Introducing our open IIoT platform: the next evolution of data analysis for Industry

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The next evolution of IIoT solutions for Industry 

There’s always been a buzz around the Industrial Internet of Things. It’s hard not to get excited about the benefits it can bring industrial businesses. Unfortunately customers who try IIoT don’t always get the value they expect out of their projects.

Companies also report they are only using a fraction of the data they’ve collected (McKinsey & Company). It’s clear the problem is not in accessing data, but the ability to harness usable business insights. Without the right expertise and analytical tools they’re like needles in a haystack, and this is one of the biggest barriers to digitization.

What is the next step for IIoT solutions?

To bridge this gap, we believe the next step is an all-in-one IIoT platform that enables customers to:

• Make use of existing applications which generate specific business insights for industries such as mining, minerals and metals, water and wastewater, and consumer packaged goods.
• Build custom apps for their industry
• Easily connect third party software with the system

Our vision for an IIoT platform

The concept of an open IIoT platform is a little like your home computer/cell phone and operating system.

• Your home computer comes off the shelf with an operating system and a selection of software programs designed for most of your day-to-day computing needs.
• Depending on your job, hobbies, or business needs, you might buy extra programs like professional editing or accounting software.
• There are countless other apps out there for seemingly anything you need, but if you can’t find a program that is suitable for your task, you can create your own custom app.

Computers and phones are both plug and play yet highly customisable. It makes them a convenient and easy to use, yet powerful piece of technology for both the average user and the specialist. Similarly, with our all-in-one solution EcoStruxure Plant Advisor, customers can choose from a set of pre-packaged applications or build their own to meet specific needs.

To deliver the app builder functionality we’ve partnered with software enterprise Decisyon. Thanks to the Decisyon App Composer technology embedded in the platform, customers will be able to quickly and easily develop custom apps to clearly focus on specific business needs.

Conveniently, end users also have access to a network of experts on the Schneider Electric Exchange to deliver exactly the right KPI insights to show the way to optimization and profitability. And of course, they’re then able to share the apps they’ve created with other users in the app store.

Reaching world class levels of sustainable, profitable business performance

As well as improving the business value Industry gets from digitization, an open secure IIoT platform like this brings other benefits:

• Reduced IT, maintenance and engineering costs
• Accelerated and simplified IoT project deployment
• Standardized solutions cross sites
• Solution can be scaled to cover multiple sites and facilities

As I said earlier, it’s easy to get excited about IIoT. Most of us know by now that IIoT can bring many benefits to industrial business in terms of efficiency and profitability. But digital transformation is a journey. To help customers from diverse applications in different industries reach this level, we need solutions that allow them to pull insights from their operational data more easily and effectively, while allowing them to take the journey step by step.

To learn more about this step-wise approach and the latest in IIoT solutions, visit the Schneider Electric Exchange.