Bold 2016 Predictions For Industrial IoT

FreeWave Technologies sees the Internet of Things pushing the bounds of possibility, disrupting traditional business models

FreeWave Technologies, Inc., a leader in industrial, secure Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) wireless networking solutions, recently announced five bold Industrial IoT (IIoT) predictions for 2016. For more than 20 years, industry leaders have depended on FreeWave to communicate critical information across networks — more reliably and securely than any other wireless M2M communications company in the marketplace. With the burgeoning IIoT market and the growing ways companies are finding to connect devices via mobile, web and in the cloud, rapid and constant change will be the norm, the company says. It believes these factors will contribute to significant changes in the way technologies will be used — or even, in some cases, not used.

Prediction #1: Major Security Breach Of An Industrial SCADA System Will Bring A New Focus To IoT

According to Glenn Longley, regional manager for energy markets at FreeWave:

“There will be a major security breach of an industrial SCADA system in 2016, which will drive industrial organizations to shift more of a focus on IoT and newer, more secure communication systems.”

If you may not already know, cyber attacks against supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are not new. In fact, Homeland Security Magazine reported earlier this year that “Cyber attacks against industrial targets — including power plants, factories and refineries — increased 100 percent in the past year, according to a new study conducted by computer technology company Dell.”

Additionally, IT World Canada reported on a new InfoSec survey by the SANS Institute in 2015 where, “Both the degree of uncertainty and the rising number of known incidents are red flags calling for the dedication of greater resources to monitoring, detecting and analyzing anomalous activity in control system networks.” The survey also found that only 65 percent said vendor qualification of security technologies and solutions to be either highly important or mandatory. So with a proliferation of new cyber attacks seemingly happening more frequently, Longley explains how this widespread issue will impact IoT adoption in industrial businesses in the coming years:

“Each company is different in how it handles the influx of IoT and the resulting IT/ OT convergence. With the merging/blending of Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT), the firewall that separates the two becomes more complicated and less well-defined. Traditionally, each was a separate entity; however, with IP-enabled devices and blending of technologies in enterprise networks, that dividing line becomes less clear. IT and OT professionals themselves might put a different emphasis on security, but in 2016, the two will need to come together (more than ever before) to prioritize security in their quest to create end points for all of their field assets. Therefore, security will ultimately be the limiting factor on how much IIoT is deployed.”

If you are interested in learning more, Longley dives much deeper into key network security considerations for the IIoT challenge in his latest paper found here.

Prediction #2: Major Security Breach Will Propel Government Regulations In IoT

According to Tim Mester, principal engineer of advanced technology at FreeWave:

Due to a major security breach or reliability failure in connected devices or systems used in the Industrial IoT space, governments will be compelled to create and enforce new regulations on all IoT (and IIoT) devices, much like what is happening with the drone industry.

(Note: IoT security breaches are not unheard of, as pointed out in this recent article by Bill Montgomery and Glenn Longley’s latest prediction as the first part of the bold prediction series.)

But, like drones, the barrier to entry into the IoT space has been lowered by improvements in technology. For IoT/IIoT devices, it is by the proliferation of a low power “system on chip” technology (SoC) and platforms like the Beagle Bone, Raspberry Pi and Arduino. Also, the Open Source software that is available allows developers to quickly pull products together based on these inexpensive SoC’s. Now that we can quickly have these products, how do those procuring these know that they are secure? How do they know they will be reliable and will not fail in mission critical applications?

Companies that are already experienced in the M2M and IIoT space understand these issues and concerns. They take the necessary steps to ensure that they can deliver secure and robust devices to their customers. But what about the new comers? The ones that took the easy route? The ones who do not have the experience in this space?

