White Paper

IIoT: Combining the Best of OT and IT

Why Industrial Organizations Need to Bridge the Gap

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IIoT: Combining the
Best of OT and IT

Disruptive technologies are causing these efforts, GE expects to achieve a 1% improve-

ment in productivity, which for a company of its
major waves in the industrial sector, size can equate to hundreds of billions of dollars.⁴
enabling organizations to vastly Many other organizations are also embracing IIoT.
improve the accessibility of data in A survey by Gartner found that the number of
organizations adopting IoT will reach 43% in 2016,
order to connect people, organiza- and that includes many industrial organizations.⁵ As
tions, and technologies. more organizations move to adopt IIoT, operational
technology (OT) and information technology (IT)
These disruptive technologies are allowing orga- are converging.
nizations to directly access plant, manufacturing,
Adapting to this convergence will require industrial
and remote industrial device data. No technology
organizations to change the way they think about
has been more disruptive in recent years than the
OT and IT. Unfortunately, industrial organizations
Internet of Things (IoT).
have kept data and control on the manufacturing
The IoT refers to the network of physical objects floor, residing on restrictive and costly systems, un-
made “smart” with electronics, sensors, software, like systems found in IT. Essentially, this has stopped
and network connectivity, allowing these objects useful data from reaching those who need it on the
to collect and exchange data. The IoT is rapidly enterprise level to aid in their decision-making.
expanding: by 2020 there will be an estimated
With the great need to leverage IIoT to make
20.8 billion devices in the IoT, and more than 30
industrial data more accessible on every level, it is
billion devices will be wirelessly connected.¹,² IoT
important for industrial professionals to understand
ushers in an era in which objects can be moni-
why the convergence between OT and IT is taking
tored and controlled through existing network
place. Furthermore, they should actively work to
infrastructures, including the Internet, to improve
align OT and IT. Although OT and IT have been
efficiency, accuracy, and cost. In the consumer
viewed as two distinct domains for decades, they
market, this has led to a flood of products such as
must now work together to start bringing the IoT to
smart door locks and connected home appliances.
the industrial level.
Data is Revolutionizing Industry
The OT-IT Divide
Industrial organizations and system integrators are
You are most likely to think of IT as the software,
starting to realize the huge benefits of IoT and have
hardware, networks, communication technologies,
coined their own term for it: the Industrial Internet
and systems that store, process, and deliver
of Things (IIoT). Confronted with a world where
information to all aspects of an organization. IT
data is increasingly infused into every aspect of
professionals are experts in networking technolo-
business, forward-thinking companies are now
gies, and are very familiar with rapid scalability,
investing in data like never before.
cloud infrastructures, web-based deployments,
General Electric (GE) and Siemens are two major and technologies such as SQL, Java, and Python.
companies leading in what Smart Industry Magazine
OT encompasses machinery, physical plant
calls the “ongoing digitization and ‘data-fication’
equipment, and remote industrial software and
of industry.” For example, GE has shifted its entire
hardware. OT professionals focus on systems
approach to the value of data in recent years by
used for monitoring and control. They are adept
investing $1 billion into rebuilding its software and
with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs),
analytics approach, and hiring a team of 1,000
Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), Human-Machine
software engineers. GE continues to build big
Interfaces (HMIs), Supervisory Control and Data
machines such as locomotives and jet engines
Acquisition (SCADA) systems, and embedded
but now also incorporates intelligence within its
computing technologies.
machines to collect and parse data. Through

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IIoT: Combining the
Best of OT and IT

