The Industrial IoT Blog
IIoT Insights by Henry Costa
Category: Edge
Exploring edge computing as the bridge between machines, data, and the cloud.
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Industrial Edge Computing: Advantages and Use Cases
Read more: Industrial Edge Computing: Advantages and Use CasesWhat is industrial edge computing and why is it important? Industrial Edge Computing refers to processing and analyzing data close to the place where it is generated, that is, directly at industrial devices or sensors. Unlike traditional cloud-based computing, this technology…
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Software-Defined Automation (SDA) Is Coming. What It Means for Your IIoT Architecture
Read more: Software-Defined Automation (SDA) Is Coming. What It Means for Your IIoT ArchitectureSoftware-Defined Automation (SDA) is one of those terms that sounds like it was invented in a marketing meeting. But this time, there’s real substance behind it. And if you’re building or evolving an IIoT architecture today, you should pay attention.…
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Model Context Protocol (MCP) Explained: Making IIoT Smarter
Read more: Model Context Protocol (MCP) Explained: Making IIoT SmarterIf you work in industrial automation or manufacturing, you know the pain of getting data from machines, sensors, and systems into the hands of people and AI tools that can actually use it. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a…
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IIoT Gateway vs Edge Computer vs Industrial Router: What’s the Difference?
Read more: IIoT Gateway vs Edge Computer vs Industrial Router: What’s the Difference?People ask me all the time: what’s the difference between an IIoT Gateway, an Edge Computer, and an Industrial Router? And honestly, I get why it’s confusing. Vendors love to mix these terms, and sometimes the same box gets called…
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Top 10 IIoT Gateway Devices to Watch in 2026
Read more: Top 10 IIoT Gateway Devices to Watch in 2026Most factories are not fully “smart factories.” They are a combination of legacy assets that remain critical, newer equipment with restricted networks, vendor skids with limited documentation, quality systems requiring trusted data, IT teams enforcing security controls, and business stakeholders…
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Why Edge Data Contextualization Is Key for AI in Manufacturing
Read more: Why Edge Data Contextualization Is Key for AI in ManufacturingIf you’ve ever tried to get meaningful insights from a plant’s data, you know the struggle. You wire up a sensor, push the data to the cloud, and… good luck figuring out if “Tag_123” is a temperature, a pressure, or…
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IIoT at Scale: Containerization, Docker, and Kubernetes Explained
Read more: IIoT at Scale: Containerization, Docker, and Kubernetes ExplainedI’ve spent the better part of two decades watching manufacturing tech evolve from isolated systems to today’s cloud-connected, agile factories. Lately, the biggest leap I’ve seen is how containerization (with Docker and Kubernetes) is making it easier to scale IIoT…
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Sparkplug B vs Plain MQTT: Performance Lessons
Read more: Sparkplug B vs Plain MQTT: Performance LessonsIf you work in industrial manufacturing and you’re looking at MQTT, you’ve probably heard about Sparkplug B. You might be wondering: Is it really faster? Does it use less bandwidth? Is it worth the extra complexity? I’ll walk you through…
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Equipment Connectivity: The Unglamorous Work That Makes Everything Possible
Read more: Equipment Connectivity: The Unglamorous Work That Makes Everything PossibleIf you’ve ever walked into a modern factory and seen dashboards glowing with real-time data, robots humming along, or operators using tablets to check production status, you’ve seen the shiny side of smart manufacturing. But behind all that magic, there’s…
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Edge AI Is Transforming IIoT with Real-Time Decisions
Read more: Edge AI Is Transforming IIoT with Real-Time DecisionsLet’s break it down simply. Edge AI means running artificial intelligence—things like machine learning models—directly on devices at the “edge” of your network. That’s usually right where the machines, sensors, and cameras are, not in some far-off data center. Why…
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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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Birth Certificates for Machines: How Sparkplug NBIRTH Messages Work
Read more: Birth Certificates for Machines: How Sparkplug NBIRTH Messages WorkLet’s talk about something I see a lot in real-world industrial IoT projects, but that’s rarely explained in plain English: Sparkplug NBIRTH messages. If you’ve heard the phrase “birth certificate for machines,” that’s what we’re talking about. These NBIRTH messages…