IIoT Apps are Brewing
General Electric recently published a piece with three important reasons software developers should focus on the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). It cited the fact that IIoT apps can solve real-life problems in our cities, provide the opportunity for more than 18.5 million developers to advance digital infrastructure, and justify the big investments in IoT. FreeWave on App Development In our 2017 prediction series, we also highlighted the emerging opportunity for IIoT app development. We believe that IIoT app development will start to outpace consumer app development in 2017. IoT app development can play a significant role in driving Smart Data over Big Data for mission critical use cases. Organizations need to get the data they need when they need it, and new applications at the Edge can help send the right data to the right people. We also see a huge business opportunity for developers: the opportunity to leverage cybersecurity applications and the need for business apps that will coincide with IIoT apps to meet standards and interoperability challenges. Although it is early in the year, we’ve already begun to align with our prediction through our R&D efforts here at FreeWave. Recently we partnered with an app development company to offer something new to our customers. New Apps at the Edge FreeWave’s new partnership with Systech offers an industrial Tank Level Control application that resides on and executes from FreeWave’s ZumLink Industrial IoT (IIoT) Programmable Radio for edge networks. The new application was developed by Systech for FreeWave and features an easy-to-use “ITTT (If This Then That)” process control programming interface that will control analog, digital and RS485 sensors linked to the ZumLink programmable radio. The FreeWave ITTT App is designed for a user-friendly experience and requires no previous programming knowledge or practice. It is ideal for M2M and IIoT use cases at the access layer and will perform automated Sensor-2-Server (S2S) functions to streamline operations. We are watching IIoT app development closely and will certainly have more advancements and announcements in relation to our own journey with bringing apps to the ZumLink IIoT Programmable Radio. What kinds of IIoT apps would you like to see?
IoT News Roundup Topics of the Week: Big Headlines in Early 2017
The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to drive headlines in early 2017. It seems like every day we are seeing a flow of news stories about a more connected world. We’ve been watching some of the IoT and Industrial IoT (IIoT) headlines across the trades and have compiled some of our recent favorites. IoT News Headlines Forbes: HR can use big data to drive engagement, predict success By Valerie Bolden-Barrett| Published on @hrdive “Forbes Human Resource Council says HR can use big data in the same manner as key performance indicators and retention metrics to carry out organizational goals. The council offers six ways HR can leverage data.” “With all the big data and technological advances at HR’s disposal, over reliance on metrics can ignore employees’ human needs. Engaging employees sometimes can be a simple as acknowledging them for a job well done or asking for their input in a major decision affecting their work.” Lady Gaga’s Halftime Show Drones Have a Bright Future By @brbarrett | Published on @WIRED “Each drone communicates wirelessly with a central computer to execute its dance routine, oblivious to what the hundreds of machines around it are doing. The system can adapt on the, er, fly, too. Just before showtime, the computer checks the battery level and GPS signal strength of each drone, and assigns roles accordingly. Should a drone falter during the show, a reserve unit takes over within seconds. All of which is pretty cool in its own right. But making it work for the biggest television event of the year takes a whole different level of planning.” How Service Relationship Management and the IIoT Are Keeping Transportation on the Right Road By Michael Riemer | Published on @IoTJournal “In 2016, the Internet of Things went mainstream, but in 2017 we expect the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to transform operations across numerous industries. Also known as the Industrial Internet, the IIoT enables machine-to-machine (M2M) communication of usage, performance and health metrics. There is quite a buzz around using this data, along with machine learning and other predictive algorithms, to help anticipate and eliminate potential causes of downtime. Nowhere is this more evident than in the commercial asset service ecosystem. Trucking fleets, construction assets, agriculture and power-generation equipment are all susceptible to costly unscheduled downtime and generally long repair cycles.” China is Now the World’s Largest Solar Power Producer By @luchanglu| Published on @DigitalTrends “As it stands, solar energy represents only one percent of the country’s energy output. But this may soon change as China devotes more and more of its attention towards clean energy. The NEA says that China will seek to add more than 110 gigawatts within the next three years, which could help the nation up the proportion of its renewable energy use to 20 percent by 2030. Today, it stands at 11 percent.” We predicted that 2017 would be a transformative year with a lot of innovation and smarter data, especially within the IIoT realm. These recent headlines are certainly tracking along with those insights. It will be interesting to see how IIoT continues to shape markets and change the way we do things.
