The emerging Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has major implications for the industrial automation profession. Standards development organizations (SDOs), technology suppliers and end users each have a role to play in interpreting this concept to separate the hype from the practical opportunities and identify the areas where new or revised standards might be required.
The emergence of IIoT
Several references trace the IIoT concept back at least 10 years, with origins in the use of RFID and similar technologies. More recently, the general IoT concept has been interpreted in an industrial context, leading to initiatives such as Industry 4.0 and IIoT.
