What About Automation Standards and IIoT

Summary

The growing awareness and interest in the emerging Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has 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 applications. This has to start by examining the implications for the many standards that form the basis of industrial automation today.  The objective is to identify the areas where new or revised standards may be required.

The Emergence of IIoT

The term “Internet of Things (IoT)” has been in the news for several years. Several references trace the concept back at least ten 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 Industrie 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), representing the impact of ubiquitous networking and connectivity on industrial and manufacturing applications. Although different terms are used, some have made a clear assertion that this has the potential to be the “fourth industrial revolution,” representing a merging of electronic (or cyber) and physical systems on a much larger scale than before.

As is the case with any new and popular trend in technology, there are many opinions and positions with regard to the potential benefits and new capabilities. However, the full implications are still not well understood or broadly accepted. What is clear is that industrial applications require far greater emphasis on robustness, security, and deterministic response than the general or consumer applications that were the original focus of IoT. Yet in many cases, the emphasis on functional potential makes little or no provision for the need for secure and robust solutions in this connected environment.

Additional drivers include increased visibility of information, deeper integration of specific functions, and increased device and system capability. Perhaps the most significant value is in the greatly increased amount of information or data and associated analytics that can be provided using IIoT technology.

Interoperability standards and common architectures to connect smart devices, machines, people, and processes are essential if the IIoT promise is to be achieved. Several standards development organizations have been attempting to address these challenges for many years.

The Automation Profession Dealing with Automation Standards and IIoT

Automation professionals have long placed emphasis on developing and applying standards to help improve the quality and consistency of the services and products they deliver to their employers and clients. As a result, standards development organizations such as IEC, ISA, and IEEE have extensive portfolios of discipline-specific standards addressing practices and technology in this area.

In the case of ISA and IEC, much of the emphasis has been on process and functional standards in areas such as system integration, process safety, alarm management, and industrial control systems security. Standards such as ISA-18 (IEC 62682), ISA-84 (IEC 61511) and ISA-95 (IEC 62264) clearly define many of the essential elements of modern automation systems.

More general technology standards have also been adopted as automation systems have evolved to include more commercial-off-the-shelf technology in areas such as network (e.g., Ethernet), data communications (e.g., OPC-UA), database management (e.g., SQL) and operating systems. Process, functional and technical standards have become essential resources guiding development and application decisions related to process automation in a wide variety of industries.

IIoT Standards

Advancement of IIoT will also require the identification or development of new standards. As has been the case for other similar areas such as systems integration and wireless communications, this begins by establishing a general reference model or architecture. Several organizations have offered proposals to meet this need.

The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) was formed as a group under the Object Management Group (OMG). Its purpose is to enable the connection and optimization of assets by identifying the requirements for open interoperability standards and defining common architectures. The IIC clearly states that it does not intend to develop standards, but rather to work with SDOs to position and adapt existing standards into a common context for IIoT. This context is described in the form of an Industrial Internet Reference Architecture.

ISO and IEC have also been developing a similar model, with groups working on ISO/IEC WD 30141 (Internet of Things Reference Architecture or IoT RA). Finally, IEEE has an effort under way to develop a standard called IEEE P2413 (Standard for an Architectural Framework for the Internet of Things). While all three SDOs initially stated a goal to publish something in 2015, it appears that work is still ongoing.

These and other such efforts must come together or at least align if we are to make real progress in establishing IIoT across a broad range of suppliers and industries. In the meantime, individual suppliers and industries are moving forward with their own solutions.

Automation SDOs Respond to IIoT

Clearly, automation-related standards are important components of IIoT and the IIoT concept is very likely to influence the direction of current and future standards in this area. IIoT extends the fundamentals of automation into new areas, and on a much larger scale. Rather than focusing on a single industrial process, it reaches across logical, physical, and organizational boundaries to collect information, conduct analyses, and support decisions. This much larger scope and its implications have led to new concepts such as the industrial network edge, the subject of a recent ARC Strategy Report.

