerging one after another. Therefore, when deploying IIoT technology, several issues must be carefully considered. For example, what information should be collected? How should this information be stored? How can this information be better analyzed? What decisions should be made based on the results of these analyses?
While analysis of economic value and ROI can assist companies in deciding where to introduce IIoT, the challenge of determining IIoT capabilities extends all the way down to device manufacturers. The status quo is that these device makers are still on the road to meeting the complexity demands of IIoT devices.
The real danger of "production integrity" arises when products and services suitable for a typical office environment are taken to solve production without a complete understanding of the relevant requirements (environment, hazardous areas, service reliability and availability, etc.) when the same problem occurs in the environment. Ultimately, the final control components (controllers, sensors, actuators, etc.) that bridge the network to the physical space are still built on technologies that most IT architectures do not support. Although Ethernet is much more popular than it was a few decades ago, the Windows operating system hardly exists in the production field because it does not meet the most basic operational requirements of industrial production.
It's not just where industrial companies must carefully consider where to deploy the IIoT, manufacturers must also clearly define operational requirements and the ability to understand the technology they want to create. This requires manufacturers to have a very in-depth understanding of the real-time production environment in which the IIoT device is ultimately served.
Key Challenge 2: Supply Chain Issues
Manufacturers will need to address more than just functionality in the coming years. Cost and industrial reliability will also play a pivotal role as early adopters scramble to switch to the IIoT. With embedded systems increasingly entering the enterprise, maintaining the integrity of the supply chain has become the responsibility of manufacturers.
Especially in critical infrastructure areas where IIoT elements are applied, companies must consider how to maximize transparency and standardization of production processes. They will need to manufacture devices according to accepted public standards that can be independently assessed to demonstrate that their devices contain only the intended hardware, software or firmware.
Key Challenge 3: Security Protection
Protective measures that are integrally bound into the components of the IIoT device are a must. This issue affects not only manufacturers and process control operators, but also pipeline control operators. Because, any 'thing' or device controlled by network communications "facing" the Internet is at risk of being hacked.
IIoT devices are also not immune to cyber threats. Malware such as "Black Power" or "Stuxnet" infiltrating industrial control systems is not uncommon. To avoid these threats, companies should consider how to integrate advanced cyber threat protection solutions into their industrial networks.
Key Challenge 4: Bridging Differences
An important concern in the implementation of IIoT is security. Regardless of the new technology, however, technical issues have never been stronger than the disagreements that keep us fighting each other.
Perhaps the most difficult challenge to conquer is breaking down the barriers between different professions and departments. The IT (Information Technology)/OT (Operational Technology) convergence that has been discussed for years must be realized. Control engineers must upgrade their technology so they can at least understand networking and security. IT engineers and architects must understand the difference between business processes and manufacturing processes.
While doing any of these steps is difficult, establishing new channels of collaboration will benefit all businesses in terms of productivity, profitability, customer service and sustainability. The key lies in the management of the enterprise, and they must act to guide the direction.
Key Challenge 5: Safety Procedures
The fifth and final key challenge enterprises face when deploying IIoT. Security procedures have been around for many years, but they rarely take into account how logical attacks can affect physical outcomes. The rise of these cyberattacks has been witnessed from the Stuxnet and German steel mill incidents, but the IIoT is driving an ever-expanding attack surface. The situation is very different from the IT security era, and we need to adjust.
In a good way, industrial companies can leverage new channels of collaboration between IT and OT as an enabling means to address this challenge. Using historical and operational experience in the OT space, IT defenses should start incorporating security into their threat modeling and consult with the OT security team on what to do. Of course, not one team can solve all problems, but it is an opportunity for real convergence.
Summarize
The key challenges for IIoT implementation may sound daunting. However, at the heart of these issues related to device functionality, supply chain issues, cybersecurity protection, interpersonal differences, and security, it is the collaboration of departments, the entire enterprise, and manufacturers to drive this new technology trend forward. development before.
