Industrial IoT Solutions: Top 10 IIoT Applications
There are so many things connected to the Internet that so soon we won’t be able to use them without special knowledge and infrastructure. The new technological revolution affects not only our way of life and thinking. It is fundamentally changing the structure, the way we do business, and how we do business.
In the hope of a quick payback on investment, most of the major OEMs are adopting industrial IoT solutions (or IIoT solutions). Of course, some business leaders adequately assess the complexity of implementation and possible technical problems. Some of them acknowledge the shortage of skilled workers. But in general, this is a steady trend for the coming decades. Statistics show that the IIoT market size will exceed USD 110 billion in value by 2025!
At 7Devs, we have in-depth experience in this area and are ready to share our vision of prospects, tell about the differences between the home and industrial Internet of Things, and help you choose the best solutions.
IoT vs IIoT: Key Differences
Both traditional IoT and IIoT solutions are based on the concept of interconnected devices that communicate and exchange data among each other via a centralized network.
The difference is that the IoT is focused on the benefits of end-users, which are regular mass consumers. It is in itself a complete product built into our daily life and environment that doesn’t create anything extra. We use it to improve our environment and, hence, our quality of life.
The IIoT, in turn, focuses on manufacturing, increasing efficiency and flexibility to reduce costs, downtime, promote economic growth, and increase productivity. It helps to manage production processes, control supply chains, and create a transparent management system. It involves industrial applications such as manufacturing, packaging, new energies, or robotics.
Both concepts are of the same nature — accessibility, smart and connected devices. The fundamental difference between the two is their field of use.
Development focus
IoT platforms are built on the concept of using smart devices to enhance the convenience of consumers who are seeking certain life benefits. For instance, reducing electricity or heating bills through automatic regulation. Typically these are Plug & Play devices.
The IIoT involves more sophisticated devices to provide broader and more detailed visibility of work processes, automated control, and rich analytics.
Field of application
Since IoT industrial is designed to control mission-critical machines, it uses more sensitive and accurate sensors. It includes technologies that take into account the location on the side of the supply chain with complex, advanced management and analytics tools. The IoT uses simpler applications.
Field of interest
The IIoT is used in important industries such as aerospace, defense, healthcare, and energy. These are systems in which failure often leads to emergencies.
The IoT is generally about low-risk consumer-grade devices. They are important and convenient, but breakdowns don’t emerge immediately and don’t always create emergencies.
What an IIoT Platform Should Be Like
The industrial Internet of Things isn’t a goal in itself. It is implemented to achieve specific goals. These include improving the efficiency of operations, optimizing the supply chain, or more accurately tracking products and/or manufacturing assets.
For this, industrial IoT platforms must allow one to:
- Use software that communicates with thousands of physical sensors, industrial machines, and digital systems to manage processes and corporate systems across the entire business.
- Analyze and manage data from connected devices, enterprises, and third parties to identify patterns and optimize assets.
- Enable and manage applications to simplify the setup and operation of assets, and create digital twins.
- Employ remote connection to industrial devices (PLC, HMI, robot) through a secure connection, control, and view of HMI panels (VNC) or PLC web servers (HTTP) on any device, live broadcasts from IP cameras.
- Use software that enables security auditing and compliance, including data loss prevention, breach detection, and corrective action.
- Get support for industrial protocols such as OPC (Open Platform Communications).
- Use PLC visualization, notification, and data logging.
- Get a well-documented API for integrating with native analytics, business intelligence tools, SAP, and other machine learning platforms.
- Grant the engineering-grade reliability.
- Achieve flexibility with code-free interfaces that allow individual users to access applications for specific tasks.
- Combine cloud computing, edge computing, and on-premises deployment.
Top 10 IIoT platforms
Considering the crowded marketplace as well as the growing capabilities of IIoT, organizations that are looking for the best IoT platform need time to learn. Below we list some of the best solutions up to date.
Altizon Datonis
Altizon provides real-time analytics, device management, and machine learning capabilities. The platform can be deployed in any cloud environment or locally as a multi-tenant service. The platform is complemented by Datonis Manufacturing Intelligence, a data manager with performance analytics and digital twins.
