IIC Lists IIoT Benefits and Best Practices in New Edge Computing Whitepaper

The latest whitepaper from the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) published this week points out the benefits and best practices in implementing edge computing for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices.

In the white paper, IIC looks at some of the key issues for IIoT and how edge computing would solve them. These include: low-latency, decisions need to be made in milliseconds; remote network infrastructure, on oil rigs and mine shafts, is much slower than in metro-areas; data may need to be held locally so other devices can benefit from it; the vast amount of sensor data collected may lead to clogged networks; and keeping data locally improves security.

See also: LinkedIn Sees Edge Computing as Future of the Data Center

“Many companies are wanting to realize the business benefits that edge computing is purported to provide but are unsure where to begin or how to realize those advantages. The IIC has been at the vanguard of the industrial internet since its inception, and edge computing has been an integral part of driving the transformational outcomes that go along with it,” said Todd Edmunds, Senior Solution Architect at Cisco, and co-author of the white paper.

“With the publication of this white paper, we provide practical guidance on where the ‘edge’ is and the key drivers for implementing edge computing. We also provide detail on edge computing architectures and real-world use cases.”

The white paper also details several use cases for IIoT edge computing, including crew safety management, fleet tracking and platooning, predictive maintenance, and product traceability.

“Almost every use case and every connected device on the industrial internet requires some sort of compute capability at its source at the edge,” said Dr. Mitch Tseng, a consultant for Huawei Technologies, and co-author of the white paper.

“Oil rigs in remote locations have sensors gathering data but they need to be mindful of the challenges of data transmission because of bandwidth issues or the cost of transmission. The white paper is a first step in the development of an industrial grade ‘cookbook’ for edge computing.”

To see the white paper in full, click here.