Conceptually, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) have been discussed at great lengths over the past few years. During this time, questions like “Why IoT?” have been asked, use cases have been explored, and implementations have begun. The shift from concept to implementation is now sparking new discussions as users and system integrators explore what technologies are best and how integration will work between the applications.
推进在能源indu IIoT实现stry, at least two concerns must be addressed. The first concern is bandwidth limitations of telemetry networks. A November 2015 report by Gartner estimates that there will be 35 billion to 50 billion connected devices by 2020. A large part of this growth will come from the industrial segment—which is typically slower in adopting newer technologies, due in a large part to the robust requirements needed for industrial environments where a typical device could have a functional lifespan of 20-30 years.
由于许多可用于连接现场资产的网络具有有限的带宽，因此许多公司已经在努力支持他们今天的SCADA系统和设备的数量。例如，工业油气运营商可以使用10,000-20,000个遗留设备，这些设备远程位于具有有限的连接，电源和网络带宽的多个生产网站上。根据设备，可能有几千位数据或甚至以毫秒生成和更新的数据甚至千兆字节。随着更多设备上网，数据生产将呈指数级增长，消耗新的所需带宽水平，可能导致服务劣化，数据延迟和增加的成本。
第二个问题是安全性。由于其产品的挥发性，能源行业已经是目标，并且中间人网络攻击可能对基础设施和社会产生灾难性的影响。企业必须适用于发送数据的连接设备的涌入，并评估向互联网开放网络以最大限度地减少剥削威胁的风险。
Solutions to these concerns are being discussed and proposed by industry leaders. Collecting and analyzing data at the “edge” has the potential to alleviate both network bandwidth limitations and security concerns. As Moore’s Law continues to prove, price and form factors of processors keep decreasing, thus allowing unnecessary computing and data storage to be moved away from the central server where enterprise-level applications reside. This enables companies to distribute their computing to the edge of the network through low-cost gateways and industrial PCs that can host localized and task-specific actions in near real time, requiring them to transmit much less required data back to the enterprise. Collecting and analyzing data at the edge also increases security because information is kept within a local network. Instead of using insecure legacy device protocols for communications across a wide area network, companies could use more modern communication techniques specifically designed for secure and efficient network communications, which deploy encryption and security certificates to strengthen access controls and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
The transmission of more data across an enterprise for the purpose of achieving the benefits of IoT can appear to be challenging and risky business. By employing edge solutions and technologies, energy companies can push IoT initiatives forward in a safe and effective way.
