The Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are rapidly growing fields that offer numerous benefits to various industries. However, designing and implementing IoT/IIoT systems come with various challenges. In this blog, we will discuss some of the key challenges in designing IoT/IIoT systems and the solutions to address them.
Challenges in Designing IIoT Systems
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) refers to the use of IoT-connected devices and services in tough or harsh conditions exposed to the elements in solar and wind power installations, or on construction vehicles or ships. IIoT is often used for tasks such as automation, remote monitoring, or predictive maintenance that are difficult for humans to accomplish because of grueling conditions or distant locations. While IIoT is a subset of IoT, it has its own set of challenges and requirements, and, as is typical of IoT projects, these need to be considered at the start of any project. Let’s take a look at some of the top challenges of IIoT and possible solutions.
Challenge #1: High Upfront Investment Cost
IIoT can help organizations to enhance their asset management, business intelligence, predictive maintenance, process automation, and remote maintenance management to increase productivity, drive efficiencies, and reduce long-term costs. However, the high cost, particularly if they are new to implementing IIoT and can’t fully quantify potential results or returns, makes it difficult to commit. As a hardware-intensive activity, an IIoT project is expensive to get off the ground. For instance, while low-cost kits such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino are widely available, they are best suited for rapid prototyping and entry-level IoT experimentation. The harsh environment of commercial IIoT applications means you need equipment that is more robust, and therefore more expensive, that will survive in place for years. Even a cheaper option of retrofitting existing devices with sensors and data-transmission capabilities is costly.
Solution
To address this challenge, organizations can consider leveraging edge computing and centralized cloud-based computing for controlling the fleet of devices. This could involve a mix of edge computing and centralized cloud-based computing for controlling the fleet of devices.
Challenge #2: Secure Data Storage & Management
The vast network of interconnected devices and systems in the IIoT landscape expands the potential attack surface, making it crucial to address security concerns to protect operational systems and data integrity.
Solution
To address this challenge, it is important to implement security measures such as encryption, secure authentication, and software updates to ensure the safe and secure operation of IoT devices and systems.
Challenge #3: Connectivity
Connectivity is at the heart of IIoT implementations, and there are several things to decide upfront when choosing the right devices and their connectivity, for your specific use case. These include how frequently and over what distance your IIoT devices need to transmit data, power consumption requirements, and the type of connectivity most suited for your project.
Solution
To address this challenge, organizations should ensure that the connectivity needs to work bi-directionally, and because IIoT implementations often require devices and sensors to be positioned in remote or dangerous to-reach locations a remote management strategy is essential. You will want to communicate with your devices, wherever they are, to update device configurations or perform remote firmware upgrades. Connectivity for IIoT projects also needs to be constant and uninterrupted.
Challenge #4: Combining IIoT Technology With Legacy Infrastructure
IIoT projects are rarely greenfield situations. Instead of working in a vacuum with a blank slate, the objective of many projects is to unlock value in existing systems and optimize current operations. This means that new IIoT projects need to combine new devices and technology with legacy systems and equipment made by a
Solution
To address this challenge, organizations can consider leveraging edge computing, standardized communication protocols, and device management platforms, as well as addressing security concerns and ensuring uninterrupted connectivity.
Challenges in Designing IoT Systems
Design challenges in IoT refer to the technical difficulties and trade-offs involved in creating IoT systems that are functional, secure, and scalable. Some of the key design challenges in IoT include interoperability, power management, data security, privacy, low latency, real-time responsiveness, data storage, and analytics.
Challenge #1: Handling Massive Data Streams
IoT devices generate massive volumes of data in real-time, making it challenging to process and analyze this data efficiently.
Solution
To address this challenge, organizations can consider implementing stream processing to analyze data as it’s generated. It allows us to analyze information as it’s generated, delivering instant insights vital for scenarios like industrial automation. It efficiently sieves, aggregates, and optimizes data, minimizing storage and transmission overhead.
Challenge #2: Device Fault Tolerance
IoT devices can experience connectivity issues or fail unexpectedly, potentially disrupting data collection and control.
Solution
To address this challenge, organizations can consider using device shadowing to maintain a virtual representation of each device’s state. Implement device redundancy for critical tasks to ensure continued operation. It ensures data integrity and control even when devices experience failures.
Challenge #3: Scalable Device Management
Managing a large number of IoT devices efficiently, including provisioning, updating, and monitoring, can become complex and time-consuming.
Solution
To address this challenge, organizations can consider implementing IoT device management platforms that offer features like remote device management, over-the-air updates, and monitoring dashboards. It simplifies device management at scale and enhances overall system reliability.
The successful design and implementation of IoT/IIoT systems require careful consideration of these challenges and the application of appropriate solutions to ensure the resilience, scalability, and security of the systems. Organizations must tap into existing and growing networks, ecosystems, and platforms to move forward with their IoT/IIoT ambitions. By addressing these challenges, organizations can design resilient and scalable IoT/IIoT systems that meet the unique requirements of IoT/IIoT applications, ensuring data integrity, security, and real-time responsiveness.