Although traditional industrial automation and IIoT are not the same, they share many of the same challenges. Both will continue to evolve, but in different ways and at very different rates. It is important to identify and understand common trends and developments to identify implications and shared concerns, including but not limited to:

• Connectivity
• Interoperability
• Security

• Resilience

The lessons learned and experience gained over decades of practicing industrial automation must also be applied to the pursuit of IIoT objectives. Realizing the full potential of IIoT will require creating, interpreting, and applying a comprehensive set of standards. This will in turn have implications for existing standards.

Rather than creating additional, possibly competing, reference models or architecture, a better approach would be for automation-focused SDOs to closely monitor and perhaps contribute to the development of some of those already proposed. Automation SDOs could accomplish this by fostering more dialog and collaboration with the newer organizations devoted to IIoT, such as the Industrial Internet Consortium and the various committees working on Industrie 4.0 in Europe.

Standards development organizations already draw on the expertise of a wide variety of stakeholder groups, including end users and suppliers, to define the functional and process standards required for advancing automation. Initiatives such as the architecture work of the IIC will complement this by providing a broader IIoT context, as well as identifying the standards required in the area of technology and infrastructure. A prominent example of this is the positing of OPC-UA as one of the fundamental communications and integration standards.

In considering how to address the IIoT concept, SDOs have to address some basic questions:

• What is IIoT? – There is still considerable confusion and uncertainty about exactly what the concept means for industrial automation. Stakeholders would benefit from interpretations from SDOs that identify implications and position the trend within the traditional automation discipline.
• How do we adapt open systems (internet technology) to an industrial architecture? – Important principles and constraints must be respected as IIoT-related technologies and solutions move into this space.
• What is missing from current developments? – Much of the focus of IIoT has been on networking and communications infrastructure. While this is essential, it is not sufficient. Careful analysis must be performed to identify any gaps or incorrect assumptions.
• What should the SDO do? – This becomes the essential question. Should SDOs simply “stay the course” and allow the IIoT trend to evolve, or should they stake steps to get involved and shape the direction?

There are several actions that the automation SDOs should take in response to the above question. The first involves a detailed review of their existing portfolio of standards to identify those most relevant to (or influenced by) IIoT.

This must be followed by outreach to groups such as IIC to offer assistance and collaboration in combining the technology-related efforts with those more focused on specific aspects of automation functionality as addressed by existing standards. It is possible (even likely) that those advancing IIoT concepts are not fully aware of the details of the extensive portfolios of SDOs such as IEC, ISA and IEEE.

More Collaboration Needed

The excitement and energy around the IIoT concept can serve as a catalyst to bring standards development organizations together. These groups may not have worked together in the past, or even have been familiar with the others’ existence.

This starts with communication, awareness, and education. End users and others considering investments in this area should use their influence to bring the various groups together, fostering more communication and the articulation of common goals and objectives.

The ultimate goal is to understand the various perspectives and find ways to combine these to advance technology and solve real business problems. The alternative is the continuation of parallel or potentially incompatible efforts, leading to inefficiency and confusion.

Recommendations for the End User

Although standards development organizations, suppliers, and end users all have roles to play in aligning automation and IIoT-related activities, ARC recommends several specific actions for end users and other technology users.

• Identify standards important to strategy – Clearly identify which of the various automation-related standards are of most importance to their business strategy.
• Learn about the SDO response – For those standards deemed most important, it is important to learn more about how the corresponding development organizations are responding to the emergence and growth of IIoT.
• Challenge suppliers – When presented with visions and strategies related to the IIoT phenomenon, push for details and improved understanding to be able to assess where the best knowledge and experience resides.
• Involvement – Consider getting more involved in standards development in these areas to represent the real needs of the potential customer/user. 
• Share experiences and learn through case studies – ARC invites automation and industrial IT end users to share and learn from case studies related to this report.

 

 

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Keywords: Standard Development Organizations (SDOs), IIoT, Industrie 4.0, Protocols, Security, Automation, Reference Models, ARC Advisory Group.