Basic IIoT Implementation Considerations

2019-09-30 | By Maker.io Staff

If you have heard of the rise in IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and how production lines are keen to get sensors integrated into their machinery, then there are a few factors you may need to take into consideration!

Basic Concerns when Implementing IIoT

IIoT, or the Industrial Internet of Things, is the concept of industrial processes and machinery being connected to the internet with sensors (and other monitoring systems) that gather data about the machinery, the product, and the surrounding environment. This data, if coupled with AI, can be used to provide predictive and intuitive automation that can help save money and improve product quality.

However, before jumping into IIoT and attaching sensors to your machinery, there are a few basic considerations to keep in mind!

Intelligence

When integrating sensors into industrial processes, the immediate sensory data can be streamed to a central command, whereby multiple monitors can show how each process is working. However, such data is far more valuable than its face value. If this data is appropriately combined with the final product quality in a neural net, seemingly-unconnected data sources may demonstrate a relationship that could give engineers and managers critical insights into how their products are affected by small variations (and how to counteract these variations). AI, when combined with IIoT data, could lead to massively more efficient production lines that can react to incredibly minute changes in the environment.

Data Sensitivity

As the old saying goes, with great data gathering capabilities comes great data gathering responsibility! While machinery may not have a bank account or Social Security Number, they do contain serial numbers and are directly responsible for a product’s production, so they need to be protected just like a person would be!

A manufacturer, for example, could invest a huge sum of money to produce an efficient production line and spend hundreds of hours teaching an AI system to perfect an industrial process that can react to the smallest environmental condition, making a flawless final product. However, an attacker who has the ability to access IIoT devices (which could lack decent security procedures) could steal this information and use it to potentially profit from the information. Always proceed cautiously with these kinds of processes.

Product Sabotage

While IIoT devices are typically read-only devices, they can open a production line to outside sabotage in two different ways.

The first method involves indirect access to machinery by hacking simple sensors that are made to produce false readings. These false readings are then read by the machinery and/or mainframe, which in turn attempts to correct the issue. However, this attempted correction will almost always result in faulty/failed products, so the production line as a whole can be made to fail without an attacker being inside or even near the plant.

The second method uses direct access to machinery if IIoT sensors are allowed to send commands to the machinery. Any sensor that is not securely protected can suddenly become an access point for an attacker to disrupt a piece of machinery, damaging products or potentially causing the machinery to damage itself.

IIoT: A Promising Option when Responsibly Used

IIoT clearly has some major advantages if implemented correctly; production lines can be made more efficient, machinery can be saved from permanent damage requiring major repair, and production costs can be lowered. However, implementation IIoT is no small feat and requires cloud systems, AI software, many hours of learning, a potential complete redesign of a production line, and (not least of all) careful consideration of the issues discussed here for responsible implementation.

To view DigiKey’s Integrated Solutions for Industrial components go here.