Is Less More? How One SIM Streamlines IIoT Data for Global Hybrid Networks
A One SIM strategy is a game-changer in remote asset management for agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, smart energy, and utilities.
Transforming Vulnerable VPNs with Zero Trust Security in 2025 is Sound Cyber Strategy
As the world becomes more connected and cyber villains get smarter, networks for remote operators are fair game to threats and cyber risks. Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), Chief Information Officers (CIOs), and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are tasked to protect data, people, and reputations. Here, we explore why VPNs come up short while zero trust puts you ahead. CTOs, CIOs, and CISOs, you are the cyber watchdogs of your organizations, so this message is for you. In a previous blog written for C-suite leaders, we established that VPNs can come up short for keeping internal networks, including machinery, control systems, and databases, secure from the increasingly savvy hacker. Why does this matter? When we talk about the internet of things (IoT) today, everything is connected to the internet, from your watch or phone to thousands of business assets like machinery, sensors, and industrial equipment. With only a VPN standing guard, a hacker can get into your network through your facility’s smart thermostat (lest we forget the casino fish tank data hack of 2017). For decades, FreeWave has provided industrial IoT solutions for companies in oil and gas, agriculture, mining, water treatment, and other remote industries, to help them overcome a variety of network productivity issues and give them peace of mind that the health of their network – and the assets connected to it – is robust and secure. We believe, whether it’s working with our channel partners or adding our equipment to an OEM’s solution, that there are four essential security outcomes companies investing in IIoT should strive for: Secure remote monitoring and data management Automated, decisive response to threats No to low network vulnerabilities Cost savings compared to traditional VPN-based security Decommissioning a VPN as a primary source of cybersecurity in favor of zero trust network access (ZTNA) creates a stealthier, easier-to-use framework to detect and deflect cyber-attacks. Cybersecurity in the Wild West It is widely understood that Europe has continuously been five to 10 years ahead of the United States when it comes to cybersecurity. This is because the United States is like the freewheeling wild west. Cyber attacks cost companies billions of dollars. In IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach report for 2024, companies averaged a loss of $4.88 million, which is a 10% increase over 2023. More specifically to VPNs, the 2024 ThreatLabz VPN Risk Report published by Zscaler says that 78% of organizations plan to implement a zero trust strategy in the next 12 months with 91% of respondents concerned that VPNs will lead to a “compromising breach.” The survey says top threats to VPN vulnerabilities are ransomware (42%), other types of malware (35%), and DDoS (distributed denial-of-service which are attempts to overwhelm a server or network) attacks (30%). The findings make sense. Let’s say you notice nefarious traffic going across your network and you realize it is a former employee who still has access because their VPN credentials were not completely shut off. Even after you took their computer, they were able to go to their own computer, fire up a VPN and use their credentials to get into your network. VPNs are like a house – once you’re in, you’re in. Now you are faced with spending valuable time dealing with this behavior and any resulting damage. In contrast, a zero trust network promptly and fully blocks attackers from any access in the first place, making your job of monitoring considerably easier. As a tech leader, imagine what that level of security could do for your peace of mind as well as your company’s risk landscape. Zero trust is not new, but it has evolved. It was first coined in 2010 to protect enterprise networks, cloud networks, and basic IT networks. Two obstacles to zero trust are based on dangerous assumptions. One is that, while cyber attacks happen every day, they won’t happen to you. The other is that upgrading to ZTNA is too costly. If you’d like to explore why both are myths, give us a holler. To protect your data and network, start exploring the lowest level of your system and work from there. These questions are a good start to finding and closing vulnerabilities. What are your highest priority assets to protect? How will you handle encryption across diverse environments? Are you buying devices designed to implement zero trust? Are you buying network routers that are better suited for zero trust enablement? Are you developing edge networks with zero trust architecture to prevent people from plugging into an ethernet port on your network and destroying the site? What would be the potential harm to the business if your data and network were compromised? If you don’t have answers to all these questions, take heart. FreeWave has the capacity to interface with companies on their third-party applications that are not zero trust enabled. We manage this through what we call a “demilitarization zone,” where we have an unsecure system and a secure system and we match them together and know that the unsecure system is authenticated. We set up the entire network to avoid potential threats. Many remote, industrial operations have multiple locations to manage. A company with 10,000 sites – what we call the Razor’s Edge© where the data lives – would otherwise have to send its IT techs out to every site to implement a security platform. That means work, time, and expense. FreeWave is simplifying IIoT data by developing an easier pathway to zero trust on edge networks. Imagine sending a zero trust enabled device out to each site, installed on a network in minutes, while protecting said network down to the desired granular level. In the world of devices, the idea that a device can be designed and manufactured so that it is zero trust secured as it comes off the production line has been getting a lot of traction over the last five years. This approach is miles ahead compared to when VPNs were first introduced. You can always tap into FreeWave’s
Why Choosing Zero Trust Network Access Over Virtual Private Networks is a C-Suite Decision
You’re leading the company. Why do you need to care about your business’ network security approach? The answer comes from something all too familiar: the accelerated rate of change – and the quest by modern leaders to build a resilient company. PwC describes today as the “age of continuous reinvention” in its 27th Annual Global CEO Survey report. One of the most startling findings is that 45% of CEOs do not believe their company will be viable in 10 years if it stays on the current path. Part of the challenge is knowing what could take your company down. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the network level is on the list. PwC’s report shows that CEOs who believe their organization is viable for more than 10 years perceive inflation (21%) and cyber risks (21%) as top threats with macroeconomic volatility (20%) just a half-step behind. As chief technology officer for FreeWave, part of my role is to find weak spots in a network connected to the industrial internet of things (IIoT). I talk to many senior leaders from companies in the oil and gas, agriculture, mining, water treatment and other remote industries. What’s the number one pushback I run into? They tell me they use virtual private networks (VPNs). I call this “pushback” because, at FreeWave, we don’t let VPNs into our data platform. At their most basic level, VPNs are used to create a secure connection between a user’s device and the VPN server. Through that connection, data is encrypted, and a user’s IP address is hidden. As a result, VPNs can allow remote users to securely access internal networks, including machinery, control systems, and databases. For those who may not be familiar with a VPN (although we’ve all probably used one at some point), here’s a simple analogy. Think of a VPN as a tunnel buried far below intersecting highways. One end of the tunnel is an IIoT device and the other end is the server. Your car (let’s make it a Maserati, while we’re at it) is a data packet. Instead of traveling across potentially dangerous highways where threats abound (a malicious attempt to steal your Italian beauty and hold it for ransom, as an example), you take the tunnel built just for you and other authorized drivers you trust. The challenge today is that the tunnel is no longer safe. Why Are VPNs Insecure? Technology ages faster than a male tsetse fly. Our tiny-winged friends hit their teenage years by week two or so. In contrast, technology ages by the nanosecond. I think the reason why many people use VPNs is the same reason hackers infiltrate them so easily. VPNs are old technology. They have long been the go-to solution for providing remote access to industrial control systems (ICS) and other critical infrastructure. They were born during the rise of the internet late last century. One solution begets other problems. The world wide web went from 3 million to 16 million users between 1990 and 1995 (today, there are 5.45 billion users, around 67% of the population). As a result, a group led by Microsoft sought a solution to growing security concerns. That’s how VPNs were born. To be fair, there are ways to make VPNs secure, but the enormous expense doesn’t make financial sense for most companies. Here are three reasons why VPNs cause concerns when protecting an IIoT network: VPNs have outdated authentication models. Username and a password is all you need. I can get into a VPN easily. VPNs are a single point of failure. If something goes wrong with the server, you can’t get in. If I’m a hacker, the best way to take down every remote access in the world is to take down the VPN server. VPNs are hard to monitor. The actual traffic on the network makes it hard to identify nefarious activity flying across it. Let’s say you have this machine on the edge (edge is simply the source of where your data is – this might be where oil is drilled in upstream oil and gas, for example). The data is being processed on that machine (edge computing) and is connected to the corporate network via a VPN. A disgruntled employee leaving the company can sit in their car and use their username and password to access the device through a cellular system. What is the potential damage? In 2020, several prominent VPNs experienced critical vulnerabilities that allowed attackers to bypass encryption and access systems. The Colonial Pipeline attack, for example, was traced back to a legacy VPN, according to then CEO Joseph Blount. The East Coast company paid hackers $4.4 million to restore service quickly. VPNs create easy targets. Once you’re in, you have free rein to do what you want. Solving the Challenge to Scale Network Security A report by McKinsey and Company predicts 50 billion devices will be connected to the IIoT by 2025. The pace of change, according to the report, has increased tenfold. This means the risks and insecurities behind VPNs for organizations, especially remote industrial leaders, are