DIGITAL DISRUPTION
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M achine-to-machine ( M2M ) communication and the Industrial Internet of Things ( IIoT ) are increasingly important to manufacturing companies . But how is M2M different from IIoT ?
Both M2M and IIoT technologies enable information sharing by connecting machines , equipment , robots , and enterprise resource planning systems . The goal is to minimise unplanned downtime , improve services , and increase productivity . While the two technologies are distinct , the differences between them are certainly blurring .
As the name suggests , the Internet of Things ( IoT ) connects all sorts of devices using the internet and usually feeds the data into the cloud to provide analytics . It creates a broad web of connections , that can include feeding into business applications . Data is transferred around that web using various protocols – essentially different languages – providing flexibility and scalability . When IoT technologies are used by companies , you often hear the term Industrial IoT ( IIoT ).
M2M , however , physically hardwires machines directly with microcontrollers . These enable them to share data with other machines locally , independent of a broader network . They can then connect into a larger network and become part of the Internet of
MAY 2019