What is Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT)?

23 February 2023 0 views

In the daily activities of an IT-based company, we often hear the term IoT or Internet of Things and IIoT or Industrial Internet of Things be used in a normal day-to-day conversation. However, some of us may use the terms IoT and IIoT interchangeably, thinking they have the same meaning (which is not the case). To clarify, the Internet of Things (IoT) is best defined as the ever growing interconnectivity between input devices, computer hardware, and software through data exchange over the internet. With this basis in mind, what’s the difference between IoT and IIoT? In this article, we’ll look over the definition of IIoT, how it differs from IoT and how it affects our own respective industries. 

Definition of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

According to Posey and Rosencrance (2022), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is described as the use of smart sensors and actuators to enhance manufacturing and industrial process efficiency. IIoT uses the power of smart machines and real-time analytics to take advantage of the data that "dumb machines" have produced in industrial settings in its preceding years. The driving philosophy behind the use of the IIoT is that smart machines are not only better than humans at capturing and analyzing data in real time, but they're also better at communicating important information that can be used to drive business decisions faster and more accurately.

How the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Work

In other words, it’s easy to say that IIoT is a collective network of smart devices connected to create a system that oversees, retrieves, exchanges and analyzes data. Each individual industrial IoT may consist (but not limited to) an ecosystem of connected devices that can: 

• Sense, communicate and store information about themselves

• Build a public and/or private data communications infrastructure 

• Create analytics and applications that generate business information from raw data

• Store data that is generated by the IIoT devices and people

These input/output devices and other smart assets transmit information directly to the central data communications infrastructure, where it's converted into readable and actionable information on how certain machines are operating. As stated previously, the information gathered can be used for predictive/preventive maintenance, as well as to optimize overall business activities.

The Difference between IoT and IIoT

Although IoT and IIoT have many intersecting technologies (including cloud softwares, input sensors, network connectivity, communication between machines and analyzing data),  their purposes differ. IoT applications link devices in the many existing business segments, including agricultural, healthcare, general enterprise, fast moving consumer goods and utilities, as well as the government. IoT devices include smart appliances that generally don't create emergency situations if something goes amiss.

On the other hand, IIoT applications are able to create network ecosystems between machines and devices in the oil and gas, utilities and manufacturing industries. Unlike IoT, system failures and sudden unplanned downtime in IIoT deployments may result in risky situations that could even involve the lives of people. IIoT applications are also more concerned with improving efficiency and improving health or safety while caring less on user interface.

How the Industrial internet of Things (IIoT) helps in an Industrial Setting

Connected input devices enable companies to pick up on production inefficiencies and problems sooner, saving time and money while supporting the efforts of smart-business. In manufacturing, specifically, IIoT allows for quality control, sustainable and green practices, supply chain traceability, and overall supply chain efficiency for a business. In an industrial setting, IIoT is key to processes such as Predictive or Preventive maintenance, enhanced field service, energy management, warehouse management and asset tracking.

In an industrial setting, we can commonly observe the use of IIoT devices (input and data processing hardware/software) in many different unique scenarios. Here are three examples:

• Automotive Industry: uses IIoT devices in the manufacturing process. The automotive industry extensively uses industrial robots, and IIoT can help proactively maintain these systems and spot potential problems before they can disrupt production. 

• Agriculture Industry: also makes extensive use of IIoT devices. Industrial sensors collect data about soil nutrients, moisture and more, enabling farmers to produce an optimal crop. The oil and gas industry also uses industrial IoT devices. 

• Oil, Gas, and Mining Industry: Some oil companies maintain a fleet of autonomous aircraft that can use visual and thermal imaging to detect potential problems in pipelines. This information is combined with data from other types of sensors to ensure safe operations.

Seeing the benefits provided by the growth and expansion of both IoT and IIoT, it’s extremely important for businesses worldwide to adapt to the need of interconnected IT ecosystems or face a dangerous loss of productivity and efficiency. However, you should not worry as we, PT. Duta Kalingga Pratama, got you covered on all things IIoT. For more information on what solutions we provide to solve your IIoT needs, check out our previous articles on RFID, Warehouse Management System (WMS), and Preventive Maintenance!

References

Posey, B. and Rosencrance, L. (2022). What is IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things)? - Definition from TechTarget.com. [online] IoT Agenda. Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/Industrial-Internet-of-Things-IIoT.