{"id":12313,"date":"2018-05-16T11:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-05-16T19:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2018\/05\/16\/news-6082\/"},"modified":"2018-05-16T11:00:19","modified_gmt":"2018-05-16T19:00:19","slug":"news-6082","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2018\/05\/16\/news-6082\/","title":{"rendered":"Ensuring Reliability of Internet of Things Applications Requires IT\/OT Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: Stephen Mooney| Date: Wed, 16 May 2018 16:10:00 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although we\u2019re still in the early days of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, it\u2019s becoming clear that in many industries, the data IoT applications generate will be important to businesses, whether for operations and maintenance or actual revenue-generating activities. Ensuring availability of that data will become crucial and will require a rethinking of the way operational technology (OT) groups interact with their information technology (IT) counterparts.<\/p>\n

\"IT <\/p>\n

IOT at work \u2013 saving millions with predictive maintenance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve all seen examples of IOT applications and the good they can do for businesses. My favorite so far is a customer in the mining, metals, and minerals business that has a predictive analytics application<\/a> it uses for its preventive maintenance program. The company generates 2.4 terabytes (TB) of data every single minute from its various ports, railways and mines, feeding it all to the analytics engine. The company expects its IoT applications will save it $200 million over 3 years.<\/p>\n

With a return like that, I can only imagine the steps the company is taking to ensure the availability of all that data.<\/p>\n

While that may be an extreme example of how valuable IoT applications are becoming, the point is the same in any industry: you need to protect that data just as you would any important data on your IT systems, and ensure it is reliably delivered to the systems that will turn it into valuable insights.<\/p>\n

IoT data comes from near and far\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The issue gets complicated because the data is often being generated far from the data centers and business offices that are the traditional purview of IT groups. Rather, it\u2019s coming from manufacturing plant floors, hospitals, wind turbines and solar arrays, power plants and lots of other places. Sensors can literally be installed on just about any piece of equipment or device, turning it into an IoT data source.<\/p>\n

These various facilities are typically managed by OT groups who are skilled in the maintenance of whatever machines and devices are under their responsibility. They are not, however, particularly experienced with the sorts of servers and networks used to collect and store data; that\u2019s IT\u2019s job.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not reasonable to expect IT groups to suddenly have personnel in all these far-flung areas where IoT data is coming from. But it is reasonable to expect the OT and IT groups to collaborate to ensure the proper infrastructure is in place to ensure the reliability of the IoT networks.<\/p>\n

Discover best practices for fostering IT\/OT collaboration around IoT apps<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To ensure collaboration, consider the following:<\/p>\n