Important Things to Consider When Implementing IIoT, Advanced Analytics, and Big Data

Important Things to Consider When Implementing IIoT

We are all inundated by IIOT, advanced analytics, and “Big Data” claims of transformative business value. Start now, start big, and move fast. This marketing pressure can be confusing, and result in misfires, disillusionment, and doomed initiatives that do not deliver on business value, consume scarce capital and, even more importantly, soak up organizational bandwidth with lost opportunity costs.

Industrial and commercial customers, however, should move cautiously. The significant challenges include cyber security and data governance; gathering, normalizing and integration of the IIoT “lots of little pipes” operational data with existing industrial data Operations Technology (OT) fabric from “big pipe” data sources like SCADA and DCS.

These are key considerations because companies are not just collecting industrial data to analyze at a future date, like ad companies trying to micro-target demographic segments. Their entire operation depends on real-time visibility and the ability to understand and control their processes safely and optimally in real time. Without rock-solid reliability, highly secure, and real-time visibility, productivity, financial viability—even the safety and health of their workers and communities where they operate—can be imperiled. A more conservative approach is required.

Do not take this as a negative towards moving forward with IIoT and advanced analytics. There are many successful use cases that reinforce the opportunity.

For example, MOL PLC, a Hungarian inte­grated O&G company, has presented in sev­eral public venues the generation of over $500 Mn EBITDA by using advanced analytics for things like hydrogen em­brittlement corrosion and the application of machine learning in several refining processes. Oth­er areas include dynamic Integrity Operating Windows (IOW), and advanced predictive CBM. (Ref­erence OSIsoft 2016 UC)

It is more about how versus if. MOL, like other companies, used a very prescriptive approach to their IIoT, advanced analytics, and Big Data journey.

My Perspective on Doing Things Differently:

1. They did not forget that it is about delivering business value, supporting a business strategy, and achieving a return on investment, not applying IIoT and advanced analytics for technology sake. Start small and strategically with a sound business use case, end-user input, support, and joint IT/OT accountability.

2. They started the journey of creating an operational data infrastructure (OT) as a foundational element of an overarching IIoT, advanced analytics, and big data strategy. If you listen to the marketing hype, you may have come to the conclusion that all of your data will end up in a data lake in the cloud, one massive (and growing) storehouse that will contain everything from sensor data to customer records. Successful implementations leverage fit for purpose technologies to address the unique characteristics and challenges of time series data.

 

Share it:
Share it:

[Social9_Share class=”s9-widget-wrapper”]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You Might Be Interested In

How To Run A Successful Big Data Project

31 Jul, 2018

Ever since the rise of big dataanalytics fundamentally reshaped how we do business, big data projects have been launching across …

Read more

How IoT makes electricity generation more efficient

15 Oct, 2016

For roughly 75 years, the utility industry in the U.S. has been set in its ways: big, centralized power plants …

Read more

Machine Learning & Data Analysts: Seizing the Opportunity in 2018

14 Dec, 2017

Undoubtedly, 2017 has been yet another hype year for machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). As ML and AI …

Read more

Do You Want to Share Your Story?

Bring your insights on Data, Visualization, Innovation or Business Agility to our community. Let them learn from your experience.

Get the 3 STEPS

To Drive Analytics Adoption
And manage change

3-steps-to-drive-analytics-adoption

Get Access to Event Discounts

Switch your 7wData account from Subscriber to Event Discount Member by clicking the button below and get access to event discounts. Learn & Grow together with us in a more profitable way!

Get Access to Event Discounts

Create a 7wData account and get access to event discounts. Learn & Grow together with us in a more profitable way!

Don't miss Out!

Stay in touch and receive in depth articles, guides, news & commentary of all things data.