OT and IT tend to use different approaches to themselves needing to solve the same problem:
problem-solving. IT implements solutions using a accessing industrial data. Unfortunately, since OT
top-down approach, starting with the big picture, and IT have existed on separate planes, neither
such as an organization’s overall needs. The big side truly understands the needs of the other from
picture is then broken down into sub-components, a solutions standpoint. IT professionals may not
and solutions are developed for each sub-com- understand the reasons why OT still uses legacy
ponent. The top-down approach forces you to equipment and deals with proprietary, astronomi-
understand the method of the solution and not cally priced solutions. OT professionals may not
just the problem. have in-depth knowledge of SQL databases or the
breadth of security protocols used in IT today.
OT professionals approach solutions from the
ground up, starting from the individual components Even with this divide, a great opportunity exists for
to build a more complex system. SCADA environ- OT and IT to come together and leverage each
ments collect data from different processes on other’s strengths to arrive at a truly disruptive
the plant floor, so those who work in OT must technology. Keeping OT and IT separate is an
figure out how to integrate all the systems to work Industry-3.0, pre-IIoT mindset. To meet the demands
together. Because most OT technologies are of today’s data-intensive environment and enter In-
proprietary, many SCADA solutions can be difficult dustry 4.0, enterprises must work to align OT and IT.
to integrate. OT professionals work with sensitive,
mission-critical, high-risk systems; therefore, their Benefits of OT-IT Alignment
foremost concern is security, which is why Internet
Gartner defines IT-OT integration as: “the end
and Wide Area Network connectivity has not been
state sought by organizations (most commonly,
a priority for them.
asset-intensive organizations) where instead of a
With the introduction of smart machines, Big Data, separation of IT and OT as technology areas with
and the Industrial Internet, OT and IT are finding different areas of authority and responsibility, there

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IIoT: Combining the
Best of OT and IT

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Many companies are leaving 80% of their data out in the field. IIoT can bring that data and much more to the enterprise level.

is an integrated process and information flow.” The affordability of maintenance and licensing costs that
alignment of OT and IT brings forth many major IT has to offer. Additionally, now that data can be
benefits. One of the biggest benefits is improved easily accessed, those in OT and IT can share data
decision-making. By having access to a greater across an organization to make better decisions as
quantity of high-quality data, every person in an a whole. By integrating OT and IT systems, the over-
enterprise can make better decisions more often. all system has greater value, optimizing the way
If machines and devices are not connected to an companies share information.
IT network infrastructure, then the other parts of
OT and IT alignment lowers the risk for an organi-
the enterprise cannot take advantage of the useful
zation. Not only do you get improved data
real-time data and operational intelligence.
accessibility, you also get the stability and fluidity of
Let’s look at an oil pipeline as an example. On any an IT infrastructure for an OT environment. Putting
given installation, there can be over 10,000 miles in an infrastructure to access a greater volume of
of pipeline, thousands of PLCs and devices, and high-quality data from the OT side can be done
miles of wiring. In a typical operational environ- without impacting the current SCADA system. With
ment, only critical operational data is used for Cloud and virtualization technologies, plant- or
monitoring and safe operation. About 80% of the manufacturing-floor servers can be moved to the
data is left out on the field. IIoT can bring all of that Cloud, helping to reduce equipment as well as
pipeline data and much more to the enterprise keeping systems up to date. With today’s standard
level. Additional data on the health status of all IT security protocols, OT can rest assured that their
devices on the network aid in decisions such as SCADA system will not be compromised.
whether to send a repair vehicle or to solve the
With IT’s strengths in standardization, organizations
problem at the local level.
can leverage technologies such as SQL databases,
Other benefits of OT-IT alignment include cost Java, and SSL to quickly develop and deploy a
reduction, optimized business processes, lowered solid, secure solution. The need for proprietary
risks, faster development and integration times, technology is a thing of the past.Organizations
and standardized communications and control. can monitor and control multiple systems without
Connecting OT to the enterprise level can be a incurring high costs and being locked into a highly
large cost, and OT can benefit from the restrictive HMI/SCADA environment.

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IIoT: Combining the
Best of OT and IT