Braincube
The platform combines the power of machine learning, time-compressed information in complex production environments, and innovative, intuitive data cleansing tools. It offers easy export of raw data to standard applications (e.g., Excel). Deployment is complex and requires an increase in the maintenance staff.
Amazon Web Services
AWS provides a range of IoT services covering everything from gadget connectivity and control to analytics and computing. It supports the FreeRTOS real-time operating system for microcontrollers, further providing Greengrass computing, analytics, management, and storage capabilities at the edge for near real-time local processing.
Azure IoT
Microsoft has enabled manufacturing departments to effortlessly accumulate massive amounts of industrial machine data, process it at the edge in real-time, and transfer it to the cloud for analysis in PowerBI. One of the unique features is fast implementation.
Flutura Cerebra
The platform provides long resource uptime and high operational efficiency. It has a narrow industry focus and is aimed at the oil and gas, chemical industry, mechanical engineering, and the like.
PTC ThingWorx
This one stands out among other industrial platforms for its consistent configuration and communication with connected devices. Companies can increase the number of machines/sensors connected to the industrial equipment by simply disconnecting previously used ones. It features an attractive/adaptable interface that speeds up expansion and customization.
Hitachi Vantara Lumada
The platform is focused on energy, utilities, transportation, and assembly industries. Key features include secure street connectivity, IT systems and business applications, automated edge-to-cloud data management, archiving, advanced analytics, use-case-specific AI capabilities, and digital twin simulation.
Oracle IoT Cloud
The platform is distinguished by high technical characteristics, the ability to monitor information from production sensors, and perfect integration with production management systems. At the same time, it is constantly being modernized based on the wishes of customers.
IBM Watson IoT
A fully managed cloud service with connectivity, device registration and management, fast visualization, and data storage. The platform highlights analytics and APIs that allow you to analyze information in real-time, whether it’s text or speech, social sentiment, or video. Security and management features include administration based on usage and performance characteristics of applications and devices and anomaly detection.
Programming AG Cumulocity
This platform provides capabilities for visualization, connectivity, edge processing, device management, product development, and application integration. You can use different approaches for connecting devices and assets. It includes Cloud Fieldbus, which is used to connect and control industrial resources through agreements such as Modbus and OPC UA, as well as monitor asset health and collect historical information.
While evaluating industrial IoT companies, you need to take into account specific industry goals from the task, scale, and characteristics of production. You may need unique solutions.
Our Experience
7Devs has participated in many projects as a developer and as a startup partner alike. One of the most interesting ones was creating local industrial IoT solutions for boiler houses and pumping stations serving homes, schools, and hospitals. We have successfully integrated a wide range of sensors for temperature, water supply, electricity, leakage, and CO2 level detectors.
Another project is focused on the telecom operators market and its implementation period we managed to shorten by almost a year. We have developed a keychain with a sim card and a mobile application that can be put in a car, bag, attached to a bicycle, etc. The device has several scenarios of use and can be sold under different brands, for example, in a package with an operator’s offer.
Both projects use AWS IoT to reduce development time, effectively address storage issues (coordinate history, temperature values, etc.) and data security. Our solution provides a paradigm for using certificates generated by the service itself.
We upload certificates to the device during the installation (bundling stage) and AWS checks each device separately. Therefore, no one can replace the device. At the same time, the platform provides all the necessary interactions.
The main focus of our work is on functionality, not on developing a system from scratch. This ensures quick time-to-market and removes responsibility for data security and storage.
Conclusion
To make the right choice among all available IIoT companies, take another look at the criteria for the ideal platform, determine its essential parts and its third-party functionality. Don’t fall for pretty ads, show healthy skepticism and a holistic approach.
Consider security protocols used by the platform, its scalability, bandwidth, edge intelligence, pricing, monitoring and integration tools, data recovery, and communication transparency.
A team of 7Devs professionals provides all this at the highest level. Contact us and we will offer and promptly create IIoT applications that meet your needs.
