Where does the traditional Internet of Things end and the Industrial Internet of Things begin?

Anton Le Saux

There have been increasing murmurings about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and what it means for the m2m sector. However, it’s hard to see where the traditional Internet of Things (IoT) ends and the IIoT begins, or in fact if there is really any difference between the two at all.

Paul Daugherty, chief technology officer at Accenture believes that the IIoT will encourage revenue growth, “companies that understand that every business is a digital business, are using this technology to create product-service hybrids that provide new growth opportunities and pave the way for pioneering the next generation of industrial products.”

It is true that industry experts are predicting expansion for m2m and IoT, with a great deal of expansion likely in 2015 as the technology is established across various industries. Even smaller businesses are beginning to recognise the value of m2m solutions and the tangible benefits they can provide on the ground. Particularly as these solutions are generally becoming more affordable and workable for these sorts of companies.

At Telefonica, we have been working with customers for a number of years to bring the business benefits of m2m to life. For workplace solutions provider PHS, our Drive solution allows the company to track a fleet of 1,800 drivers in real time and provides constant monitoring of and communication with every vehicle. A brewery, having fitted all barrels with monitoring equipment the risk of barrels going missing has been eliminated, which saves the business money every month and means the system quickly paid for itself. These benefits are ongoing and have never before needed an ‘industrial’ label.

m2m and the IoT have come a long way and with such rapid development it is natural that a need for some process standardisation should come about. Telefonica has recognised this need for a more structured environment and has developed is Global Partnership Programme (GPP) in response. This programmes allows manufacturers and technology companies to unify processes, improve quality control and work together to share business and provide a comprehensive service. If the m2m sector and IoT has developed so much that these kinds of initiatives are being established then it seems strange that it would suddenly need to be renamed. Or is the ‘industrial’ tag simply recognition of how the IoT is being adopted by more businesses in different sectors?

The IoT encompasses consumer and industrial m2m activity, and labelling them separately in an attempt to create different entities seems a needless exercise as they are really one and the same thing.

For more information on the Global Partnership Programme visit our website or get in touch at anton.lesaux@telefonica.com

Author is Anton Le Saux head of connectivity and partner sales at Telefónica UK

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