As technology rapidly changes, it is important for companies to choose the right approach for connecting their devices. One school of thought is called Distributed Intelligence which refers to moving the processing of data from a centralized system, to devices that collect and process data locally. Applications that are better solved with the principles of distributed intelligence are often complex processes that are naturally spread out over time, distance, or across multiple tasks. Advancements in IoT technology have made a distributed intelligence approach feasible, and according to IDC's Research by 2019, 75% of large manufacturers will update their operations and operating models with IoT and analytics-based situational awareness.
5 Reasons to Incorporate Distributed Intelligence into your IoT Strategy
1. Get Meaningful Alerts and Reduce Random Data
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- Intelligent devices with decentralized analytics and decision making capabilities can monitor continuously and only report back with relevant information. This reduces superfluous data that is inevitable when data is sent back to the main system every millisecond.
2. Monitor More than Critical Machinery
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- With small, wireless, battery powered IoT devices it becomes feasible to monitor previously overlooked devices that were too costly or difficult to wire back to a central system. Monitoring more devices makes it much easier to find the cause of a problem when something goes wrong.
3. Easily Add or Change Capabilities
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- Adding more capabilities to a centralized SCADA system is a complex, timely, and expensive challenge. It is much easier to add sensors and change event triggers on one device with local processing.
4. Minimize Central Failure
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- Problems with a top down centralized system can affect all devices in the network. Local failure of one intelligent device does not disrupt other machines or the central system.
5. Monitor Geographically Dispersed Machines
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- Intelligent devices with their own communication protocols do not have to be located within wiring range of the central control, making it possible to simultaneously monitor machines around the world.
Using a distributed intelligence approach allows your devices to process information on the edge and send information to the right person when there is something interesting to say. Sending actionable information, instead of a constant flow of data, reduces the time to value of information. To learn more about IoT solutions based on the principles of distributed intelligence go to Atomation.net.