As noted in Opto 22’s recent edge computing technology primer, one of the key problems currently facing the IIoT is Internet bandwidth limitations. We’re talking about connecting billions of sensors to networks that were never designed to handle that kind of traffic.
I can remember the painful days of dial up Internet connectivity when millions of people started connecting their PCs to the Internet through tiny little phone lines, watching file transfers drag on and on for hours.
Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things
Although we may think of Middle Eastern countries as being oil-rich, that description doesn't always apply. The country of Jordan, for example, has typically imported 96% of its energy from neighboring countries.
But Jordan has plenty of sun, and the government is committed to investing heavily in renewable energy.
Topics: Energy management, Case studies, groov, Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, Integrators, mobile, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-02-01
So you know .NET—or Modbus—or Python—or HART. Can you use those development tools and protocols (or many others) with Opto 22 products?
You'll find the answer in our new technical note, Communication Tools & Protocols for Opto 22 Products.
Topics: Process control, Internet of Things, Tips, IoT, optonews, PACs, Integrators, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-02-01
Drones are playing a key role in the Industrial Internet of Things. Not to mention the fact that they’re pretty much all the rage today with just about everyone.
I would hazard a guess that almost everyone you know knows someone who has one. They’re in all the stores at the mall, the military has fleets of them protecting the skies, and I can’t wait to see Amazon’s version dropping my packages off on my front doorstep.
Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things
Attention industrial engineers: If you're not thinking about how secure that new wiz-bang-flashy PLC or PAC is before you purchase it, you're setting yourself up for a world of pain down the road.
Industrial control systems are used across a wide range of industries, from manufacturing and fabrication, to electricity generation and transmission, to oil refining and water treatment—all industries where a network security compromise could mean huge losses of capital for the business.
Recently we’re seeing many of these traditionally proprietary control systems—distributed control systems, PLCs, and SCADA applications—adding new, more open technologies like Ethernet and TCP/IP. And with organizations' increasing interest in the business advantages of obtaining system data, industrial control systems are now being connected to information technology (IT) networks.
That's scary.
Topics: Internet of Things, Tips, IoT, Networking, Security, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things
You never feel like you know enough about security.
And security issues and recommendations are constantly changing, as the bad guys try to hack in and the good guys try to keep them out.
Here are a couple of new blog posts on this important subject, both by Opto 22's Matt Newton, who has years of experience in both automation and IT (information technology).
Topics: Internet of Things, PLCs, IoT, optonews, PACs, Security, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-01-18
If you’ve been listening to all the hype around the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Internet of Things, Industrie 4.0, or my favorite, the Industrial Internet of Things (pretty sure they’re all roughly the same thing), you’ve no doubt heard the term machine learning thrown around.
Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things
In a previous blog post I wrote about the Internet of Things getting hacked. As the IIoT ramps up and we continue to connect more devices to networks, we increase our industrial assets' exposure to cyber attacks. And we all need to start thinking about cyber security first, not as an afterthought.
It's everyone's responsibility to plan for cyber security, starting when you first evaluate industrial assets for purchase.
Here are five checklist items to think about before connecting any industrial device to a network. No, this is not an exhaustive list, but frankly I don't want take up that much of your time. (You're welcome!) This is good starting point, though.
Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, Security, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things
The image below still cracks me up. The captions for each of the devices are hilarious.
But in truth, ransomware is a pretty scary subject, especially when you think of it in the context of industrial technology and applications. And there’ve been quite a few unnerving stories about ransomware hacks in industrial applications lately.
Topics: Internet of Things, Tips, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things
With the new Data Store device in groov R3.3, you can put data into groov from anywhere—like a database, another device or system—and monitor or change it in your mobile operator interface.
Topics: groov, Internet of Things, Updates, IoT, optonews, API, REST API, REST, mobile, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-01-04