rising. I talked to a large agricultural company recently that uses a VPN. Here’s how the conversation went: Them: How can we add 20,000 sites to our system? Me: We’d have to add 20,000 VPNs. Them: Wait, what? Me: It’s really difficult. VPNs are hard to scale. One VPN is one thing, but many VPNs are a nightmare. We believe a better way to secure a network is to use Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). ZTNA creates a network fabric using the principle of least privilege access (PoLP). The premise: trust no one. Each user accesses only the data they need. See how the lens flips from inside out to outside in? In a ZTNA, each user has a policy. This means they are authenticated for access to specific areas. The disgruntled employee mentioned earlier? They cannot go anywhere in the fabric without authorization. Even better, that user’s access can be easily removed or revoked. Ever
The #1 Strategy Remote Industrial Operators Need to Win the AI Race
From the inaugural Olympics in 776 B.C. until today, one thing has remained the same: athletes bring gritty, physical prowess to their chosen sport – and the human desire for excellence. Of course, other things like culture, fashion, and technology have changed dramatically (thankfully, since athletes in the first Olympics competed naked!). In the Olympic Games Paris 2024, one game changer is the role of artificial intelligence (AI). Remote industrial operators looking to scale business value and improve decision-making through edge data, take note: the Olympics, watched by 3 billion people from around the world, is deploying AI to improve future performance of their event. According to an article published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), AI and digital twinning are being used as an efficiency booster for future Olympic games – from energy consumption to identifying the best places to place cameras and power sources. “The expectation for a lot of people is ‘I’ll just AI it.’ It’s like a magic wand.” One thing AI demands is historical data. This is why we are so passionate about industrial operators owning their data. Without data ownership, it’s a false start when using large language models to train and leverage AI algorithms. In the article entitled “AI and Tech Innovations at Paris 2024: A Game Changer in Sport,” Ilario Corna, the IOC’s chief technology officer said, “We started gathering various operational data as far back as 2020, to look at how we can make the management of the Olympic Games more efficient.” Ryan Treece, global business development manager – data platform & AI solutions at FreeWave, has seen AI evolve over the past decade. He says companies that don’t give customers rights to their data are putting them at a disadvantage. “The thing is that those who own their data will eventually win because they can use it while others will start from zero.” Catching up over time, he points out, becomes increasingly difficult as competitors advance. Companies that secure data ownership today are the ones who will lead tomorrow or, in Olympic terms, will earn gold in the AI race. That’s one reason FreeWave drafted the IIoT Bill of Rights (data governance is amendment one) – as a way for remote industrial operators to leverage technology for future growth and opportunities. Importance of Data Ownership in the Age of AI Owning your data is not just a competitive advantage; it’s a necessity. “There are a lot of AI solution providers,” Ryan explains. “The expectation for a lot of people is ‘I’ll just AI it.’ It’s like a magic wand. Look into the future, though, and ask: What do vendors like? Reliance on their systems.” Ryan says there is no one “mega-solution” out there to solve every problem, but, if there’s one thing he hopes industrial operators know it’s that data ownership means leveraging your data for operational and business performance. “We’re targeting predictive maintenance to prevent machines from going down, reduce fuel waste just to see if a machine is running dozens or even hundreds of miles away, and increase efficiencies so people are not wasting time and energy resources. Data creates long-time success.” Just as the IOC is using AI to create more efficiency in the future, he says understanding data over time enables industrial operators to continuously improve. While still under development, FreeWave is building its AI solutions around domain expertise. Through its FreeWave® Insights™ data platform, it’s connecting decision-makers with data at the edge via sensor technology, pulling in SCADA system data as well. He cites vibration tension sensors as an example. If a rotating asset like a bearing, for example, wobbles, an alert is sent to a single pane of glass – a dashboard connected to the Insights data platform. From there, a technician can add the issue to his planning schedule. Ryan shares the story of when he lived in Michigan. An automotive manufacturer that made panels, a “tier one supplier” in the industry, didn’t have the budget to climate control the entire building. In hot, humid weather, the adhesive failed. Since variables change over time, he says, IIoT solved the problem. “Vibration and temperature data from sensors showed the numbers going up and down. Historical data tells us to change the adhesive or turn up the AC or ramp up the climate control when needed. The manufacturer and its solution providers knew what knobs to turn by identifying trends in a specific period.” That’s why, he says, data ownership is so important. Without data, AI becomes impossible. Solve – and Simplify – Operational Problems “We’re working on solutions that reduce the tech stack and address specific problems like