IIot is not IoT. That much is clear. What isn’t clear is where the similarities and differences arise. Because while one is a Revolution, the other is an Evolution. The rest follows from there.
The technologies behind the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) have existed for many years. Features like remote access, machine-to-machine, cloud aren’t terribly new to Industrial Automation. Whereas in consumer and commercial markets, they are revolutionary. In these sectors, new [connected] ‘things’ are coming to market daily, whereas in the Industrial realm these connected devices already exist, and now it’s about accessing the data.
In the consumer/commercial world, it’s about convenience rather than criticality. If your smartphone breaks, it’s not the end of the world (well, for some people it is). In IIoT, the security, data integrity, and response times are absolutely critical. To that end, more and more machines are being serviced by the vendors that sell them, rather than/in addition to the end-user who buys them.
And finally we believe where open standards exist, innovation is driven; disruptive technologies emerge; and things become cheaper, smarter, and easier to use.
IoT |
IIoT |
| Revolution | Evolution |
| Things | Data |
| Ad hoc connectivity | Structured connectivity |
| Important –but not critical | Mission critical
|
| User serviced | User + OEM + Vendor serviced |
New
|
Existing
|
| Proprietary Solutions | Defined Standards |
More on IoT, IIoT and Industry 4.0 in our Free PROFINET training classes across North America: