The rise of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) promises to solve many problems plaguing data integration from automation systems to SCADA, MES, ERP, edge devices and cloud solutions. Today’s technologies typically create local data silos requiring integration work between the systems. Furthermore, the technologies used for integrating the data are also often different in each layer or subsystem.
These different technologies and separate data silos lead to setbacks in making new features. The work to access all the data becomes too expensive. Each time a new sensor is added to improve some aspect of the system, multiple other layers need to be modified.
In the ideal IIoT world, only the layer with the new feature requires a change. To fulfil the promises of lower cost of integration between the layers of the automation stack, better access to data and novel services based on a single aggregated data lake, the choice of the underlying technology is the most critical decision to be made. The technology must provide the capability to construct a unified namespace where each part of the system can seamlessly store and retrieve data without other layers requiring changes. Nor should the data repository need to know about the data format or data itself beforehand.
We believe that MQTT is the right technology for real IIoT solutions. MQTT allows a central server to accumulate data and provide it to any added subsystems without prior knowledge of such subsystems or the data structures involved. Aggregating and providing arbitrary data provides a compelling way to integrate hardware and software from multiple vendors into one unified system.
True freedom requires IIoT superglue
While there are edge devices and software solutions that support MQTT, there are many that do not. Furthermore, when looking at the existing infrastructure, the picture is even bleaker. To simplify system development in this scenario, one needs IIoT superglue to bind diverse technologies together. It is necessary to combine the hodge-podge of technologies into one unified system. We strongly believe that CDP Studio is such a superglue, allowing automation system integration, adding control logic and quick HMI development in a single tool.
Usher in the era of IIoT in your organization
There is no reason to wait before starting your migration or utilization of IIoT technologies. With CDP Studio, it is possible to either start from some existing subsystem or with your next greenfield project. It is not essential that all the hardware vendors are on the IIoT bandwagon already. We make it possible to assimilate different kinds of vendors into one coherent IIoT system with a powerful tool to build your control logic, HMIs and SCADA system. With CDP Studio, it is possible to convert all your Modbus, OPC UA, CANOpen, etc., devices to publish their data to MQTT. It is also possible to add new services on top of the MQTT data lake or introduce modern HMI control/supervisory panels using all the data available. Every system generates large amounts of data that, in many cases, is currently lost. This lost data translates to lost opportunities and eventually to lost income.