Energy and Excitement at DistribuTECH 2017
This week we attended DistribuTECH 2017 with several thousand of the leading minds in technology, education and innovation for utilities, Smart Grid and municipalities. We had many great conversations about the direction of Industrial IoT (IIoT) and the all-encompassing digital technology shift. At the FreeWave booth we led many demonstrations of our latest technology. We also shared how our fellow attendees can achieve smart data at the Edge. Here is a small snapshot of the excitement and action from the show: FreeWave at DistribuTECH We had a lot to share at DistribuTECH this year. In addition to providing product demos at our booth, we just launched several important company, product and partnership announcements. Here’s the run-down on what we launched this week: New IIoT Products & Two New Partnerships Introduced at DistribuTECH Zumlink Z9-C and Z9-T Radios: FreeWave introduced the Zumlink-Z9-PE last Fall, but now it brings the next generation, high performance platform to market. ZumLink is the underpinning of the company’s go-forward IIoT strategy for IIoT and embedded radio applications. The Z9-C and Z9-T deliver high speed Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) functionality in a radio module that is half the size of a credit card. FreeWave and Systech application partnership: Together with Systech, we announced an industrial Tank Level Control application that resides on and executes from FreeWave’s ZumLink IIoT Programmable Radio for edge networks. The new application features an easy-to-use “ITTT (If This Then That)” process control programming interface that will control analog, digital and RS485 sensors linked to the ZumLink programmable radio. The FreeWave ITTT App is designed for a user-friendly experience and requires no previous programming knowledge or practice. Technology partnership with E2E Technologies: E2E is a comprehensive solutions provider specializing in communication architecture design, implementation and network management. E2E’s Stingray Network Management System (NMS), supports the full array of FreeWave’s industry-leading wireless communication solutions and is optimizable for IT professionals looking to manage individual components of a limited IIoT or M2M communications system within a larger IT network management framework. The New FreeWave We officially unveiled a new look and website that reflects our move to the next generation of the industrial IoT: The Programmable Edge and Fog Computing. The new FreeWave visually projects our future-focused mission to help organizations around the world connect and gain valuable intelligence from devices – even in the most challenging of locations and conditions – anytime, anywhere in a secure, reliable fashion. This week has represented several major milestones for FreeWave, and launching it all at DistribuTECH was the perfect platform for sharing both our news and the future direction of FreeWave. What do you think about the new FreeWave website?
2017 IIoT Prediction Series, Part 1: Where the Fog Meets the Edge
As 2017 kicks into full gear and a particularly interesting 2016 fades into the rearview mirror, we took a look around the IIoT landscape to see what this year might potentially have in store. We will be unveiling five IIoT-related predictions throughout this week and into next, so stay tuned and let us know what you think! It’s become increasingly difficult to ignore the importance of cybersecurity. From the role it played in the 2016 presidential election to the recent revelation that in 2013, more than one billion Yahoo accounts were breached, cybersecurity is no longer a problem unique to Sci-Fi thrillers. Of course, the two examples mention here are simply the most egregious of recent memory, but they pale in comparison to the threat of a cyberattack on actual infrastructure. Cybersecurity for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) began as a minor headache and quickly grew into a full-blown migraine. Data is the perhaps the most important “currency” in the world today, and companies both public and private are scrambling to figure out the best way to protect that data will still ensuring real-time transport and analytics. With that in mind, our first prediction for the new year centers on the deployment of new methods for data transport and protection: 2017 will see the emergence of True Fog Computing and Programmable/Intelligent Edge Devices with the strongest security measures to-date. According to analysts, organizations have become more comfortable hosting critical infrastructure and application in the Cloud. In efforts to further optimize processes and shorten response times, organizations will explore ways to host applications at the device/sensor level (i.e., the Edge or Fog Computing). A decentralized network architecture that brings computing power closer to where data is generated and acted upon, Fog Computing enables analysis, control and automation closer to the “Things” in the Industrial Internet of Things. Because Fog Computing reduces the amount of data being sent to the Cloud, cybersecurity will be enhanced by reducing the threat and attack surfaces of IIoT networks. In industries where even milliseconds are vital, certain processes will move away from the Cloud and closer to the Edge. The basis of this shift in intelligence deployment is simple: the Cloud, while fairly secure, is still prone to security breaches, so rather than host all of the data and the analytics tools, move those processes closer to the edge to the sensors and devices with security already built in. Now, while the concept is simple, the execution is more difficult. This shift requires a robust, high-speed network capable of real-time data transmission and, perhaps even more importantly, programmable devices at the edge. Rather than thinking about big data from the perspective of drinking from a fire hose, a programmable device at the edge allows the user to develop proprietary applications that filters out unnecessary data. Subsequently, the smaller data packets enable two things to happen: faster transmission to the analytics engines, and the ability to send that data via mesh networking technology, which has proven to provide greater security. Simple, right? As it stands, the greatest problem facing this shift in intelligence to the edge is that there are, at the moment, very few companies creating programmable devices for the edge. It’s a different way of approaching data transmission and security, and so far, the industry has been slow to catch on: rather than trying to build a wall in front of a massive door (the Cloud), eliminate the door and create a series of constantly moving mouse holes (the Edge). Which sounds easier to protect?