predictive maintenance and trends analysis of sensor data,” said Ryan. “When I’m thinking data, I’m thinking of a huge Excel spreadsheet.” Real-time monitoring of temperature, vibration, or water levels, for example, are important variables for industrial leaders: oil and gas producers with fields in remote or rural areas, large-scale agricultural operations with water pump stations dotting thousands of acres, or public and municipal providers with aging infrastructure in need of robust, remote network strength. These are places, Ryan says, that pose a risk for people to perform daily or weekly monitoring. Ryan points to his hometown of Austin, Texas, where the energy grid is unreliable, especially during hurricane season or super hot summer months. The panels on the grid can overheat. Alerts notify engineers to replace components before problems start. Rather than react, alerts and predictive maintenance reduce downtime. Another example he gives is California where water is a precious commodity. Knowing humidity levels, soil moisture, and water consumption allows agriculturalists to invest minimal resources for better outcomes. AI, he says, optimizes sensor data locally, at the edge, by providing analyses crucial to decision-makers. Failure-Proofing Connectivity Keeps Data in Play Oftentimes, industrial operators don’t have ready access to cellular or Wi-Fi, however, satellite is an optimal solution for areas with questionable coverage and those wanting a strong back-up connection. Pairing satellite with the FreeWave cloud-based Insights platform-as-a-service
Industrial Operators – You Own Your Data and Then Some
July here in the states is painted red, white, and blue. It’s a time when freedom becomes front and center. We are grateful for our young country. We remember the Founding Fathers and the sacrifices they made. We recognize, if only for a moment, our collective pride. No matter your country of origin, those who came before were brave enough to make a path toward a future with greater freedom. This got us thinking (after all, we do have “free” in our company name!). What does freedom mean when it comes to data? What does freedom mean for remote network industry leaders? Freedom means access to your data. Freedom means ownership of your data. Freedom means visualizing operations through real-time data. Data, in a sense, renders the freedom to take action, make informed decisions, and realize greater business value at scale. At FreeWave, we pledge to make IIoT data a freedom all remote industrial leaders can enjoy. Freedom gives way to growth, learning, and success. For more than 30 years, we have believed in the power of data. Data impacts decisions, business value, and, most importantly, the very future and safety of real people and our planet. Henceforth (to borrow from our Founding Fathers’ lingo), we’ve taken the liberty to create the first-ever industrial internet of things (IIoT) Bill of Rights. This is more than a list of nice-to-haves, they are must-haves for remote industrial operators of every size and industry. The IIoT Bill of Rights is our position on data governance and data democratization. It addresses global reach – that a remote industrial operator can be anywhere in the world and know what’s happening within their operations no matter how far they are spread out and what environmental conditions surround them. We believe a secure cloud environment is the right of every remote industrial leader. Zero Trust Security is not a privilege of a few, but the mainstay of many. Data should be kept safe, no questions asked. We also champion continuous connectivity. This comes by way of unlimited, high-speed, affordable satellite connectivity for all. To round our IIoT Bill of Rights, we lean into one of our four core values: Be a simplifier. This means that IIoT data solutions should be easy, plug-and-play deployments. No hair-pulling. No head-scratching. No unnecessary downtime. Instead: Open box. Power on. Get Data. This means fast deployment because uptime is one of the biggest freedoms IIoT data enables. Data inspires greater uptime because you have knowledge at your fingertips to make amazing decisions that keep operations running smoothly, all while keeping people safer. Another IIoT Bill of Rights amendment calls for cross-translation of protocols so that remote industrial companies can transform existing SCADA networks into data racetracks that carry more data, faster. Cross-translation allows different edge or SCADA protocols on the edge, SCADA, and even devices that speak different protocols to communicate. This is how industrial leaders can unleash the full power of an IIoT network infrastructure. The last amendment is AI readiness – because those who own their data will win the AI race. To see FreeWave’s full IIoT Bill of Rights, read our position paper. Working with our expert technical staff at FreeWave and experienced channel partners to solve your biggest wireless and edge computing challenges, you leverage the full solution for IoT connectivity that includes the FreeWave Insights™ data platform-as-a-service, satellite service connectivity (we’re a Connectivity Wholesale Partner in Viasat’s ELEVATE program), our portfolio of rugged connected devices, and satellite-connected devices (we’re a Global Authorized Reseller of ORBCOMM). If you’re passionate about bringing meaningful technology solutions to remote industrial companies, join us as a channel partner. If you’re a remote operator looking to scale business value leveraging your IIoT data, contact us here. We’re making a path to a future where data serves industrial operators in measurable and positive ways. Let’s do it together.
