by Brianna Crandall — June 17, 2016 — The Internet of Things (IoT) for Industries is transforming both the consumer and the business landscape, offering tremendous opportunities for agile suppliers, according to a recent report from growth partnership company Frost & Sullivan.
However, businesses founded on connectivity across devices, geographies, applications and services require diversity in business models, points out the report. Each industry and company will need a customized approach to connectivity based on its unique requirement. As a result, the existing “massive IoT” approach of having a common monolithic connectivity solution must be rethought to accommodate the diverse possibilities of connectivity requirements in the future, says Frost & Sullivan, breaking from traditional thought.
In this regard, a decentralized and self-organizing device network is a more economical, reliable, and scalable approach towards connectivity, according to the report. Within the Industrial Internet paradigm in particular, an autonomous device network offers significant benefits. Essentially, the choice of connectivity solutions in business models should steer technical developments in Industrial IoT (IIoT) as opposed to a one-size-fits-all standard.
In this research, Frost & Sullivan, along with research partner Wirepas, explores the suitability of autonomous device networks as a base for the IoT model. The white paper maps this idea against select emerging IIoT applications such as smart cities, smart meters, logistics, asset tracking, and the Industrial Internet, highlighting the key business requirements for successful transitioning.
While the wide-area approach to connectivity is relevant for many business applications, a decentralized and autonomous device network should be the automatic choice for connectivity when scalability is a critical parameter for success, says the report.
“From an availability point of view, autonomous device networks with decentralized architecture offer the best availability,” argues Jussi Numminen, head of Radio Strategy and IPR at Wirepas and co-author of the white paper. “When applicable, the data should be stored, analyzed and used locally to optimize availability.”
“From an operational standpoint, the seat of intelligence in a connected enterprise is not one of primary concern,” adds Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation and Process Control Program Manager Karthik Sundaram. “Whether it is centralized somewhere deep in the system or located in an anonymous location, real value for autonomous device networks can only be achieved through a decentralized intelligence framework.”
With IoT becoming the single biggest opportunity for industrial suppliers to adopt and promote their solutions and services, the focus should be on adopting the best communication approach to optimize prospects. Frost & Sullivan recommends keeping device connectivity in IoT applications simple and optimized.
The Rise of Autonomous Device Networks is part of Frost & Sullivan’s Industrial Automation and Process Control Growth Partnership Service program. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
