IoT Security
Article | June 27, 2023
Manufacturers were already digitizing their processes before March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic gave IT and operational professionals in the manufacturing space reasons to want to move faster. Teams that can’t work on the factory floor (pandemic, weather, closed roads, etc.) need a way to monitor and control processes over the network. Supply chain woes—like wildly fluctuating demand and the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal—highlighted the need for agility. A skilled labor shortage has further accelerated plans for automation.
Digitization brings visibility and agility
The fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, lays the foundation of modern digital manufacturing. It brings together cyber and physical systems, automation, industrial IoT, and better vertical and horizontal integration.
The network has a starring role in digital manufacturing, connecting people and applications in any location to factory-floor assets like sensors, actuators, cameras, and industrial automation and control systems (IACS). Benefits of digitization include improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) uptime, product quality, worker safety, cybersecurity, 24/7 asset monitoring and faster new product introduction and accelerating plant buildouts.
Four essentials for manufacturing networks
As IT and operational professionals work to innovate traditional manufacturing facilities and operations, we must consider that digital manufacturing requires more networks. Here are guidelines for making sure your manufacturing network is up to the task.
Use network devices specifically designed for industrial environments like factories
In addition to high performance and reliability, industrial routers, switches, and firewalls need to withstand harsh environmental conditions like extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, and humidity. They also need to be able to control access, have support for real-time industrial protocols, and enable the flow of key operational data to move across applications in the cloud. Further, the operational networks they build need to be scalable and highly resilient. We designed our industrial routers and switches to meet these requirements.
Give IT and OT visibility and control into what they care about
The manufacturing network is a joint project of the IT and OT teams. If you’re on the IT team, you want a solution that works with your existing network management and security applications, and doesn’t require significant training or disruption. You want to automate network maintenance and quickly identify and solve performance issues, especially in this business-critical space. If you’re on the OT team, you’re probably not an IT expert. You want visibility of issues that impact availability, product quality, workforce effectiveness and straightforward recommendations to resolve them. Cisco DNA Center – proven in the largest IT networks – meets all these needs. It automates time-consuming manual tasks, continuously monitors network health, and provides reports and controls on an easy-to-use dashboard. Cisco Cyber Vision gives you visibility into assets and processes.
For agile manufacturing, look for “plug-and-play” deployment
Manufacturers are simultaneously expanding production, hyper-customizing products, improving operations, and launching new products and services. To achieve these goals, you need the agility to scale product capacity, change product mix, and reallocate resources as needed. Quickly shift networking and production resources where you need them using Cisco DNA Center’s plug-and-play onboarding and provisioning.
Pay careful attention to cybersecurity
Cybersecurity starts with knowing everything that is connected to your industrial network, who’s talking to each other and what they are saying. Cisco Cyber Vision automatically takes a complete inventory. OT teams use a graphical interface to create production zones (aka network segments) containing all assets that need to communicate. (The painting controller doesn’t need to talk to the assembly-line controller.) Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) deploys polices that block unintended communications between segments to keep malware infections from spreading. Cisco Cyber Vision also takes a baseline of each asset’s usual communications patterns, alerting OT and IT teams to unusual behavior that could be a sign of a security breach.
Prepare to do more with less
The manufacturing skills shortage has widened the skills gap, with fewer experts left on the plant floor to prevent mistakes and solve crises. Connecting your plant floor helps you do more with less. A resilient network with the four qualities I’ve described—rugged devices, IT and OT collaboration, simpler and agile network management, and cybersecurity—helps you proactively identify potential problems, discover the cause, and resolve them before they affect production or quality.
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IoT Security
Article | July 17, 2023
The biggest IoT trends are likely to manifest in 2022 and beyond.
1. BLOCKCHAIN
The term blockchain is a new concept and is known as a single registry; agreed and distributed in several nodes of a network that will continue in force in the coming years in various activities.
2. MOBILE COMMERCE OR M-COMMERCE
It is part of electronic commerce that is carried out exclusively through mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. The processes will be specialized. With mobile commerce comes the need for device management. Device management is a vital step to ensure security is promptly implemented.Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions, also known as MDM, offer brilliant benefits across all areas.
3. TELEWORK AND DISTANCE EDUCATION
Academic and work activities that are carried out remotely, preferably from home, will continue to be applied in a fixed or hybrid way. A smart device(s) can be used from a remote location and therefore enable workers to more effectively manage time.
4. ROBOTIC PROCESSING AUTOMATIZATION
It is all technology-oriented to the use of software, with the aim of reducing human intervention in the use of computer applications, especially in repetitive tasks. This reduces the risk of human error and will also cut down management costs.