Injecting Agility and Automation at the Well Pad
Small-to-medium-sized oil and gas companies understand what it takes to be agile. They must survive and thrive in an industry led by giant producers. While no recipe to success is the same, the smaller players need to maximize production while simultaneously keeping costs down if they want to compete in the market. By adopting technology solutions that will make them agile and effective, these organizations can secure fast and significant ROI, while meeting production and operations demands. However, technology selection in a constantly changing landscape is murky at best. Take an operations manager at a small oil and gas company, for example. They are likely tasked with ensuring that operations are running smoothly at the wellhead while delivering critical data back to the business office in real time. It seems simple enough, but the operator is probably facing constant pressure to provide insights into their production sites and new solutions for operational efficiencies. At the same time, the IT team wants monitoring at the well pad 24/7/365, and they want to access that data whenever they please from anywhere. Perhaps, they have attempted to tack on several different technology solutions to help provide said data – but the new demands require a more sophisticated approach. The pressure is on to find a way to optimize data collection, monitoring and control of the assets in the field (including the communications network) or the company won’t be able to compete with the “always on” oil and gas producers. The good news is that there is hope. There are programmable wireless communication solutions for the well pad that are available today. With a little research, it is possible to find a rugged, easy to use solution that will deliver massive ROI. What Does Well Pad Automation Look Like? In modern oil and gas operations, well pad automation builds analytics and intelligence into the wellhead environment. This takes a step beyond traditional communications because it enables intelligent applications and programmability that establish an advanced operating environment. Automation can also present the opportunity for predictive analytics, remote command and control, new protocol translations, and modern cloud-based services at the wellhead. Automation helps an operator streamline their job and provides the IT decision makers with data that helps them understand daily operations. Automation technology makes this possible by powering data transmission, improving data quality and enabling intelligent data analysis. The oil and gas company then has the power to make informed decisions that drive higher production outputs, with ROI often achieved in a matter of months, along with substantially lower CAPEX. Bringing an Automated Monitoring System All Under One Roof The financial and business benefits of industrial automation are clear, however selecting technology solutions can be challenging. Operations managers need a wireless communication solution that can support next generation of well pad automation needs. The solution must include a combination of data monitoring, logic execution and data visualization. This is especially beneficial at the well pad sites that are remote and isolated. The big advantage today is that these decision makers are no longer limited to disparate technology solutions: Wi-Fi Automated Monitoring Systems establish Wi-Fi at the wellhead to enable voice, video, sensor data access and perimeter security. They can also leverage Wi-Fi for rapid maintenance across the wellhead, saving maintenance staff hours of time. Instead of driving to the remote wellhead, they are now troubleshooting issues from a truck or office. Wi-Fi also supports the collection of information from RFID devices and wearable devices designed to protect workers in the field. FHSS When the Wi-Fi is bridged with a Radio Frequency (RF) solution, particularly Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology, the data can then be collected from tank farms, PLCs, and sensors on the well and within the well. The wireless intelligence that is located on the devices in the sensor network, enables local execution on the RF devices, which supports data storage or data collection and analysis. Through cloud-based services, the data can be published globally, allowing mobile access from virtually anywhere. Additionally, an automated monitoring system may enable wireless telemetry in hazardous environments through modular wireless I/O solutions that leverage sensors to monitor specific points along the wellhead. Programmability With built in programmability on top of Wi-Fi and RF technology, the automated monitoring system is not only optimizes today’s operations, but it prepares the organization for the future as industries shift towards digital technology and total connectivity. For example, an engineer can write a simple application using open source technologies like Node-RED and Python that will display a dashboard of real-time data from the well pad as it collects information from sensors. The organization could also automate tank-level monitoring by developing or leveraging a third-party application to monitor water levels in the remote tanks from the cloud – which would then be accessible anywhere with a wireless internet connection. Benefits that Stretch Beyond ROI Automation at the well pad not only leads to ROI through wireless automated monitoring and control, but it has the power to transform operations and streamline production. When a small-to-medium-sized oil and gas producer leverages automation, they can make highly intelligent decisions through the technology features that enable enhanced monitoring, logic execution and visualization. They can also leverage these solutions to create a more secure operating environment and communications network. These solutions note only benefit the operators today, but they prepare them for future technology needs.