Challenges of OT-IT Alignment

The most pressing concern about integrating OT
PLCs Sensors
and IT is security. The reality is that the prolifera-
tion of sensors and other smart, connected
devices has brought with it an increase in security
vulnerabilities. OT and IT have historically had
differing security needs although they have
become more similar over time.
OT systems have used proprietary technologies
that made them less likely to be targeted for
RTUs Flow Computers
attacks (i.e. security by obscurity). OT systems
Trying to implement IIoT without strong knowledge of OT
have also been fairly self-contained by only having
is a lot like not knowing what you don’t know.
a few connections to other systems. On the other
hand, IT and enterprise systems are well-con-
manufacturing have used sensors to improve
nected and frequently under attack, but have a
their processes. Those industries capture large
higher level of acceptable security risk because IT
amounts of data from PLCs and pass them to
usually has a higher tolerance for downtime. From
SCADA systems as real-time data, which is then
an OT perspective, downtime could equate to mil-
stored and displayed, enabling improved decision-
lions in lost revenue, and thus, their tolerance for
making. From this perspective, IIoT is not as much
downtime is lower.
a new thing as it is a redefinition and an extension
Another big challenge organizations face is return of what OT professionals are already doing.
on investment (ROI). The research director at
Many of the players in the IIoT space today are IT
Gartner, Chet Geschickter, said, “the big challenge
professionals who do not necessarily understand
now is demonstrating return on investment.
the operational side. Even some IIoT alliances and
Executives need to validate the contribution that
consortia have put forth a notion that IIoT should
IoT can make in order to justify large-scale roll-
be built using top-down, IT-driven methodologies.
outs.”⁶ With IIoT being essentially a new market,
The problem is that if you try to put out an IT-
industrial organizations must prove that IIoT is the
centered, top-down IIoT solution that isn’t amenable
most cost-effective solution to bring industrial data
to OT professionals, it simply will not succeed. IT
into the enterprise level.
professionals must prove operational excellence
Then there is the fact that edge-of-network and security performance to an operations manager;
devices tend to use different protocols for send- otherwise, the project comes to a complete halt.
ing and receiving data, and there is the issue of This makes a strong case that OT should drive the
interoperability: how do we make all of these implementation of IIoT, rather than IT.
different kinds of devices all connect to each
To make IoT work in an industrial environment, the
other? Customers want to achieve a common
approach must be from the ground up. The IT side
infrastructure, and to do so requires laying down
must recognize that top-down methodologies may
the groundwork to achieve a standardized com-
not take into account the importance of stability
munication protocol.
and security, and the variety of protocols, in SCADA
solutions. The OT side must recognize that IT has
Should IIoT Be Built Top-Down or Ground-Up?
incredible potential to bring OT data into the enter-
SCADA has already been doing many of the tasks prise. Since most of the needed data resides on
associated with IIoT for years, even before the term the OT level, the ground-up approach is the best
came into use. For about 30 years now, industries path to a fully functional IIoT solution that combines
like oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and proven OT and IT technologies.

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IIoT: Combining the
Best of OT and IT

Make all your data from multiple devices and locations instantly accessible to your entire enterprise with Ignition IIoT.

An IIoT solution that is not just a theoretical Scalability is an incredibly important feature of the
possibility but a concrete reality must be built on ideal IIoT platform. As more systems and devices
technologies that sit squarely at the intersection go live, the IIoT platform must be able to quickly
of OT and IT. There are two specific pieces of accommodate the influx of data points, giving
technology that are crucial for a true IIoT solution: organizations the ability to share and analyze mas-
a platform and a protocol. sive amounts of data in little time. The IIoT platform
should also scale without any restrictions. Taking
Enabling IIoT: The Ideal Platform a page out of the IT playbook, the IIoT platform
should offer unlimited licensing, allowing unlimited
With many so-called IIoT solutions coming to mar-
number of connections, tags, and user clients. The
ket, what features are necessary to truly deliver a
unlimited licensing allows for incredible scalability
solid IIoT platform? The IIoT requires the connection
and results in significant cost savings.
of many devices and systems to collect and share
the vast amount of high-quality data across an The ideal IIoT platform should bring interoperability
industrial enterprise. It is vital that the IIoT platform between OT and IT by communicating with most
be extraordinarily flexible, scalable, and equally ca- if not all industrial and enterprise systems and
pable in dealing with both OT and IT technologies. devices. The platform combines IT standards such
as SQL, Python, and Java with OT standards such
Unlike most SCADA solutions, the ideal IIoT
as OPC-UA and Modbus. By having a platform
platform must exhibit extreme agility and flexibility
that can bridge the worlds of OT and IT, industrial
— no proprietary solutions, no locked data, and no
enterprises are able to share data across an entire
unneeded frustrations. The ideal IIoT platform must
organization easily. The ideal IIoT platform can truly
be able to adapt quickly to a wide range of indus-
empower organizations to make better decisions
tries and applications without hindering current
more often by leveraging SQL and Java to collect
enterprise infrastructures. Furthermore, it should
data from PLCs, RTUs, and HMI/SCADA systems.
be capable of making changes without interrupting
current processes and workflow. Ready, set, con-
nect, and data is available with just one click.

