The Importance of Industrial Internet of Things

The Industrial Internet of Things, abbreviated as IIoT, is defined as "machines, computers, and people allowing intelligent industrial processes through sophisticated data analytics for revolutionary business results." Today, it is mostly used as an umbrella term for applications and use cases across numerous industrial sectors in the Internet of Things applications.

IIoT and Machine-to-Machine Communication

The benefit of the frameworks and systems referred to by IIoT in the pure machine-to-machine and Industry 4.0 context is that they may function semi-independently or with very little human interaction. Based on the information obtained through the feedback loops formed inside the framework, such systems will increasingly be able to respond intelligently and even modify their course of action. As previously stated, a significant term in this context is machine-to-machine communication (M2M), which is a component of the Internet of Things but also refers to particular activities and the early phases of the Industrial Internet of Things. Machine-to-machine communication aims to minimize human interaction as much as possible to reach the maximum level of automation. Looking at the notion of the Internet of Everything, we can see that this M2M component of the Industrial Internet of Objects occurs within the realm of the things, as seen in Cisco's initial picture of the Internet of Everything.

The Benefits of IIoT in Manufacturing and Beyond

One of the most significant advantages of the Industrial Internet of Things is the decrease in human mistakes and manual work and the improvement in overall efficiency and cost savings in terms of time and money. We must also consider the potential applications of IIoT in quality control and maintenance.

The Internet of Things Includes the Industrial Internet of Things

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is data-rich: massive volumes of data are gathered, processed, and meaningfully shared. Again, the objective is to improve the amount of automation at the residential and commercial levels. Data is also important in the Industrial Internet of Things, which creates a shift in human activities in an Industry 4.0 setting, where automation reduces particular types of labor while also necessitating new skill sets. The purpose of industrial IoT solutions is not to completely replace human labor but to augment and optimize it by, for example, developing new income streams and business models that heavily rely on data (analysis).

The sophisticated communication loop established between equipment allows for prompt response to maintenance concerns. By reducing risk factors, the safety level of the activities is also increased.

The Industrial Internet of Things extends the benefits of the Internet of Things to businesses with high stakes, where a human mistake might result in high costs.

One of the most significant advantages of IIoT is the amount of accuracy that can be attained, making this discipline one of the most welcome gifts of IoT.

Soon, complete manufacturing plant operations and processes might be designed to function practically autonomously, known as lights-out processes. Furthermore, the Industrial Internet of Things is being utilized for various applications that help us decrease the exposure of our human labor, which will always be important, to scenarios with significant industrial dangers. There is a growing emphasis on ‘human augmentation technology’ in the context of the future of work.

IIoT is projected to require more standardized device protocols and designs in the next years, allowing machines to interact effortlessly and thereby improving interoperability.