Nine Perfect Gifts to Get the App Developer in Your Life
Buying gifts for anyone is a struggle, but buying gifts for someone who loves technology can be even more of a challenge. As connected homes, vehicles and Smart gadgets take the world by storm – there are many options at a variety of price points. This year, go for gold and get something they will really enjoy. We have just the list to get you started. Without further delay, from the outrageous to the useful, here are nine gifts that any app developer will enjoy! Intel Compute Stick A full-fledged Windows 10 computer, the size of a USB stick, that you can plug into any HDMI display like a TV or monitor, is sure to please the special app developer in your life. They can carry it around in their pocket or on their keychain and they’ll always have a PC handy. Gunnar Computer Glasses Work, emails, social media, or games consume a lot of our time. Studies show that it only takes a few hours in front of a screen to cause computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain. Engineered to eliminate eye strain and block blue light because people, on average, are spending 8-10 hours a day on their digital devices. Gunnar is the only patented computer eyewear recommended by doctors to protect and enhance your vision – the perfect option for the practical gift giver. Pixelated Hand Shaped Mouse Looking for something a little less serious? This gift is sure to make a splash at the office! This quirky pixel mouse replicated the ‘pointer’ cursor type most commonly seen when you hover over a link on a web page. Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food This fantastic book, written by Jeff Potter, offers some of the science behind cooking and answers burning questions such as, “how quickly will a pizza cook in a 500-degree oven?” It’s orientated towards anyone with a technical approach to life, so is more likely to suit a developer than a designer. IROLLER: A Reusable Liquid Free Touchscreen Cleaner for Smartphones and Tablets We are SURE every developer has this problem and, no surprise, we have the low-cost answer. Just roll this little stick over the touchscreen of your smartphone or tablet and instantly remove fingerprints, smudges, and smears. Your screen will look better, and you can stop spending money on wipes and sprays. LED Fiber Optic Men’s Jacket Yes, it’s incredible: This lightweight jacket includes 3/4 miles of fiber optic cables and LEDs! It’s the coolest jacket we’ve ever seen, and if your developer has to go to a conference or company party, this will be the must-pack item. Switch between four colors and keep it on for eight hours on a single charge! Solar Phone Charger As long as the sun is around (so another 5 billion years) you’ll never run out of battery for your phone again. This high-tech charger works anywhere and is the perfect useful tech gadget for your Developers next epic adventure. All of these gifts are fantastic but if you want to get your special app developer something a little more meaningful, and by meaningful we mean home-made, try hitting up a thrift store or a yard sale for any spare computer parts. Making Items like floppy disk coasters or keyboard key paper clips/push-pins are sure to be a hit but not to your wallet. No matter the size of your budget, we hope this gives you some fun and useful ideas for the app developer or techie in your life!
IoT News Roundup: Where is IoT headed?
The holiday season is fast-approaching and it seems there’s always a never-ending list of tasks that need to be completed every year. Just like the holiday checklist, tech in the IoT space seems to be ever-changing and expanding. As tech leaders and innovators we understand that life is hectic and unpredictable, but to make sure you don’t miss a beat, check out this week’s line-up for news in the IoT industry. Previously, we explored “How IoT is Saving Lives” when two massive natural disasters struck the U.S. In this post, we’ll ask the question, what’s next for the world of IoT/IIoT? Take a look at some of the top stories from the past couple of weeks: Forrester predicts what’s next for IoT In this recent post from @NetworkWorld about Forrester Research’s predictions post, Fredric Paul, @TheFreditor, asks the question on many people’s minds: Where is IoT headed? Among many points Paul makes in his article, one points out how IoT is likely to become more specialized in the coming year, moving away from generic hardware and software into platforms designed for specific industries. So-called “design and operate scenarios” will let IoT developers focus on the attributes that matter most to their own industries and use cases. Smart networks must evolve for mission-critical environments From @embedded_comp, Michael Ulch explains how the IoT industry has been flooded with advances in smart home automation, self-monitoring appliances, and connected security systems. All of these facets are important for the IoT existence but Ulch asks the same question as other reporters: what is next for IoT? Ulch believes that some of the greatest potential of the IoT is in the industrial and manufacturing realm, where Industrial IoT (IIoT) has the promise to monitor systems for preventative maintenance and boost energy efficiency and workplace productivity. However, Ulch says, successfully scaling from the smart home to the smart factory will require overcoming a number of technical challenges. How manufacturers are benefitting from the IoT revolution In this @NetworkWorld article by Majid Ahmed, it’s made clear that few