It’s hard to read an industry blog or website without seeing bold statements about the industrial internet of things (IIoT). Much of what you read is loaded with eye-popping statistics, industry buzzwords, and complex diagrams. The end result for the reader can be an overwhelming sense of confusion and lack of direction as to how to begin.
Chances are your company already has IIoT in use: Manufacturing industries have been implementing IoT concepts for more than 20 years. For example, the HART communication protocol was developed in the early 1990s to provide digital data from smart sensors previously providing one data point. The estimated installed base of HART devices is more than 40 million. Other open standards such as EtherNet/IP and Foundation Fieldbus developed in the late 1990s enabled placing sensors directly on networks.
So don’t be overwhelmed worrying about the right way or wrong way. Let’s cut through the fog of IIoT and focus on implementation advice for those beginning their journey.
Read the rest of this article from our sister publication Plant Services.
