The Industrial IoT Blog
IIoT Insights by Henry Costa
Category: Cloud
Exploring how cloud technologies transform industrial data, scalability, and collaboration.
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The Hidden Cost of Cloud-Native IIoT: What the Vendors Won’t Tell You
Read more: The Hidden Cost of Cloud-Native IIoT: What the Vendors Won’t Tell YouEveryone talks about cloud-native IIoT like it’s free money. Just lift your shop floor data to the cloud, connect a few APIs, and boom. Instant insights, zero infrastructure, pay as you go. I’ve been leading IIoT platform evaluations and architecting…
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Top 10 Data Platforms to Watch in 2026
Read more: Top 10 Data Platforms to Watch in 2026If you work in manufacturing or industrial data, you already know how fast this space moves. Every year, there’s a new “must-have” platform, while the existing ones evolve, rebrand, or quietly add powerful new capabilities. After spending years working close…
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MQTT Quality of Service (QoS) Explained
Read more: MQTT Quality of Service (QoS) ExplainedIf you work in manufacturing or IIoT, you’ve probably heard the term “MQTT Quality of Service” (or just MQTT QoS) thrown around. It sounds technical, but it’s actually a pretty simple idea — it’s about how sure you want to…
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How Big Data, IIoT, and a Unified Namespace Work Together to Unlock Smart Manufacturing
Read more: How Big Data, IIoT, and a Unified Namespace Work Together to Unlock Smart ManufacturingGetting value from smart manufacturing isn’t about chasing the latest tech or buying shiny new machines. It’s about making data flow — from every sensor and PLC to the cloud, and then back to the people who need it. Over…
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IIoT Journey: Edge-First, Cloud-Second
Read more: IIoT Journey: Edge-First, Cloud-SecondI want to talk about why, after two decades in Industrial Smart Manufacturing, I’ve become a strong believer in an “Edge-First, Cloud-Second” approach for connecting plants, machines, and people. This isn’t some theory — it’s the result of real projects,…
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Naming Conventions Aren’t Boring—They’re the Backbone of Scalable IIoT
Read more: Naming Conventions Aren’t Boring—They’re the Backbone of Scalable IIoTLet’s get this out there: naming conventions are not glamorous. But in every serious IIoT project I’ve lived through—across oil & gas, pharma, automotive, and beyond—they’re the difference between a system that scales and one that becomes an unmanageable mess.…
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From SCADA to Cloud Analytics: The Evolution of Shop Floor Data I’ve Witnessed
Read more: From SCADA to Cloud Analytics: The Evolution of Shop Floor Data I’ve WitnessedIf you’d told me in 2005 that one day I’d be streaming millions of shop floor data points to the cloud, running AI on them, and visualizing everything in real time from anywhere in the world, I’d have probably laughed.…
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Kafka or MQTT for Data Streaming from Edge to Cloud?
Read more: Kafka or MQTT for Data Streaming from Edge to Cloud?If you’ve ever had to pick between Kafka and MQTT for streaming data from the plant edge up to the cloud, you know it’s not a simple “one size fits all” answer. I’ve lived through this choice in real projects…
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Is SAP DM a Replacement for SAP MII?
Read more: Is SAP DM a Replacement for SAP MII?Let’s cut to the chase: SAP Digital Manufacturing (DM, sometimes called DMC for “Cloud”) is not a direct, drop-in replacement for SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (MII). I’ve spent much of the last few years helping global manufacturers figure this…
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When Kepware isn’t Enough: Rethinking the Edge Connectivity Stack
Read more: When Kepware isn’t Enough: Rethinking the Edge Connectivity StackFor a long time, Kepware has been the go-to tool for connecting machines and pulling data from PLCs, DCS, and all sorts of shop-floor equipment. I’ve used it at dozens of sites — from auto parts to steel mills, pharma,…
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Why UNS Is Important in an IIoT Journey: Real Lessons from the Field
Read more: Why UNS Is Important in an IIoT Journey: Real Lessons from the FieldLet’s get right to it: if you want to make your plant smarter, faster, and truly connected, you need a Unified Namespace (UNS). I’ve spent over two decades in digital manufacturing, and I can tell you — the difference between…