Published on 05/29/2017 | Technology
Industrial automation systems are increasingly using the cloud as a repository for big data storage and as a means for accessing and implementing internet of Things (IoT) applications. The cloud provides a low cost and secure way to store big data and it offers a wide range of wired and wireless access methods to this data from anywhere in the world, chief among them the internet. In an industrial setting, integrating IoT devices are over the internet creates what is called an industrial IoT (IIoT) application.
These IIoT applications are often implemented to monitor and control assets located in widespread geographical areas which are frequently subject to harsh operating conditions. Such applications are commonly found in the oil & gas, power, and water/wastewater industries.
The first step to realizing this vision is getting properly formatted data from industrial automation systems and components to the cloud. This task is complicated by the wide range of unique industrial automation protocols and networks, and by the many different ways in which data is acquired by and stored in automation components and systems.
One of the best ways to address these issues is by using a hardware communications hub to gather all of the required data from the different components and systems, to format the data as required by the cloud database, and to send the data to the cloud. Alternately, a software communications hub in the form of a PC-based HMI such as Advantech’s WebAccess can also be used as discussed in this white paper titled Cloud-based SCADA as an Industrial IoT Gateway. This approach isn’t covered in this white paper because this document instead focuses on applications without a local PC-based HMI.
Hardware hubs are not new, but their enhanced capabilities have greatly expanded the role of gateways. As the ARC Advisory Group observes, gateways were “Originally relegated largely to network protocol conversion”, but “today’s gateways target sensor-to-cloud integration in furtherance of industrial internet-based strategies designed to improve business performance. IT technology continues to extend its reach into the OT realm in pursuit of the data needed to this end. Availability of gateway devices featuring standard operating systems, such as Linux and Windows 10, are furthering the march towards edge or fog computing”. This white paper will explore just how cloud connectivity can be achieved in modern systems.
You can read and download the full report on Advantech here.
