Designing for the IIoT…What You Need to Know About Software
By: David Hoysan
Tags: Iiot, Data, Software, Industry, Hardware

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The first things that may come to mind when hearing the term the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are the physical sensors, actuators, and other components that are used to implement an IIoT system. While the equipment used to monitor and control industrial processes is vitally important to the viability of the system, the hardware alone cannot provide the expected benefits. The software that powers the implementation is of equal importance in designing an IIoT system that meets the organization’s overall expectations.

The IIoT can be seen as a specialized branch of the consumer-oriented Internet of Things (IoT) concept. Both employ smart technology to connect devices to automate or perform various activities. In the case of the IoT, the activities revolve around issues designed to improve the lives of the general population. Smart appliances and mobile devices enable individuals to automate and exert remote control over various aspects of their day-to-day existence. They are becoming more ubiquitous every day and promise to transform the future in ways we can only imagine.

The IIoT deals with processes that are less obvious, but are arguably more important to the safety and well-being of society. IIoT implementations are used to control hydroelectric plants, maintain automated production lines, and keep industrial facilities operating at peak efficiency. While they are less visible than IoT systems, they are essential to the infrastructure on which we all rely.

Types of IIoT Software

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There are several types of software required in the construction of a working IIoT environment. They can be broadly defined as providing these functions:

Human interaction with the system

* Collecting data from IIoT sensors

* Storing the data

* Processing the data

These categories of software are needed to fulfill the requirements of an IIoT implementation, which is designed to oversee or automate a complicated process. We will take a deeper look into why these types of software applications and tools are required and investigate some of the available options. Since the cloud is an integral part of the IIoT, we will concentrate on software solutions offered by cloud providers. As we look at these software offerings, there will necessarily be a crossover between those marketed as IIoT or IoT solutions due to the similarity in their functionality.

Human Machine Interfaces

The ability to provide human interaction with the automated systems under the control of an IIoT system is essential from a safety and security perspective. There needs to be a method for operators to assume control of the system in the event of unanticipated problems. Human machine interfaces (HMIs) can be implemented through software alone or as an embedded program built into IIoT devices.

A higher degree of functionality is afforded by HMIs that are implemented as standalone software applications. They can provide operators the ability to view an entire installation and quickly drill down to isolate a specific component. Touchscreen technology is used to enable staff members access to the HMI from tablet devices. Embedded HMIs are more limited and often control a single device or subsystem.

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Data Collection Software

The sources of the information used in an IIoT system are devices employed to monitor environmental variables such as heat or humidity. They might be relaying data on the state of certain industrial processes that are critically important and may cause safety concerns if they malfunction. The quality of data they provide is essential to the overall viability of the IIoT implementation.

Embedded software is primarily responsible for the flow of data from physical monitoring devices to the computer systems that will process it. Embedded software can be seen as a system contained within a mechanical or electronic device. It is made up of a sensor-based input system, output actuator, microcontroller, and a minimal amount of local memory.

As can be seen from its components, sensors and actuators, two critical parts of an IIoT system make use of embedded software. Devices use embedded software to measure conditions and send that information along for processing. In some cases, an action may be triggered by the received data. Therefore, embedded software forms the foundation of any IIoT implementation.

Traditionally, embedded software has been proprietary, making interoperability with products from multiple vendors impossible. This also makes it difficult or impossible to update the software to take advantage of technological breakthroughs. Recent moves toward employing open-source embedded software promise to minimize this problem.

When designing an IIoT implementation, you need to ensure the compatibility of the physical components with the other software and hardware resources that comprise the system. Maintaining interoperability may limit your available choices in hardware procurement.

Data Storage Software

One of the defining characteristics of the IIoT is the incredible volume of data generated by the connected network of monitoring devices. The purpose of an IIoT system is to collect this data and put it to productive use. Storing data is an essential task to make it available for further processing. It needs to be readily available for use in real-time and historical processes, such as predictive analytics or capacity planning.

The cloud offers flexibility and scalability that fit well with the storage requirements of the IIoT. Businesses can easily add storage capacity as their needs change without the complications and expense of adding on-premises resources. Cloud vendors often offer different performance and price options that provide a block, file, or object storage interface. The selected interface will coincide with the type of storage chosen for the given cloud application.

Several distinct functions and features go into comprehensive storage software. Backup and recovery is a critical function of storage software. The ability to quickly access dynamic data, as well as migrate static information to longterm media, are other important features of storage software. Encrypting data during transit and while it is at rest are also vitally important to maintain privacy and security.

Major cloud vendors such as Amazon and Google have end-to-end storage solutions that include robust feature sets. Third-party options are also available that integrate with cloud providers and furnish the ability to manage the storage requirements of an IIoT system. You need to ensure that the storage software you select gives you the flexibility of accessing your data when you want it and that it can handle the type of data generated from IIoT devices.

Data Processing Software

Data processing is a term that can be broadly interpreted. For this discussion, we will categorize it as an application or software solution used to process data collected from IIoT devices. The data can be used for a wide variety of purposes based on the requirements of the system it is supporting.

Data may be needed for use in real-time decision making, historical analysis, or both. Analytics is becoming an increasingly important technique in business and industry and can be put to good use with the data that the IIoT produces. Digital twins that are used to simulate physical objects or processes in real time are driven by data obtained from IIoT devices. Dashboards that enable data to be disseminated and understood by non-technical personnel are extremely useful, for both monitoring and analysis. The specific software deployed needs to be fully integrated with the overall goals of the system, as well as the storage methods used.

Here again, there are a plethora of applications and data processing software options available from the large cloud vendors that are specifically tailored to the needs of IIoT implementations. An example is the large portfolio of solutions offered by Microsoft Azure. In some cases, it may make sense to select a vendor based wholly on the software tools they offer.

Databases straddle the line between data processing and storage software but are integrally important in facilitating an effective IIoT implementation. Compatibility between the databases and analytical software is essential when designing the system. Make sure that the visualization tools you choose can interact with your database platforms.

The software choices used in an IIoT implementation are just as important as the hardware selections. From the software used to collect data to the HMIs used to override the system, the applications need to work together in augmenting the information returned from the network of IIoT devices. This type of complementary relationship will return the most value from the IIoT system.