Prediction #3: Predictive Analytics Will Change The Nature Of Industrial Communication Systems

According to Scott Allen, CMO at FreeWave:

Predictive analytics will change the nature of industrial communication systems and networks significantly over the next five years. Certain industrial sectors have long utilized machine-to-machine (M2M) technology, like manufacturing, utilities, and oil and gas, as the backbone to operations technology. However, as IIoT communication technology continues to improve at a rapid pace, these industries will begin implementing tech and business practices designed to create data synergy that will ultimately provide predictive analytics for better decision making.

There are two elements at work that will push predictive analytics to the forefront of industrial communication systems. The first is the advancement of technology. Big data companies are making serious progress with comparing data-at-rest with data-in-motion as a strong basis for predicting outcomes with maximum accuracy. As the network infrastructure advances at the access layer in ways that allow analytic applications to be executed locally while communicating globally this trend will do nothing but accelerate.

The second element that will drive change is the retiring or soon to be retiring workforce that drove the implementation and use of SCADA networks. This will create a knowledge gap that will require new technology to fill — and predictive analytics will be the one that fills that gap. Although an aging workforce is not unique to the IIoT sector, the transition will be pronounced and could, without incorporating predictive analytics practices, be accompanied by some significant growing pains.

Prediction #4: 802.11ah Will Be Released In Mid-2016 To Quick Adoption

According to Brad Gilbert, director of product management at FreeWave:

802.11ah is a new wireless networking protocol that has the potential to enable a range of connectivity that was previously deemed improbable to obtain — greater sensor connectivity and the potential for even faster data transmission. It is scheduled to be released in mid-2016, and Brad predicts it will garner quick adoption. Here’s the why behind it:

• 802.11ah Unifies GHz and sub-GHz bands with a Wi-Fi protocol
  • Reduces the need for protocol conversions and gateways
  • Highly congested 2.4GHz band can now be offloaded to either 5GHz or now 900MHz

The essence of these features is that they provide a greater diversity for device enablement by offering more networking and frequency band options. The unification of bands reduces the potential for interference and offloads traffic from the 2.4GHz band that is used for wide-range networking needs.

• 802.11ah Addresses long range communication and battery operation not met with existing 802.11 standards
  • Much needed for IIoT applications, especially those in remote and hazardous locations
  • Better RF propagation than 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency bands

In conjunction with band unification, the new protocol will enable the extension of high-speed connectivity to rural areas without overloading cell tower traffic. It will allow devices to use less battery power by predetermining wake and doze times, and by incorporating relay access points, it will allow networking stations to transmit data more quickly, reducing the overall wake time.

• Chipset availability

The availability of chipsets (specifically SoC technology) will enhance data transmission even further by better managing integrated components and data flow to and from different networks and IoT enabled devices.

Prediction #5: RF Companies Will Be Obsolete By 2019

According to FreeWave CEO Kim Niederman:

“Discrete Radio Frequency (RF)-based technology manufacturers will be obsolete within the next three years. The catalyst that will drive this change will be the open standards in place that eventually will commoditize the market by bringing backwards compatibility and interoperability between different radio manufacturers.”

Large chip manufacturers are going to drive physical layer standards, meaning the chipsets themselves are going to be more ubiquitous and will make it increasingly difficult for discrete radio manufacturers to find and capitalize on business opportunities in the marketplace.

Companies will continue to drive the adoption of open standards and the concept of the software-defined radio will soon become meaningless.

About FreeWave Technologies

FreeWave Technologies (www.freewave.com) is a leading provider of wireless Machine to Machine (M2M) solutions that deliver reliable access to data for leading companies in the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) markets. As the #1 provider of wireless IIoT to the oil and gas industry, FreeWave’s fast, flexible and easy-to-deploy solutions streamline connectivity over long distances to also create significant operational efficiencies for government, defense and UAV/Drone contractors, agriculture equipment manufacturers, energy and smart grid networks, municipalities and more. With 20-plus years of experience in the M2M market and millions of radios deployed in the field, customers repeatedly turn to FreeWave to maximize their value in connecting M2M devices to optimize real-time decision-making.