Critical infrastructure demanding more from communications technology

According to multiple analyst reports, the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to see at least 10 times growth between now and the year 2020. These forecasts are based on both market size and the number of connections across the globe.

The adoption of IoT technology is resulting in significant advancements across all kinds of industries and making the possibilities of a connected world nearly limitless. As organizations continue to require more information, they also need it faster. The increase in demand for data causes networking and communications technology providers to deliver high-speed, high-bandwidth solutions to create larger data pipes to meet the growing operational demands of today (e.g. greater visibility into production, safety, security, manageability, etc.).

Organizations also are investing in solutions to build or expand core communication-network infrastructures—as well as remote networks—but also to protect their existing network-infrastructure investments. Many industries have leveraged serial communications in the past, but with a greater transition into Ethernet communications, there is pressure to find a balance between legacy and next-generation networking equipment.

Unlike in the past, organizations today cannot limit their communication technologies to just one vendor, one technology or one service provider. To leverage the most cost-effective solutions for specific network deployments, organizations will employ multiple technologies for a hybrid networking approach to utilize the most cost-effective data transport medium possible.

With these highly specific network deployments, there may be substantial benefits in combining multiple technologies for a hybrid networking approach, and organizations are taking notice. Ideally, organizations should have the choice to select a network topology or combination of networks that best suit their applications, with a mix of high-speed Ethernet and Serial data ports for easily interconnecting with existing system technologies. The latest wireless M2M networking solutions can meet these requirements, integrate with existing technologies, preserve existing network=infrastructure investments, and replace obsolete communications solutions without a hitch.

As industrial markets continue focusing more on safety, automation and improving operational efficiencies, the demand for more intensive monitoring, measurement and automation via M2M communication and networking technology has naturally followed. Understanding the emerging developments of M2M wireless communications and reviewing the necessary security and reliability options available today for the enterprise-driven company reveals an exciting future for critical networking. Keeping up with increasing demands for critical infrastructure in the 21^st Century will be a challenge, but with the right technology in place, anything is possible.

Daniel G. Steele is the director of OEM, utility and energy markets at FreeWave Technologies. Steele has more than 25 years of experience selling Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks for the water and wastewater, oil and gas, electric utilities, railroad, traffic, government and process control instrumentation markets.