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There is little doubt that the availability of a good reference architecture can speed the adoption of new technology stacks. In the case of the Industrial Internet of Things, which is highly complex on a number of different fronts, this is definitely the case. The Industrial Internet Consortium just released its first version of the Industrial Internet Reference Architecture, and I've had a quick read.
First things first: Congratulations to the team that put this together. In my opinion, it succeeds in focusing on the major architectural issues and puts a stake in the ground for further development and discussion. Well done.
There are four aspects of the reference architecture that are very helpful.
First, a simple but important thing: It defines Industrial Internet Systems (IIS). We may want to quibble with the definition, but it's certainly a good start, and a useful term.
Second, I like the fact that the reference architecture explicitly identifies four separate but interrelated sets of concerns and points of view: The business viewpoint, the usage viewpoint, the functional viewpoint, and the implementation viewpoint.
The business viewpoint attends to the concerns of the identification of stakeholders and their business vision, values and objectives in establishing an IIS in its business and regulatory context. These concerns are business-‐oriented and are of particular interest to business decision-makers, product managers and system engineers.
The usage viewpoint addresses the concerns of expected system usage. It is typically represented as sequences of activities involving human or logical users that deliver its intended functionality in ultimately achieving its fundamental system capabilities.
The functional viewpoint focuses on the functional components in an IIS, their interrelation and structure, the interfaces and interactions between them, and the relation and interactions of the system with external elements in the environment, to support the usages and activities of the overall system.
The implementation viewpoint deals with the technologies needed to implement functional components, their communication schemes and their lifecycle procedures. These components are coordinated by activities (Usage viewpoint) and supportive of the system capabilities (business viewpoint).
Third, the document identifies a three-tier IIS Architecture, with an Edge Tier, a Platform Tier, and an Enterprise Tier, with three different networks connecting the tiers: Proximity Network, Access Network, and Service Network.
Fourth, there is a good analysis of key system concerns, such as safety, security, and data management, including an in-depth discussion of security, trust, and privacy requirements.
In my view, it's a great start, and should go a long way towards accelerating the realization of value from Industrial Internet Systems.
First things first: Congratulations to the team that put this together. In my opinion, it succeeds in focusing on the major architectural issues and puts a stake in the ground for further development and discussion. Well done.
There are four aspects of the reference architecture that are very helpful.
First, a simple but important thing: It defines Industrial Internet Systems (IIS). We may want to quibble with the definition, but it's certainly a good start, and a useful term.
Second, I like the fact that the reference architecture explicitly identifies four separate but interrelated sets of concerns and points of view: The business viewpoint, the usage viewpoint, the functional viewpoint, and the implementation viewpoint.
The business viewpoint attends to the concerns of the identification of stakeholders and their business vision, values and objectives in establishing an IIS in its business and regulatory context. These concerns are business-‐oriented and are of particular interest to business decision-makers, product managers and system engineers.
The usage viewpoint addresses the concerns of expected system usage. It is typically represented as sequences of activities involving human or logical users that deliver its intended functionality in ultimately achieving its fundamental system capabilities.
The functional viewpoint focuses on the functional components in an IIS, their interrelation and structure, the interfaces and interactions between them, and the relation and interactions of the system with external elements in the environment, to support the usages and activities of the overall system.
The implementation viewpoint deals with the technologies needed to implement functional components, their communication schemes and their lifecycle procedures. These components are coordinated by activities (Usage viewpoint) and supportive of the system capabilities (business viewpoint).
Third, the document identifies a three-tier IIS Architecture, with an Edge Tier, a Platform Tier, and an Enterprise Tier, with three different networks connecting the tiers: Proximity Network, Access Network, and Service Network.
Fourth, there is a good analysis of key system concerns, such as safety, security, and data management, including an in-depth discussion of security, trust, and privacy requirements.
In my view, it's a great start, and should go a long way towards accelerating the realization of value from Industrial Internet Systems.