IoT spawns a consortium

No sooner does a major new market opportunity open up for business than a consortium is formed to help exploit it. And in this case it is a consortium that should add to the development of the marketplace from the end users’ point of view rather than just that of the vendors.

This one is aimed at identifyingthe requirements for open interoperability standards and defining the common architectures needed to connect smart devices, machines, people, processes and data in the world of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Known as the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), it brings together some heavyweight players, in the form of AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel. The goal is to create an open membership group focused on breaking down the barriers of technology silos to support better access to big data with improved integration of the physical and digital worlds.

The consortium will enable organisations to more easily connect and optimise assets, operations and data to drive agility and to unlock business value across all industrial sectors.

There is already a growing ecosystem of companies, researchers and public agencies emerging to help drive adoption of Industrial Internet applications, and the IIC expects to take the lead in establishing interoperability across various industrial environments in order to create a more connected environment for managing industrial processes.

Specifically, the IIC’s charter will be to encourage innovation by utilising existing and creating new industry use cases and test beds for real-world applications, delivering best practices, reference architectures, case studies, and standards requirements to ease deployment of connected technologies, influencing the global standards development process for internet and industrial systems, facilitating open forums to share and exchange real-world ideas, practices, lessons, and insights, and building confidence around new and innovative approaches to security.

“We are at the precipice of a major technological shift at the intersection of the cyber and physical worlds, one with broad implications that will lead to substantial benefits, not just for any one organisation, but for humanity," said Janos Sztipanovits, director, and E. Bronson Ingram Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS) at Vanderbilt University. “Academia and industry understand the need to identify and establish new foundations, common frameworks and standards for the Industrial Internet, and are looking to the IIC to ensure that these efforts come together into a cohesive whole.”

As founding members, AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel, will each hold permanent seats on an elected IIC Steering Committee along with four other elected members. The Steering Committee will provide leadership and governance to help organisations capitalise on this vast opportunity.

"Given the importance of this technology, the federal government is investing over $100 million/year in R&D related to cyber-physical systems, and has been partnering with the private sector on a series of test-beds in areas such as healthcare, transportation, smart cities, and increasing the security of the electric grid,” said Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. 

“By linking physical objects to the full power of cyberspace, the industrial internet promises to dramatically reshape how people interact with technology. The Administration looks forward to working with public-private collaborations like the new IIC to turn innovative industrial internet products and systems into new jobs in smart manufacturing, health care, transportation and other areas.”

The IIC is open to any business, organisation or entity with an interest in accelerating the Industrial Internet. In addition to gaining an immediate, visible platform for their opinions, consortium members will join in developing critical relationships with leaders in technology, manufacturing, academia and the government on working committees. The IIC will be managed by Object Management Group (OMG), a non-profit trade association in Boston, MA.

Details about the fee structure and membership application forms are available here