Within the context of control systems and field devices, proprietary protocols are the rule as opposed to the exception. Although some standardized protocols are beginning to emerge, many of these will not interoperate without configuring specialized gateways that add cost and complexity. Such a situation places constraints on the ability of industrial organizations to cash in on the promise of the new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) wave of technological and productivity advancements. But there is hope. Progress towards a converged communication protocol environment is being made on several fronts.... Read more →
03/09/2017
02/22/2017
Smart Factory Applications in Discrete Manufacturing
IIC members have identified many of the best practices and key challenges that lie ahead and summarized them in a technical white paper, Smart Factory Applications in Discrete Manufacturing. Authored by the IIC Smart Factory Task Group, the whitepaper provides a comprehensive summary of the benefits and business value of the Smart Factory, a description of the core IoT technologies, and discussion of the barriers to adoption.... Read more →
Posted at 2:16 am in Uncategorized, | Permalink
Tags: AUTOMATION, CYBER ATTACK, DISCRETE MANUFACTURING, IIC, IISF, OPC UA, PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE,
02/20/2017
Breaking Down the IDC Top 10 IoT Predictions for 2017
A new IDC FutureScape offers top 10 predictions for the Worldwide IoT in 2017. The research evaluates 10 emerging trends and ranks them in terms of their likely impact across the enterprise and the time it will take each prediction to go mainstream (meaning the middle of bellcurve of adoption). This blog breaks it down and summarizes the trends.... Read more →
Posted at 12:00 pm in Uncategorized, | Permalink
02/16/2017
15 Attack Points for Endpoints
Much has been written lately about IIoT endpoints and their many potential security vulnerabilities. As defined by the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), endpoints are devices that employ both computation and communications resources and expose functional capabilities. A thorough understanding of these vulnerabilities in relation to the IIoT system is crucial in addressing the architectural considerations required to protect endpoints.... Read more →
Posted at 9:31 am in Uncategorized, | Permalink
Tags: ENDPOINT PLC IIC IISF HARDWARE INTEGRITY SOFTWARE INTEGRITY,
01/19/2017
Security Claims Evaluation Testbed: a window into operational efficiencies
In February 2016, the IIC announced its first security assessment-focused testbed: The Security Claims Evaluation Testbed. IIC member companies are collaborating in this testbed to provide an open and highly configurable cybersecurity platform for evaluation of endpoint, gateway and other networked components’ security capabilities. By connecting their equipment to the testbed, IIC members and non-members are able to evaluate the security of their devices within two different scenarios: individually on a device level, or with a system of other endpoints, gateways, etc. Join the free webinar offered by the IIC on Thursday, January 26th at 11:00am to hear Dan describe the results and lessons learned so far from the Security Claims Evaluation Testbed.... Read more →
Posted at 5:53 am in Uncategorized, | Permalink