5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
It is the combination of algorithms proposed with the purpose of creating machines that have the same capabilities as humans, with the aim of doing a variety of tasks. If we decide to develop an Artificial Intelligence that has greater intelligence, responsibility and scalability, we can make the most of learning algorithms and interpretation systems. In this way, we are able to create value more quickly and with a greater business impact.
It is essential to have new techniques that achieve smarter AI solutions, that require less data, with greater ethical responsibility and more resilience.”
Gartner
6. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Digital transformation is the change associated with the application of digital technologies in all aspects of human society, and especially in organizations. Accelerating business digital transformation requires entrepreneurs to step back and re-evaluate their plans. It’s about aligning the customer experience strategy with coordinated and detailed digitization plans of what needs to be done, by whom and when. To do this, having precisely identified the customer journey of your digital customer allows you a complete approach, for which tools such as the customer journey map is key.
7. FINTECH
It is a nascent industry in which companies use technology to provide financial services in an efficient, agile, comfortable and reliable way. They aim to expand bank penetration.
8. DATA ANALYSIS
It is the process by which raw data is analyzed in order to answer questions and reach practical conclusions that support an organization’s decision-making. Using predictive models and AI tools, we can run simulations that are based on real scenarios and information. Thanks to this, we obtain data on contexts that would be difficult, very expensive or impossible to test in physical environments. Big data is big money.
9. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Software development is generally considered part of the agile family of approaches, and is often used in combination with one or more other methods. Softwareon a smart device can also be upgraded to include better connectivity. In addition to its development, there is likely to be more outsourcing also.
10. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OR INDUSTRY 4.0
It refers to a new business model in which the interconnection of integrated ICT systems both with each other and with the internet is key. The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and the training of personnel will be the greatest opportunities that industries, companies and governments will have in the next decade. Therefore, 2022 represents the next step to embrace technological transformation as an indispensable element for competitiveness, resilience, and development.
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IoT Security
Article | June 28, 2023
The Industrial Internet of Things changes our view on the classic concept of production today. The largest manufacturing companies are eager to reach for technological solutions that streamline and increase the efficiency of production processes. With the development of subsequent technologies, interest in the concept of industry 4.0 increases, and thus, the number of connected devices. To meet the demand for infrastructure with adequate capacity and speed it was necessary to evolve towards the next generation of networks – 5G.
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Article | January 29, 2021
We live in the age of technological advancement and progress is happening at an unprecedented speed. With newer technologies emerging every day, it is unreasonable to not be intrigued by their implications on business. Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things are two independent technologies that are changing the face of several industries, one advancement at a time. While Artificial Intelligence promises to automate and simplify everyday tasks for humans, the Internet of Things is rapidly bridging the gap between physical and digital. The convergence of these two technologies promises to simplify lives through connected devices.
This convergence has already been witnessed in several industries and is being hailed as the Artificial Intelligence of Things or AIoT. Experts across industries claim that Artificial Intelligence of Things is set to redefine the future of the industry and mold intelligent and connected systems.
Applications
The Artificial Intelligence of Things is a congruence of AI and IoT infrastructures being used to achieve several applications across industries more accurately and efficiently. We already know that IoT generates scores of data, but this data is pretty useless in its raw form, it the organization, analysis, and interpretation of the data that makes it invaluable. Manually parsing through all of that data can take months given the sheer volume of it. This is where AI comes in. Modern AIs are programmed to efficiently handle large amounts of data to turn them into coherent pieces of information. Together, IoT and AI make for a great technological tool for business. Take a look at some other applications of AIoT in business.
Marketing
Good marketing comes from a series of well informed and well-researched decisions. For example, deciding on where the budget is allotted, what market strategy is put into action, or which campaign is prioritized. While human decisions can be fallible, most businesses today cannot afford to make big mistakes. This is where AIoT turns into a big help. Through the Artificial Internet of Things, marketers can get reports about market trends, probabilities, customer behavior, and more, most of these in real-time. These reports help marketers make informed decisions that are much likely to result in success.
Drones
Drones are one of the biggest advancements of IoT technology. In fact, drones are so popular with such varied applications, that drones can be talked of as a separate technology in themselves. These flying machines were originally invented for military purposes such as surveillance or weapon deployment but markets have rapidly found utility in drones for many other purposes. Today, they are being used as delivery bots, nature conservation, surveillance mechanisms, research tools, safety equipment, field substitutes, agriculture, geo-mapping, and a lot more.
