AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM, Intel form IIC
March 31, 2014
AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel have confirmed the formation of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), 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.
An ecosystem of companies, researchers and public agencies is emerging to help drive adoption of Industrial Internet applications, a foundational element for accelerating the Internet of Things. The IIC is a newly formed not-for-profit group with an open membership that will take the lead in establishing interoperability across various industrial environments for a more connected world. 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;
· 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, E. Bronson Ingram Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Director of the Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), 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.”