2017 IIoT Prediction Series, Part 2: Industrial Apps Outpace Consumer IoT Apps
As 2017 kicks into full gear and a particularly interesting 2016 fades into the rearview mirror, we took a look around the IIoT landscape to see what this year might potentially have in store. We will be unveiling five IIoT-related predictions throughout this week and into next, so stay tuned and let us know what you think! Yesterday, we started our predictions by looking at the potential development of Fog Computing at the Edge and its impact on cybersecurity. IIoT App Development in 2017 In 2016, Industrial IoT app development made headlines as the technology landscape continued to evolve. App developers are becoming increasingly aware of the opportunity to create third-party apps for industrial and critical infrastructure operations. While the demand for Smart Data increases and organizations work to update legacy systems, particularly at edge networks, our next 2017 prediction is all about IIoT app development. The prediction IIoT app development programs will begin to outgrow/outpace consumer IoT app development programs within the next three years. Third party IIoT application development at the edge (i.e., Fog Computing) specifically will eliminate need for big data transmission capabilities. The ability to filter specific data needs directly at the source means less of a need to collect all the data for broad analysis. There are a number of industry drivers that support the prediction. Here’s our take on the big ones: Smarter Data, Not Bigger Data The ability to filter specific data needs directly at the source will reduce the need to collect all the data for analysis as Big Data transitions towards Smart Data. Smart Data Organizations within IIoT will develop applications that enable them to get only the data they need, when they need it. This will drive faster response times and Cloud resources will be able to take on more data intensive tasks like trends and historical analysis. The Developer Benefits The attraction towards the more lucrative business of developing apps for IIoT networks will drive a lot of growth in the area of IIoT app development. Developers will also have the opportunity help solve major infrastructure issues that accompany big initiatives, such as Smart Cities and improvements to critical infrastructure projects. These initiatives are likely to drive more investments into IIoT app development, creating new business opportunities for developers. Cybersecurity Initiatives The demand for cybersecurity will drive the growth of IIoT app development as organizations work to prevent DoS and hacking attacks – especially on legacy systems. Leveraging cybersecurity apps to support those existing systems will help organizations protect their data and improve operations. Interoperability and Open Standards Systems today require more interoperability between disparate and oftentimes outdated technologies and systems. Because of the business demands for interoperability, the IIoT network impact on IT systems, the enterprises will require more software solutions for enhanced visibility and control to bring everyone and every system onto a single toolchain. Because there are more open standards and modern technologies being deployed, IT groups will need new business apps to coincide with the apps deployed along the IIoT systems. It will be interesting to see how each of these moving parts impacts IIoT app development over the next year. Stay tuned for our next prediction focused on IT/OT Convergence and the challenges of recruiting the next generation of the workforce.