people stand to benefit more from the IoT revolution than today’s manufacturers. Ahmed states in his article that whether it’s harnessing the power of data and metadata to make wiser decisions, or developing new and more efficient technologies capable of saving energy cost, the IoT is fundamentally reshaping how manufacturers produce the goods we use in our everyday lives. Businesses not aware of IoT issues This article from @techradar by @maxcooter briefly starts off by referencing an article from January, 10 surprising trends in the IoT for 2017, then Cooter continues, stating that Cradlepoint survey finds lots of interest in technology deployment but lack of security awareness. Cooter points out that, from these findings, IoT-using companies should be prepared to have a thorough overhaul of its infrastructure before deploying the technology. Despite the serious concerns about security, most are not having a second thought about rolling out IoT. Will this security breach take down most companies? Time will tell. The Industrial Internet of Things is Here to Stay In this article from @cbronline (Computer Business Review), author David Stain discusses how manufacturers are welcoming in a new era of productivity by enhancing Industry 4.0. The IIoT is at the heart of this transformation. Stain explores how a company’s success is often linked to its efficiency, hence visibility, across the plant floor, and how extending into the supply chain is a necessity. To keep pace with this competitive environment and the ever-increasing customer demands, every stage of the manufacturing process is facing the digital revolution. Final Thoughts: Virtually all industries and workers are benefitting from the technological revolution brought about by the inception and ensuring growth of IoT. Every industry does need to be cautious of the security threats that IoT comes with. Knowing this, we will still continue to see the growth for IoT especially in the manufacturing and Industrial industries. Be sure to stay tuned to our blog for the latest industry news and to read more about our own insights into some of these major trends.
Four Ways to Optimize Your Operations for IIoT
The phrase, “the future is here,” is overused and has evolved into a catchphrase for companies struggling to position themselves in times of technological or digital transformations. Still, the sentiment is understood, especially in times like today, where the Internet of Things is quite literally changing the way we think about hardware and software. We’d like to offer an addendum to the phrase: “The future is here more quickly than we thought it would be.” Digital transformation, increased computing ability, smart hardware and the growth of connectivity capabilities created a perfect storm of accelerated industry, and many were left scrambling to sift through the large amounts of information and solutions available. With that in mind, we wanted to provide some advice for companies across the industrial sector for the best ways to optimize operations for the Industrial IoT. 1) Upgrade your network and throughput capabilities. Nothing can kill the ROI of automated processes more quickly than the literal inability to function. It’s important to understand that as you upgrade machinery and invest in the software to run it all, those systems demand greater bandwidth in order to effectively utilize the big data and analytics capabilities. Several options exist, but for most companies some combination of industrial-strength broadband (WiFi), narrow-band, cellular and RF communications will create the most effective network for the needs. 2) Invest in smart hardware. This may seem like a no-brainer, and really, in the not-too-distant future, you may not even have a choice, but the shift toward Fog Computing is gaining momentum and being able to run decentralized computing between hardware and the Cloud can not only create greater operational efficiency, but it can also allow your data transmission to run more smoothly as well. The beauty of a Fog Computing system is that it allows a greater number of devices to transmit smaller data packets, which frees up bandwidth and speeds real-time data analytics. The core of this lies in the smart hardware. 3) Be proactive about application development. Smart hardware means that it has the ability to host applications designed specifically for your needs. Previously, many companies shied away from app development because it required highly skilled developers and devices capable of hosting those apps – a combination that wasn’t readily available. Today, the scene has changed. With the rise of Node-RED, it is much easier today to create proprietary applications without a computer engineering degree, and any company serious about leveraging IIoT technology needs to be able to to use the full scope of its data. 4) Secure your communications. There isn’t much more to be said about the importance of cybersecurity. If the last few years of massive data breaches haven’t rung alarm bells, then you aren’t paying attention. Cybersecurity today is a multi-layered need. Most companies building smart hardware are beginning to build encryption directly into the devices. But, since many companies use Cloud applications for computing and analytics, it is important to invest in strong security measures at that level as well. Unfortunately, the sophistication of cyber-attacks are only going to increase, along with the increase in importance of the data needing to be protected. It pays to be paranoid and act accordingly.
