Killing the Zombie Meme, IoT is Nothing New

There is a recurring zombie meme that I'm sure you have heard:  "IoT in nothing new - we've been doing it for years."  Why does it keep cropping up?  In my view, there are five main reasons - and none of them good:

1. Basic misunderstanding of the term IoT.  "Internet of Things" (or "Industrial Internet of Things") is a terrible name, and invites confusion and misunderstanding.  It's easy to see why someone could make the mistake of thinking that, given the name, connecting a particular thing to the internet is what the main idea.  It is not.  IoT (IIoT) more accurately described as:  The transformation of industrial products, operations, value chains, and aftermarket services that is enabled through the expanded use of sensors, digitization, networking, and information systems.


2. An attempt to show that my company is and has been a leader in IoT (IIoT) for some time.  This is a common thought, but in my opinion, wrongheaded.  Many readers will see through this, and instead of being reassured by your claims and history, they will be dismissive:  "They don't get it - just trying to peddle their old ideas."  If you were using RFID tags more than 20 years ago (as I was), can you plausibly argue that you were doing IIoT?  I certainly wouldn't!


3. Real confusion about the emerging possibilities.  If we connected our control system and human interface to remote sensors, weren't we doing IoT?  Maybe, maybe not.  Let's consider a consumer example for a minute - the Nest thermostat.  Before the Nest, the home heating system was controlled with a remote sensor (the thermostat.)  It may have even become a bit 'smarter' over the years, as programmable thermostats became available.  Now with the Nest, you could plausibly argue that "We've been doing this for years" - but have you really?  Could you see the temperature on your phone?  Could you change it while you were away from home?  Could you create a new behavior to have the heat come on when you get close to home?  By focusing on the similarities instead of the differences, you miss the potential value of the IIoT - and you miss the point!


4. Real precursors to IIoT.  There are undoubtedly some examples where there is much in common between a legacy solution and a new IIoT solution.  Certain SCADA pipeline solutions might have an architecture that is similar to modern IIoT solutions, for example.  Or in other cases, vendors have rebranded their existing solutions as IIoT solutions.  Does this prove that there is nothing new?  No!  This is normal vendor behavior, and it is up to the buyer to determine if the offered solutions have the right technology platform to meet their needs going forward.  To decide, look for the upside:  Is this new solution more scalable? More supportable?  Does it accommodate new or different data? Does it bring advanced analytics to bear?  Does it let me change a key business process?


5. An attempt to be seen as a Very Serious Thinker who has noticed that there is some hype associated with IoT (IIoT).  Hype? Shocking!  But there is always hype.  And the manufacturing/industrial space is always conservative, so it feels safe.  In other cases, there was little or nothing more than hype, or the ideas were too far ahead of their time (remember e-Manufacturing?), but that can't honestly be said of the potentially massively transformative embrace of IoT (IIoT) that is well underway.  If you don't believe me, ask a Very Serious Thinker!

Next time you hear the claim , "IoT (IIoT) is nothing new, we've been doing it for years", ask yourself what motivated it.  Let me know which category it fits in - or if there are other categories I should add to my list.