How To Get The Benefit Of Industrial IoT Gateways While Managing The Risk
As more industrial enterprises take their first tentative steps toward Internet of Things (IoT) implementations, they quickly discover the need for a new class of system: the IoT gateway. As with any new technology introduced into industrial environments, one question arises: Will it introduce new risks? Put simply, an IoT gateway sits between systems at the edge and central control and management systems, often linked via the cloud. The gateway aggregates data from hundreds or thousands of sensors and other edge devices and systems, performing translations of protocols and device management models. Increasingly, IoT gateways are evolving from simply providing this translational function into “intelligent” systems that provide higher-level control functions at the edge, easing the burden on central management systems. Companies like Foghorn, for example, greatly increase the capabilities of these gateways by providing real-time analytics to collect the data for the gateways.
System vendors have seized upon the growing demand for IoT gateways by offering pre-packaged solutions combining software and hardware. Indeed, you’ll find a host of IoT gateway solutions offered by some of the biggest names in computing hardware. These systems have some attractive features. They are often ruggedized, built specifically for deployment on the production floor. And they are generally inexpensive. What’s not to like?