2017 Manufacturing IoT Outlook

So we’re a few weeks in, friends. How’s 2017 feeling so far? Full of excitement and eagerness for all of the projects and innovations that will define the year? Let’s take a peek into what the manufacturing IoT outlook holds for the year.

Fog Computing or Edge Computing

Interested to see what the year’s buzzwords will be? In years past we’ve seen Big Data, the Cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) to name a few. This year we have a feeling the word on the street will be – fog computing (or edge computing). Nope, it’s not a new weather phenomenon, but it does sound a bit mystical, right? What does it really mean? Some say the term was first coined by Cisco. In essence, it refers to cloud computing to the edge of an enterprise’s network and facilitates the operation of computing, storage and networking services between end devices and cloud computing data centers.

As more industries adopt IoT practices and tap into the power of transmitting data wirelessly, bandwidth will become an issue. This is where fog computing comes into play. It remedies the problem by keeping data closer “to the ground” in local computers and devices, rather than routing everything through the Cloud.

It will definitely be something to watch in the coming year, and something our FlexDogs are happy to help clients harness within their organizations.

Edge Device Security

Another facet to watch in 2017 is edge device security. An edge device is a type of networking device that connects an internal local area network (LAN) with an external wide area network (WAN) or the Internet. It serves as the entry point into a service provider and provides translation between networks that use different protocols.

Network security can be a challenge in itself, but now we also must pay attention to mobile security, application security, cloud security and overall system security. Lucky for our clients, edge device security is another IoT element that our FlexDogs are well-versed in and can help button up for their organizations.

Curious about all of Flexware Innovation, Inc.’s capabilities in regards to IoT and business intelligence? Check us out here and learn more.