IoT & Automation

In the near future, digital assistants will help with all kinds of mundane work tasks — from setting up conference calls to replenishing office supplies. The majority of these digital assistants use voice recognition technology as their primary interface, which means they are always listening, even when they are not in use. With hacker activity and state-sponsored surveillance also on the rise, will digital assistants become the proverbial Trojan horse that allows attackers to sneak past our defenses unnoticed? While digital assistants are all very convenient, will using them be at the expense of our privacy and security?

Industry 4.0 promises to combine digital technologies — such as big data, data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning — with all-pervasive internet connectivity to produce vast quantities of valuable data. Companies mine, analyze and convert the information into a wealth of insights and then use the knowledge to boost factory productivity, increase supply chain efficiency and make substantial cost savings. As always, new trends bring about new security challenges. Though connecting industrial machinery to the outside world can be risky, the deployment of virtual private networks (VPNs) can ensure that Industry 4.0’s data treasures stay hidden from unwelcome observers.

The IIoT is the digitization of industrial assets and processes that connects products, machines, services, locations/sites to workers, managers, suppliers, and partners. The IIoT creates a universe of sensors that enables an accelerated deep learning of existing operations. These data tools allow for rapid contextualization, automatic pattern, and trend detection. Furthering this for manufacturing operations will finally allow for true quantitative capture of formerly “expert” qualitative operations. The question is whether or not we can leverage  analysis on a continual basis to have continuous machine health monitoring and preempt catastrophic failure. This is what is known in IIoT as predictive analytics. 

How to use an intranet to engage employees? A corporate intranet can help win employees’ loyalty, and HR managers should always be on the lookout for ways to improve it. A finely tuned intranet can help your employees find the information they are looking for easily, follow their activities and performance, stay tuned into corporate life and keep connected to their peers, thus getting support from the professional community and feeling more satisfied with the working process. Read this article to learn how to use an intranet to engage employees.

Today, you don’t have to work in the office every single day, especially if your setup allows you to tap in remotely via an internet connection. When a team is spread out like this, it can be difficult to organize certain aspects of your business. Communication and collaboration, for instance, can be sub-par if you don’t have the appropriate tools and protocols in place. Another aspect of your managed systems and networks is cybersecurity. How, then, do you better protect your remote personnel? What are some precautionary measures and strategies you can deploy in the age of distributed teams?

Microservices have become dominant over the last few years, so much so that it is hard to imagine encountering a modern application built with a SOAP API. The wide spread usage of stateless microservices has allowed for modern applications to be easily and quickly deployed horizontally and directly on the edge.  The lightweight nature of REST APIs due to their statelessness, have allowed for applications with less overhead, quicker integration times, and a much more enjoyable programming experience.  Microservice adoptions at both the application and middleware layer have driven much of the advances in edge computing.

The field service component, distribution, channel, aftermarket service/repair, and integrator are the glue to the entire IoT value chain. The opportunity service organizations have to leverage IoT to transform their business is incredible. It is a tool that will allow field workers to spot issues continuously as an expanded “remote monitoring” opportunity, maybe as a SaaS model. This could be a new revenue stream, but really a chance to see more issues with continual data streaming in instead of quarterly route-based maintenance. The value lies in domain specific expertise and vertical specialization, but delivery is the key.

In the fast-changing world, it has become difficult to catch up with all the new concepts and technologies. It is even more complicated to distinguish which of them are really useful and which ones is just hype. In the field of data analytics, it was big data that started this era of doubt. Now, when this concept is clearer, a new wave is coming: Big data for IoT. Despite all the hype around IoT, it is just one of multiple big data sources. But how exactly IoT is connected to big data?

It is necessary to differentiate between indirect attacks and direct attacks on IoT devices. In indirect attacks, the goal of compromising IoT devices is to use them to conduct cyberattacks against other external targets. In direct attacks, the goal is to conduct some sort of ‘local malfeasance’ right there at the device itself. The IoT security asserts that manufacturers and deployers of IoT devices and systems, especially potential targets for direct attacks, have a moral obligation to vigorously and comprehensively address security. The following seven principles can serve as guideposts to enable stronger IoT security.

IoT can positively change the way we do business and the way we live our lives.   IoT is a new revolution in our society, or it is just one more step in the technological evolution of the digital revolution. Today, the debate continues but whether evolution or revolution, The Internet of Things is here to stay. IoT is often presented as a revolution that is changing the face of society or the industry in a profound manner. It is an evolution that has its origins in technologies and functionalities developed by visionary automation suppliers.

IoT security breaches are expected to reach an all-time high. It’s important to differentiate between indirect attacks, using IoT devices to conduct cyberattacks against another target, and direct attacks, where the end goal is to compromise and access the IoT device itself. With direct attacks, the goal is access to the IoT device – and by extension the sensors, machines, and environment that the device is connected to. As such, this type has the potential to be even more disruptive and destructive. Criminals, terrorists, and malicious foreign governments may use connected devices to cause havoc or harm. Seven principles can serve as guideposts to enable stronger IoT security.