With AIoT, drones have become smarter, more adaptable, and way more useful. As Artificial intelligence allows drones to make minor decisions, their applications have gotten wider and more sophisticated. In a brilliant use case of AIoT, a drone enthusiast named Peter Kohler has started the Plastic Tide Project which uses drones to locate plastic on the ocean surfaces. The drones are powered by AI which allows them to locate plastic and not other elements like marine life or corals. These drones then hover over the plastic waste and speed up the ocean cleaning process.
Drones can be used to map farmlands, determine the optimum farming processes and schedules, count the cattle, monitor their health, and even undergo certain physical tasks in agriculture, all thanks to the Artificial Intelligence of Things.
AR/VR
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are both heavily data-dependent technologies. There cannot be a convincing virtual reality unless there is data available for creating the said simulation. AR and VR have both found applications in several industries like healthcare, gaming, training, education, design, and manufacturing. Most of these applications fall in the critically important category and therefore, the AR or VR must be accurate to the minutest detail. This can only be achieved with mounds of data from the actual reality. With the help of IoT, this data is not accessible, and AI interprets it in a way that it can be turned into several different formats.
Infrastructure
One of the most useful applications of AIoT has been infrastructure. Artificial Intelligence of Things has fuelled innovation and planning for smart cities across the world. With the open data available for urban planning, cities are now becoming safer and more convenient to live in. AIoT has also made it possible to optimize energy consumption and ensure safer roadways through traffic surveillance. With smart energy grids, smart streetlights, and smart public transport, energy consumption and carbon emissions are both controlled.
Moreover, AIoT has given a whole new life to urban design, and now comfort and aesthetics do not have to be sacrificed for convenience.
Energy
As we discussed above, Artificial Intelligence of Things is instrumental in optimizing energy consumption in urban areas. However, the applications of AIoT in the energy sector are not limited to smart cities. Many utilities providers across the globe are already gearing up to incorporate AIoT in their process. The expected benefits from the Artificial Intelligence of Things range from improved grid management, power quality, reliability, and restoration resilience to enhanced cybersecurity and better integration of distributed energy.
Most utilities providers have still not adopted the new technology but with the increasing complexity of grid management and higher customer experience demands, there is no denying that they will have to deploy AIoT solutions to tackle these.
Robotics
In layman’s experience robots are either extremely sophisticated machines from sci-fi that undertake every task humans can and more, or they are these clunky things that can pass you the butter. In practice, however, robotics is a lot more practical than these ideas. Today, robotics is at the forefront of AIoT applications.
The Artificial Intelligence of Things is being used in robotics for several applications such as surgical procedures, manufacturing, and even first aid. In healthcare specifically, AIoT powered robots are taking huge leaps. Robotic surgery eliminates the chance of human error and offers a much more precise surgical experience with minimum invasion. This enhances the success rate of surgery and aids faster recovery in patients.
Logistics
The convergence of AI and IoT has made a huge impact on logistics as it is now possible to automate the entire process, track the goods, as well as monitor the entire trajectory from deployment to delivery. With the addition of drones and robotics, even the last mile delivery can be automated with zero human intervention. This makes for faster delivery, better customer experience, as well as a well-designed supply chain management system.
Industrial
As the concept of adding smart sensors to physical objects emerged in the 1980s, a new term was coined a decade later—Industrial Internet of Things. IIoT is now a huge phenomenon of automating and optimizing industrial operation technologies across the globe. As IIoT is deployed in several factions of the industry including manufacturing, supply chain management, human resources, and energy management, these devices and sensors generate a massive amount of data daily. The data generated from even a single process can be dizzying, and this is where AI makes a difference. AI can not only manage this data but also find the relevant points of data and analyze it for business purposes.
Edge Computing
Artificial Intelligence has given way for another technology i.e. Edge computing. Edge computing allows a device to process data itself rather than rely on remote data servers to do so. It may seem like a small feat but think of the possibilities it offers—drones don’t have to be connected to find their way, smart appliances can interact with each other without a shared network, and thermostats can change the temperature based on your past preferences automatically.
Edge computing is by no way a new technology but, in the future, it offers huge possibilities like smart automobiles and aircraft, or even robots in every home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the examples of Artificial Intelligence?
Some of the most common examples of Artificial Intelligence are Google Maps and Uber. The AI allows you to find routes to any destination and even hail rides there.
How does AI help IoT?
Artificial Intelligence can comb through millions of data points in seconds to come up with patterns and analyze them. As IoT generates a lot of data continuously, AI is a powerful and complementary technology that helps IoT.
Is IoT related to Artificial Intelligence?
Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence are two separate technologies that interact with each other well as their functions aid each other progress. AI helps with the data generated by IoT, and IoT provides relevant data for AI to analyze.
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