Like many wireless communication standards today, those particularly intended to support the Internet of Things (IoT) are still under development. The situation is even more so for industrial IoT applications, where many deployments are still tipping, particularly when it comes to standards like NB-IoT and LTE CAT-M1.

Granted, in areas like IT and OT, where standard groups have long operated, standards are well developed and adopted, but at the same time, the standards and frameworks for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication and IoT are still being worked on.

 

The Rise of IoT Standards

 

Although the term ‘Internet of Things’ is relatively new, the idea of connecting and controlling industrial machinery using computers goes back to the early 1960s. Information technology entered corporate and government usage around the same time.

But what has changed in the decades since then is the sheer variety if technologies, as well as their sophistication, thanks to the ongoing innovation. In addition, the dropping costs for bandwidth and silicon has led to an explosion of connected devices, from automatic vehicles to video cameras. It is now possible to automate and optimize processes in different ways that were inconceivable 15- 20 years ago, using the wireless and cloud services and powerful computing hardware located on the plant floor or out in the field. In a sense, Industrial IoT can be considered as an application of evolving IT and OT standards, even while the marketplace treats IoT as a new phenomenon and there is a vast number of emerging IoT standards.

 

Gaining an Upper hand with Open Standards

 

Open standards is key to expanding Industrial IoT and innovation in the marketplace.  Open standards also promote innovation, because since it is open, there are usually skills that exist and can be leveraged. For established, open standards in IoT, IT and OT; there is a much higher chance of being able to turn to staff resources or a trusted partner to integrate a new technology onto the factory floor or out in the field. That is not to say that emerging open standards should be shunned. Sometimes, new technologies serve a market niche or employ a superior engineering approach. An example here would be a controller used in the manufacture of specialty pumps for industrial heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigerant equipment. The controller may use emerging IoT standards as well as new OT standards, without alternative products to turn to.