FreeWave Blog Series: The Intelligent Edge
Part 1: Novice App Dev – A Q&A with Greg Corey from FreeWave The Internet of Things (IoT) has changed the consumer world in ways no one ever imagined. By placing intelligence in the IoT network, the “Thing” can do whatever we want it to do. Now Industrial companies are seeking to take advantage of this edge-deployed intelligence in order to maximize profits, improve safety and streamline operations. In addition to the challenges IoT technology had to overcome such as cybersecurity, scalability and interoperability, Industrial IoT (IIoT) must also focus on reliability, ruggedness and more. FreeWave is uniquely positioned to understand and address all of these challenges. We have delivered world class IIoT platforms for almost 25 years to thousands of industrial and unmanned systems customers. With that experience, we’re now leading the charge to deploy intelligent applications at the edge of industrial networks and unmanned systems. In the second installment of “The Intelligent Edge,” we sat down with Greg Corey, FreeWave systems engineer, to talk about his new app – ZumDash – and the future of app development of the Internet of Things. FreeWave: Can you talk about how you got involved in IoT app development and what that means from an Industrial IoT perspective? Greg: I got involved with IoT app development when we [FreeWave] started the ZumIQ project. IoT app development revolves around developing software to interconnect devices, and there’s a huge need for that in the industrial space known as the IIoT. So, I started working with some graphical JavaScript-based environments like Node-RED, and I realized that this quickly allowed me to solve problems that were facing our customers. FreeWave: Are Node-RED and JavaScript the primary languages being used right now to develop those apps? Greg: Yes, mostly you’ll see a lot of Python stuff, a lot of Java, and hence JavaScript, and then you’ll see some stuff written in C as well, but, really, the web-based languages have taken off. People write apps in Java and PHP for the most part. And then Node-RED is a graphical frontend for JavaScript. FreeWave: Can you talk a little bit about the app that you developed for FreeWave – ZumDash – and where it resides within an IIoT network? Greg: So, FreeWave has traditionally made radio products where you just put data in and out of the system and that’s all it does. It’s just a complicated replacement for a physical cable. With the new ZumIQ platform, it allows us to add a lot of intelligence at the Edge of these networks where a radio is functioning much more than just a radio. It’s actually an application development environment. It’s an application platform. So, the app that I developed, I wanted to showcase the radio’s capabilities at the Edge of the network, and specifically, there’s a few other things I wanted to show. I wanted to show data storage: so, actually, it’s recording data on the radio itself. I wanted to show the display of that data in a dashboard format. I wanted to show communication, so the radio can still act as a radio and then you can have email alerts and other alerts based on data points. And then I wanted to show logic as well: If This Then That. So, to be able to read a sensor value and if it’s within a certain range to then take action on it. So, the app that I built was really meant to showcase those four things: data storage, dashboard, communication, and logic. FreeWave: So, for the storage part, how often are people trying to actually store data on those Edge devices as opposed to having them just be conduits for the data transmission? Is that a different way of approaching it? Greg: Yeah, it’s a different way of approaching it, and what it allows you to do is free up network capacity. So, if you’re continuously sending and receiving data from the field to a central source, you’re using throughput and bandwidth on that network. With some of these Edge networks, it could be in something that’s moving on the ground and there’s not a very high antenna height; it could be a really noisy environment; there could be a lot of metal obstructions in the way. Sometimes, in the industrial realm, the networks aren’t as rock solid as you would want them to be, or there’s limited capacity for connectivity. So, by moving some data storage operation to the Edge, we can then free up our network capacity for other resources. FreeWave: So then from there are you able to run analytics on that Edge device to filter out some of the data that you don’t need? Greg: Yeah. Iin ZumDash there’s a frontend on it that I use. Using the frontend, you can remotely log into the radio, you can examine every piece of data the radio has recorded, and you can do that graphically. Then, you can build charts based upon that data, and then you can also export to Excel. So, all the data that resides on the radio in the MySQL database is available for analytics remotely, on demand. FreeWave: Does this have a dual track function where you can store data and look at it later, but you can also get the data in real-time if you need it? Greg: Yes, and also, how often the app records data to the database is configurable. You can look at configured intervals. The quickest time I can do at the moment is five seconds. So, every five seconds it’ll record data from six different sensors. FreeWave: Why was the dashboard display an important part of this app? Greg: It allows easy access to data. Let’s say there’s a problem and you want check on the status of a device. I don’t want to have to look through logs or something like that. I want that data easily displayable. So, adding the dashboard allows anybody to be able to log in and