Transformative applications require seamless integration of control networks with edge and cloud into the IoT data fabric

In the world of data networks, an emerging concept called "data fabric" has emerged that enables different systems to interact as a whole. Gartner listed data fabric in the top ten data and analytics technology trends at the 2020 Data and Analytics Summit, pointing out that it can achieve seamless data access and processing between originally isolated systems. When this concept of achieving interoperability of one system or protocol with multiple systems/protocols is extended to include Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks, it will have great potential.

Control interoperability between networks

Currently, industrial control networks are islands of automation that are difficult to access from the outside without complex custom development. It is often too expensive to fully integrate these networks with modern analytics platforms, machine learning and AI systems, cellular and 5G networks, and other innovative edge and cloud computing technologies.

To enable an open data fabric that can connect any industrial edge device horizontally to its peers or vertically to an edge network or cloud, Dialog is driving the standardization of the IoT Access Protocol (IAP) through its ANSI/CTA 709.10 and EN 14908 standardization projects.

IAP lays the foundation for an IoT-centric data fabric that enables seamless and unified access to any industrial network protocol from any workstation or client, such as a SCADA workstation or building management system, and any web services-enabled application, such as a cloud IoT or analytics/AI platform.

Make full use of existing equipment assets of industrial enterprises

The IoT Access Protocol (IAP) is based on data and network models validated by LON technology, the first open industrial M2M protocol pioneered by Echelon Corporation, which was acquired by Dialog. LON technology has more than 30 years of operational experience and hundreds of millions of connections.

With the IAP definition, any vendor can create a software driver and use the IAP Web service application program interface (API) to insert devices and applications into the data structure. As long as the customer's device supports the standard data structure, there is no need to write a program, and the system will automatically recognize the data information.

Dialog’s SmartServer IoT is a perfect example of implementing the concept of a data fabric. SmartServer IoT is an edge computing platform that creates an Industrial IoT-centric “data fabric” that connects any edge device, whether it’s a sensor, meter, or machine.

In addition, SmartServers eliminates the complexity of distributed control networks and provides software tools and technical support to help you build edge applications and achieve easy and secure access to device data.

IAP and SmartServer solutions help you successfully integrate traditional control systems and automation systems (OT) with emerging edge analytics and AI applications (IT). Industrial companies can now take advantage of innovations in edge and cloud technologies to change the way they operate and easily connect existing devices to the network.

To learn more about Dialog's industrial edge computing solutions, please visit:

https://www.dialog-semiconductor.com/products/industrial-edge-computing