2017 IIoT Prediction Series, Part 4: Smart Cities Turn to Standardization
As 2017 kicks into full gear and a particularly interesting 2016 fades into the rearview mirror, we took a look around the IIoT landscape to see what this year might potentially have in store. We will be unveiling five IIoT-related predictions throughout this week and into next, so stay tuned and let us know what you think! On Tuesday, we started our predictions by looking at the potential development of Fog Computing at the Edge and its impact on cybersecurity. Wednesday, we predicted that the rise of IIoT applications will outpace consumer IoT apps. Yesterday, we wrote about the challenge facing IIoT businesses as the workforce ages and new skills are needed for the ongoing IT/OT Convergence factor. FreeWave Predictions 2017 Throughout the last year or so, we’ve paid especially close attention to the development of Smart infrastructure. People tend to think of smart cars, smart appliances, smart houses, and smart cities in this context, but what we’re more interested in is the growth of the infrastructural mechanisms that make these “smart” applications a reality. Because we play in the industrial sector, the growth of Smart Cities is where we most notice the growth of this infrastructure. Some cities around the world, especially India, have invested heavily in the infrastructure necessary to create a Smart City. Other countries, however, have been slower to follow suit for a variety of reasons. Our Smart City Prediction With the rise of Smart City initiatives the 802.11 ah (HaLow) wireless networking protocol will over power Bluetooth in 2017 for critical infrastructure applications like traffic management, public safety, energy efficiency and public infrastructure design. By the end of 2017, millions of smart IoT devices will be deployed into networks that use the HaLow protocol and it will eventually become the standard for IIoT. The “Standards” Problem One of the main challenges to Smart City growth so far has been the reluctance for industry leaders to choose a single standard for connectivity. So far, HaLow has been considered one of the titans, but there is yet to be a move to make it the standard for further development. This WiFi protocol brings many benefits to the table, including its high speed data transmission and the early backing of IEEE. Bluetooth or HaLow? Nipping on the heels of HaLow is the emergence of Bluetooth 5. Where HaLow shines – high-speed data transmission rates for longer distances – Bluetooth 5 falls flat. But Bluetooth 5 has perks of its own: low energy needs means longer battery life for the devices that use Bluetooth 5, and, of course, the cost factor cannot be ignored either – Bluetooth 5 is much cheaper to implement. Additionally, where Bluetooth 5 is already up and running, HaLow is still being rolled out, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Smart Cities Need Bandwidth, but… They also need cost-effective solutions that can be rolled out today. Where the benefits outweigh the cost is most likely the side to which Smart City developers will fall. As urban areas continue to expand outward, the need for high bandwidth solutions will become more important, which would seem to favor 802.11ah in the long run. Stay tuned Monday for our final prediction!
2017 IIoT Prediction Series, Part 3: IT/OT Convergence & the Next-Gen Workforce
As 2017 kicks into full gear and a particularly interesting 2016 fades into the rearview mirror, we took a look around the IIoT landscape to see what this year might potentially have in store. We will be unveiling five IIoT-related predictions throughout this week and into next, so stay tuned and let us know what you think! On Tuesday, we started our predictions by looking at the potential development of Fog Computing at the Edge and its impact on cybersecurity. Yesterday, we predicted that the rise of IIoT applications will outpace consumer IoT apps. FreeWave Predictions 2017 As our prediction series continues, we’d like to examine the industrial IoT (IIoT) workforce. Most of the industries that leverage IIoT face an uncertain future as they navigate their own digital transformation, coupled with the pressures of an aging workforce. The biggest challenge affecting IoT talent recruitment is the skills gap – there are not enough qualified applicants to take on new digital-centric, IT roles. From a business perspective, IT/OT convergence further complicates the issue. Enterprises are transforming the way they operate and it impacts everyone – especially the folks on the operations side dealing with legacy systems. Each of these factors has created a talent gap for many organizations. Our IoT Recruitment Prediction Recruitment of IoT talent will continue to be a challenge, incentivizing private enterprises to directly fund secondary education programs to nurture the next generation of a digital-centric workforce. The Business Problem As organizations and enterprises reorganize under the IT umbrella to address new technology opportunities, cybersecurity threats and work towards creating a connected enterprise – there is an underlying business problem. IT teams need better visibility and control of assets in the field while learning how to integrate these people and systems into modern IT practices. Meanwhile, on the OT side, there is an entire workforce that excels at managing and troubleshooting existing legacy systems, but lacks the potential skillsets to help with new technology demands and data analysis. IT/OT convergence is challenging for many businesses and it affects all aspects of the organization. Recruitment and Solution Recruitment challenges are impacting many industries. The Wall Street Journal reported the highest number of open positions in 15 years for the manufacturing industry because the talent pool lacks the skills for the job. As IoT connects and automates more processes, this gap will only continue to grow if nothing is done proactively to change it. There also is the question of whether organizations should bring in new talent or nurture existing talent. In an effort to overcome some of these challenges, we will see enterprises (not IoT vendors) to privately fund secondary education programs to help identify and create a more skilled workforce. In addition to standard HR recruitment and training practices, we expect to see more tactics such as IoT hackathons for the industrial sector, software development and digital/IoT centric accreditations, private contests, internal skill development workshops and IIoT user conferences. This wider investment in education will benefit both the existing, aging workforce and the incoming, next-generation of workers. Stay tuned for our next prediction as we explore the future of Smart Cities across the globe.
