By Kavita Phadnis, Content Strategist, Aprecomm
Industry 4.0 and the IIoT
According to Statista, the global Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) market is expected to grow from 544 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 to about 3.3 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030. While this presents a huge potential for hardware suppliers operating in the space, it also heightens the need for highly scalable and intelligent systems to manage exceptionally complex and often geographically dispersed communications networks.
As a key pillar of Industry 4.0, IIoT powers digital transformation through a connected network of assets. Harnessing automation, AI, ML, cloud, and edge computing technologies with advanced networking capabilities, it streamlines processes through analytics-enabled productivity optimization to refine and improve industrial operational processes.
Through the interconnected network of assets, the IIoT ably supports the integration of business processes and management systems across industries such as mining, manufacturing, utility, energy management and oil and gas.
The IIoT stack is a layered combination. At the base is the device layer consisting of the hardware, covered with the network layer of communications protocols, followed by the service layer of applications, and topped with the content layer of user interface devices.
The digital network is the integrating element and the fuel that powers the IIoT.
Digital Transformation Powering IIoT Adoption
The need to remain relevant and competitive is driving industries to effect digital transformation by adopting the latest technology solutions. While IIoT enhances efficiency through operational technologies (OT) that monitor, detect, and control physical devices, processes and events, high-performance wireless connectivity is critical to running the systems and processes. Consistent, seamless network connectivity is the cornerstone, making network health monitoring and management an imperative for smooth functioning.
The convergence of operational and informational technologies is giving rise to smart, intelligent processes which support machine-to-machine communications. These use a blend of automation, remote monitoring and predictive maintenance capabilities for precise operations, speed and control of equipment and processes.
Power of Partnerships
While industries adopt, onboard, and invest in cutting-edge emergent technologies for their core processes, external specialist software that optimizes processes beyond core systems plays a significant role. Such specialist software enhances functionalities, contributing towards efficient resource usage and increased productivity. These expert-developed solutions allow enterprises to focus on their core operations while avoiding the high costs and scope limitations associated with developing such specialized tools in-house.
Partnering with a process optimizer is a valuable addition which helps in evaluating current improvements to identify and remediate inefficiencies and eventually deliver a superior experience.
This is where solution providers such as Aprecomm provide real value to enhance performance and ROI by ensuring consistent, reliable, and always-on systems.
Nokia’s MXIE: revolutionizing IIoT
The Nokia MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) is a future-ready solution that uses powerful on-premises OT edge to allow enterprises to process machines and industrial systems data at the source in real time while retaining data sovereignty. Nokia’s MXIE is successfully accelerating the digitalization of Industry 4.0 use cases for asset-intensive industries like mines, ports, energy utilities, warehouses, and factories.
The Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) is a private wireless connectivity solution powered by MXIE designed to provide deterministic and pervasive connectivity to accelerate the digital transformation of industrial operations technology (OT) environments. It can now offer to concurrently run Wi-Fi (DAC WiFi).
Aprecomm’s automated support and Nokia’s MXIE: powering a new age in IIoT
In the latest development, Nokia has chosen to enrich their DAC WiFi solution with Aprecomm AI-powered network performance-optimizing capabilities. Aprecomm’s solutions will be available in the MXIE application catalog to help enhance DAC WiFi’s performance starting in the final quarter of 2024.
Why Aprecomm?
Aprecomm’s applications suite promises to enable industrial enterprises to optimise WiFi performance across their operations, also providing access to advanced data and analytics to monitor their networks and streamline operations, reducing costly downtime and bringing greater performance insight. The partnership includes the integration of Aprecomm’s software into Nokia‘s DAC Wi-Fi solution elements.
This new partnership marks a new application for Aprecomm’s CX applications suite that has helped both broadband service providers and businesses transform their approaches to connectivity. By using sophisticated artificial intelligence—including a unique quality of experience algorithm—Aprecomm is paving the way to an advanced monitoring and troubleshooting approach to managed WiFi, tuning the network to the unique needs of the specific operation and application in real time.
Aprecomm as an enabler and optimizer
As a network intelligence platform, Aprecomm is a leading, globally present enabler. Since its inception, Aprecomm has successfully enabled homes and enterprises to use optimizer solutions.
With its advanced, intuitive network maintenance and management capabilities, the scope for Aprecomm’s suite deployment has evolved and is now well-placed to meet the need for ensuring uninterrupted, seamless connectivity in mission-critical industrial applications.
The upcoming partnership with Nokia is a testament to its relevance and suitability. Aprecomm promises seamless connectivity through its intelligent, intuitive network solution that monitors, measures, and remediates, using AIOps to resolve, warn and rebalance the Wi-Fi network proactively.
Making use of the potent combination of automation, AI, and ML, the Aprecomm suite of products is primed to deploy, integrate, and operate smoothly, with minimal downtime, making it an unmatched feature.
Additionally, Aprecomm’s interoperability makes it a tech-agnostic offering, eliminating any concerns about incompatibility issues. Lastly, scalability is a major advantage, given the exponential growth in device numbers since the widespread adoption of industrial IoT technologies.
Network connectivity is the backbone of Industry 4.0
Securing high-speed, reliable Industrial connectivity is a top priority in an industrial environment. Connectivity is crucial to IIoT. The IIoT is a fast-expanding realm of connected devices and sensors with additional pressure to speed up time-to-process, reduce latency and enhance real-time decision-making.
The success of IIoT depends on the ability to connect with gateways, apps, servers, routers, and other devices. Execution of tasks too can happen only when they can communicate machine to machine and exchange data. Industrial connectivity demands extensive coverage, elastic bandwidth, low latency, data security, and data throughput without adversely impacting cost.
The solution lies in smart remote monitoring and managing of networks, leveraging network intuitive, self-healing Aprecomm offerings that are designed to meet such demands.
