March 20, 2017 - The M2M & OPCF user group has been founded in order to document and spread best practices for building secure communication solutions and smart services based on device and machine data.
Today’s devices and machines produce high-value data. For example, a production machine logs at which time it is used. However, the available data only becomes viable if it can be processed and used to improve a product, to offer a service, or to reduce the costs. For example, knowing the utilization of production systems can be used for offering overcapacities of the procution system to other parties. Currently, the value of the available data is lost as the data is locked within its source.
Communication enables remote accessing to and processing of the data. Internet-based smart services enable new business cases, like production as a service, which mine the value of the available data. A prerequisite for smart services is that devices, machines, and smart services exchange data in a secure way. Otherwise, data, machines, and devices might get compromised or the value of the data is monetarized by external parties.
Device and machine builders must ensure the data integrity and the data confidentially. Furthermore, they must guarantee that the sovereignty of the data remains to the data owner. Currently, many devices and machine builders struggling with these security challenges. Thereby, they give away the ability to use the data to improve their own products, services, and to reduce their costs. Nevertheless, the information to build secure solutions already exists within the M2M Alliance and the OPC Foundation (OPCF).
