The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) reminds me of a story called “The Puppy Who Lost His Way”. The world was changing, and the puppy was getting… bigger. So, you see, the puppy was like IIoT in that they were both lost in the woods. Except the puppy was a dog, but the Industrial Internet of Things my friends, is a revolution.
Hopefully this bit of humor taken from the movie Billy Madison has you laughing at the moment. This scene actually does make sense regarding all things “Things”. The prospect of all people, parts, products, machines, fixtures, sensors, equipment, infrastructure, consumables, and even processes in a plant or manufacturing enterprise communicating over the network is overwhelming, and the provider responses have been less than inspiring.
The common approach is to leverage this big idea as worthy unto itself, just as companies compete by simply invoking the word “cloud”. News flash: the cloud is not actually in the clouds, nor is it above the clouds. It’s not even cloudy. It is mainly housed in precisely controlled data centers, where the operating environment, security, and connectivity are maintained at a constant. So, although not quite “Newspeak”, the cloud is a clumsy way of talking about today’s information technology environment, except in the way that it conveys something happening outside of your building, somewhere else, which may as well be in the clouds – in other words, it’s none of your concern.
And so it goes with the IIoT. We are all unsure that we even care, except that we are sure that we don’t care yet. We have gotten smart enough to know that a network port on a device does not suddenly make it high-tech useful, any more than a USB port on a toaster would increase its value. What we do care about is continuous improvement, performance analysis, source accuracy, machine, line, and plant optimization, cost reduction, scrap reduction, risk containment, and decision assistance.
These are what VIA is focused on, the information value streams that can be harnessed from the Industrial Internet of Things. VIA’s upcoming IIoT products will not simply be devices which are connectable. Rather, VIA will be releasing products which provide the full spectrum of value, from the acquisition of authoritative source data, through processing and analysis, to visualization and reporting of that analysis, invoking better, faster decisions so that you can make more money, make more good products, make more good decisions, and make more time available for additional production.
VIA Information Tools provides proven solutions to those challenges that every manufacturing company faces. Focused Client Support and Maintenance teams are available 24/7 for consultation and guidance. Our a strong client relationship team has a singular focus that is dedicated to successful results gained from the methodical implementation of growth strategies.
Contact us today to learn more.