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The IoT battle is raging VISION
According to Fabio Bottacci, expert in the Industrial IoT (IIoT) at the World Economic Forum, the added value of the IoT depends on how it is combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for data analysis. So doesn’t the IoT have a future without AI? Bastiaan Deblieck: “I see the IoT, first and foremost, as an extension of the senses. You can listen, see and feel with it. Instead of sending a staff member to a building site to take a measurement, you receive continuous, up-to-date measurement data via a sensor. So, for instance, you can chart the noise pollution on a building site. Of course, we get a totally different story in a context where thousands of sensors are in use, such as in an industrial plant. In this case, huge data volumes are generated that have to be analyzed immediately and produce an instant response,
such as to optimize the working of a machine or schedule preventive maintenance. In a case like this, AI can provide substantial added value.”
Processing power at the edge Bottacci also says that edge computing is essential for the Industrial IoT. Real-time analysis and automated action are necessary to safeguard business-critical production lines against serious damage or problems, he maintains. How do you see that? Bastiaan: “In the context of the Industrial IoT, broadband and latency are decisive factors. This involves data from thousands of equipment sensors that come together – often wirelessly – on an IoT platform in the cloud. That is where the analysis takes place, after which the system sends actions back to the machines. The size of the data volumes and the distance to be covered can increase the latency. With certain processes – such as safety in a chemical plant, for instance – this delay poses a problem. The solution is to provide the necessary processing power locally, close to the sensors that gather the data. A small, local datacenter like this is placed at the edge of the network. Hence the name edge computing. When the anal-
ysis and response really need to be in real time, edge computing offers an answer.” So do companies need to evolve towards a new IT architecture whereby the cloud does not necessarily provide the best solution for all applications? Bastiaan: “That’s right. The IoT is one of the drivers behind the development of a new level of hybrid IT. Today, companies often already work with a combination of on-site and cloud. Edge computing is a third element here. The big challenge lies in managing the infrastructural ecosystem as a single whole.”
Walking IoT solution IDC estimates that by 2020, 80% of IoT expenditure will go on B2B applications. Do you think the market for consumer applications will bring about fast change here? Or the segment of IoT solutions for governments and local authorities? Bastiaan: “It seems clear to me that the IoT is filtering through into all markets. The technology is evolving rapidly. A sensor is, at most, the size of a crown cork. You can fit them almost anywhere, at a price that is falling steadily. And I don’t suppose the general public has issues with