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IIoT: Combining the
Best of OT and IT

Enabling IIoT: The Ideal Protocol more quickly. Thirdly, it improves security by not
directly exposing edge-of-network devices.
Message Queueing Telemetry Transport (MQTT)
Middleware helps to keep vulnerable devices such
has quickly emerged as the standard messaging
as PLCs out of reach.
protocol for industrial M2M applications.
Developed in 1999 by Arlen Nipper, who is now
The Optimal Solution
president of Cirrus Link Solutions, and Dr. Andy
Stanford-Clark of IBM, MQTT has become one of Unlike other IIoT solutions, Ignition IIoT has been
the most dominant IIoT message transport protocols. built up from the OT level to connect up to the
IT level.
MQTT was initially developed to suit the needs of
the oil and gas industry. Oil and gas pipeline Ignition offers a solid and secure industrial
installations can cover several thousand miles in development platform for today’s data-intensive
remote areas. A single installation may contain industrial applications.
thousands of PLCs which connect to thousands of
Ignition includes features that make it singularly
devices. Legacy communication protocols use a
effective as a universal industrial automation
poll/response methodology which saturates
platform for HMI, SCADA, IIoT, and MES. It has an
communication channels with unchanged data,
unlimited licensing model, which allows unlimited
leading to network congestion. MQTT is a light-
tags, clients, and connections. Unlimited licensing
weight solution that makes the volume of usable
allows solutions to grow along with an organization
data available in applications such as these. Other
without restrictions and additional costs. Ignition
industries have also discovered the value of MQTT:
offers cross-platform compatibility, and you can
it is now used in Facebook Messenger and Amazon
Web-launch it on desktop PCs or mobile devices.
IoT, and is both an ISO and OASIS standard.
It features IT-standard technologies and scalable
The publish-subscribe methodology of MQTT server-client architecture. It’s also modular, which
creates a single, super-efficient data pipeline means you configure Ignition’s capabilities by add-
through which data is pushed from thousands of ing modules to it.
devices into a central location where it is accessed
By adding the MQTT protocol to the inherent
by industrial and business applications. MQTT
capabilities of the Ignition platform, you can decou-
maintains stateful sessions and is bi-directional. Its
ple intelligent devices from applications in order to
lightweight nature facilitates a higher throughput
make data available to the entire enterprise.
rate, which significantly increases the data moni-
tored or controlled. Ignition IIoT is a real IIoT solution that can bridge
the gaps between the enterprise level and the
MQTT’s one-to-many capability enables the use
plant floor by converging OT and IT. It fills the
of message-oriented middleware (MOM) technol-
fundamental need to access more data in order
ogies, which decouple edge-of-network devices
to make better decisions, faster.
and data-consuming client applications for more
efficient information distribution and increased To learn more about how Ignition is making IIoT
scalability. The decoupling of devices from ap- a reality, visit: inductiveautomation.com
plications is very significant from a development,
information, and security standpoint.
Connecting intelligent devices into the infrastruc- 1 “Gartner Says 6.4 Billion Connected ‘Things’ Will Be in Use in 2016,
Up 30 Percent From 2015,” Gartner.com
ture through MOM, rather than directly plugging
2 “More Than 30 Billion Devices Will Wirelessly Connect to the Internet
them into applications, accomplishes three major of Everything in 2020,” ABIresearch.com
things. First, it allows you to explore the possibili- 3 “An Internet to Call Our Own,” Smart Industry Magazine
ties of IIoT – to build new solutions on-the-fly and 4 “Behind GE’s Vision for the Industrial Internet of Things,” Fast Company
to go wherever the data takes you. Secondly, it 5,6 “Gartner Survey Shows That 43 Percent of Organizations Are Using or
allows you to bring in much more data much Plan toImplement the Internet of Things in 2016,” Gartner.com

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 Industrial Application Platform for SCADA, MES & IIoT

The Industrial Internet of Things:

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Discover the world’s first universal industrial application platform:

IIoT & SCADA on One Platform: Streamline Your Data Pipeline:

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functionalities built right in. from any device.

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Add unlimited clients, screens, Launch Ignition on any web-
tags, connections, and devices. enabled desktop or mobile device.

To put the IIoT to work for you, visit:

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