Industry 4.0 Top News Roundup
Industry 4.0, another term being batted around for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to explain the next-generation of industrial manufacturing and a new data exchange paradigm, is bleeding into multiple industry dialogues to describe the new landscape of how things are being made. With all the hype surrounding the idea of a “smart factory,” it seemed fitting to turn our attention towards highlighting our top news being reported on Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0: the urgency of data standardization By @Antoine_Rizk1 | Published on @ManufacturingGL “Sometimes presented as the new industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, primarily represents an advance in production means and practices. Characterized by interconnected machines and systems, it involves making production and supply chains smarter in order to improve efficiency in resource allocation and increase agility in production processes.” Industrial Analytics Based On Internet Of Things Will Revolutionize Manufacturing By @LouisColumbus | Published on @Forbes “Industrial Analytics (IA) describes the collection, analysis and usage of data generated in industrial operations and throughout the entire product lifecycle, applicable to any company that is manufacturing and selling physical products. It involves traditional methods of data capture and statistical modeling. However, most of its future value will be enabled by advancements in connectivity (IoT) and improved methods for analyzing and interpreting data (Machine Learning).” Drones will transform the way food is grown next year By @Harri8t | Published on @CNBC “Drones are transforming agriculture — giving farmers new tools to supervise crops and check on fields from the air — and 2017 will be be a pivotal year for adoption, say industry experts.” US Manufacturers Too Slow to Adopt Industry 4.0: BCG Study By IW Staff | Published on @IndustryWeek “Nearly 90% of manufacturing leaders surveyed by BCG regarded adopting Industry 4.0 technologies as a way to improve productivity, but only about one in four see opportunities to use these advances to build new revenue streams. Many are pursuing isolated initiatives scattered throughout the company, BCG found in its new report, “Sprinting to Value in Industry 4.0,” without a clear vision and coordination from the top.” Embracing ‘Industry 4.0’ By @alansmurray | Published on @FortuneMagazine “There’s a interesting new report out from BCG this morning on “Industry 4.0” – the German’s preferred term for how big data, cloud computing, sensors, advanced analytics, augmented reality and improved robotics are dramatically changing the world of manufacturing (known in GE-land as the “Industrial Internet”).” As we conclude another round of top news, we hope you were inspired and informed about the latest in Industry 4.0. It’s clear that business digitalization will only continue to add more technology, whether that be IoT, sensors, cloud computing and other solutions. Our job is to be ready and informed about how tomorrow’s technology could help enterprise digital transformation today.
Data that Drives Electric Vehicles
There was a lot of hype surrounding electric vehicles when they first hit the market for consumers. Supporters saw electric vehicles as a key solution for battling gas prices and making a positive impact on the environment. Over the years, several countries throughout the world have incentivized the purchase of electric vehicles through subsidies available to both the car makers and the buyers. However, as we roll into 2017, sales are short of expectations in the U.S. Currently, we’re seeing only about 400,000 electric vehicles on the road. In President Obama’s First term, he said that he believed the U.S. could have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. When January 2016 hit, the estimate was looking like it could take up to another four years to accomplish the goal – especially with continuing low gas prices and troubled electric vehicle battery technology. To help further the push towards electric vehicles, the White House recently hosted an electric vehicle datathon to find and discuss what data would drive the deployment of more electric vehicles on U.S. roads. The event was co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy and four National Laboratories. The White House announced that electric vehicle experts, automakers, charging-station providers, cities and states collaborated with software-development and data-analysis communities as the group looked for answers to the electric vehicle challenges. Together, they worked to better understand how plug-in (electric) vehicles contribute to and help the environment and economy. They also worked to find out find out what it will take to make U.S. consumers more interested in purchasing electric vehicles. Electric Vehicles and the Right Data Electric vehicle manufacturers, well aware of the challenges and slow adoption, have also worked to provide U.S. citizens with appealing electric vehicle options. During the R&D process, these manufacturers are challenged with improving vehicles to increase purchases and usage in the U.S. Battery challenges aside, careful selection of communication technology is essential to improving data and performance of these vehicles. Without proper data collection and transport, vehicle performance cannot be analyzed and improved. One of the leading electric car companies uses Sensor-to-Server (S2S) solutions for RTK base station communications to improve data and correlation. As the Internet of Things (IoT) infiltrates more areas of our everyday life, S2S solutions designed to be robust and reliable in heavily industrial environments work as a communication solution for many industries across the board. From typical industrial environments like oil/gas and water/wastewater, to smart cities and the automotive industry and more specifically, electric vehicles. S2S solutions offer high-speed, long range connectivity with 900 MHz RF technology and they can support third party applications. As the electric vehicle industry looks to data for overcoming challenges, these solutions are designed to collect, protect, transport and control critical data from network end points all the way back to the server. Electric car manufacturers have a ways to go in terms of driving more adoption from consumers, but they have a nice selection of IoT and sensor-based technologies to help improve data and communications.
2017 Analyst Predictions – Industrial IoT
Predictions can be enlightening as we round out the end of the year, and industry analysts covering the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) have begun forecasting what to expect in 2017. In the ever changing digital business landscape, companies need to keep a pulse on the technology and regulatory environments to have direction on where to focus their efforts. Over the past few years, IIoT has taken on the shared title of industry 4.0, as new ways of connecting businesses and consumers impact systems infrastructures and technology integrations across many, if not all. business lines. In honor of reigning in 2017 as a strong year for the industrial internet, we have dedicated this week’s round up to highlight some of the top IIoT analyst predictions in the coming year. Gartner Predictions: Surviving the Storm Winds of Digital Disruption By Daryl C. Plummer, Martin Reynolds, Charles S. Golvin, Allie Young, Patrick J. Sullivan, Alfonso Velosa, Benoit J. Lheureux, Andrew Frank, Gavin Tay, Manjunath Bhat, Peter Middleton, Joseph Unsworth, @rayval, @DavidFurl, Werner Goertz, @JCribbs_Gartner, Mark A. Beyer, @Alex42Linden, @noahelkin, @nheudecker, Tom Austin, @mc_angela, Fabio Chesini, Hung LeHong | Published on @Gartner_inc “Digital business innovation creates disruptive effects that have a wide-ranging impact on people and technology. However, secondary ripple effects will often prove to be more disruptive than the original disruption. Digital strategists must actively identify secondary effects when planning change.” Gartner Also Suggests That its Time to, Harness IoT Innovation to Generate Business Value By @chetster | Published on @Gartner_inc “The Internet of Things is moving beyond concepts and trials, and has begun to deliver business benefits across a range of industries. Studying innovation and how early use cases have fared will help CIOs and IT leaders capture business value.” Forrester Predictions 2017: Cybersecurity Risks Intensify By @AmyDeMartine, Jeff Pollard, @infosec_jb, @acser, @heidishey, Christopher McClean, @jz415, @merrittmaxim, @sbalaouras, Trevor Lyness, Peggy Dostie | Published on @forrester “The connected world has arrived; we live and work in it. In this new reality, the next 12 months will see battles rage that will determine the amount of control individuals have over their own data and right to privacy as well as the offensive and defensive responsibilities of our governments. This report guides security and risk (S&R) pros through five predictions for 2017 that highlight escalating ramifications of poor security hygiene and how to mitigate potential damage.” Ovum 2017 Trends: Radio Access Networks By @sonixag | Published on @OvumICT “This is part of Ovum’s 2017 Trends to Watch series. This report looks at what Ovum believes will be the major trends next year when it comes to the radio access network (RAN) market.The RAN market remains a challenging area and the need for spectrum remains a constant concern. RAN vendors are looking for new growth areas, and everybody wants 5G and they want it now. All of these factors are driving market trends.” IDC 2017 Forecast: Manufacturing Worldwide By @kimknickle, Simon Ellis, @hashtonIDC, Christopher Holmes, @jeffhojlo, @ivanoortis, @VeronesiLor, Jing Bing Zhang | Published on @IDC “This IDC study provides manufacturers with the top 10 predictions and underlying drivers that we expect to impact manufacturers’ IT investments in 2017 and beyond. Technology leaders and their counterparts in the line-of-business (LOB) operations can use this document to guide their IT strategic planning efforts. According to Kimberly Knickle, research vice president, IT Priorities and Strategies, IDC Manufacturing Insights, “Technology continues to reshape the relationship between business and IT for innovation and digital transformation. Manufacturers want to work smarter using digital technologies in their products and processes and throughout the value chain. Our predictions create a framework for IT and line-of-business executives to plan and execute technology-related initiatives in the year ahead.” As we conclude our highlights this week, we should realize these predictions are just the tip of the digital iceberg anticipated for 2017. The future could see more intelligent technologies communicating in industry 4.0 with machines processing more data. We could also expect to finally dig deeper into our IoT connected understanding. All we can do is hold tight as the next corner of digital transformation unfolds.