The Industrial IoT Blog
IIoT Insights by Henry Costa
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From the Purdue Model to Event-Driven Architecture (EDA): What’s Really Changing
Read more: From the Purdue Model to Event-Driven Architecture (EDA): What’s Really ChangingLet’s talk about the shift from the Purdue Model to Event-Driven Architecture (EDA) in manufacturing. I’ve experienced this transition firsthand—on the shop floor, in IT meetings, and across countless architecture reviews. Here’s what’s truly happening, why it matters, and what…
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Digital Twins: Bridging the Physical and Digital Worlds
Read more: Digital Twins: Bridging the Physical and Digital WorldsIf you’ve spent any time in a plant or a control room, you know there’s a gap between what’s happening on the floor and what’s visible on the screens in the office. That’s the gap digital twins are meant to…
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What IIoT Consulting Really Looks Like: Stories, Lessons, and a Bit of Reality
Read more: What IIoT Consulting Really Looks Like: Stories, Lessons, and a Bit of RealityLet me tell you what IIoT consulting has really been like for me—across automotive, metals, pharma, food, and a few other places where things get built, mixed, or assembled. I’ve been at this since before “Industry 4.0” was a thing,…
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Why IIoT Projects Fail (And What I Learned After Being on Both Sides)
Read more: Why IIoT Projects Fail (And What I Learned After Being on Both Sides)If you work in manufacturing long enough—especially in Industrial IoT (IIoT) or Industry 4.0—you’ll see plenty of projects that don’t go as planned. Some stall, others limp along, and a few just quietly fade away. I’ve been on both sides:…
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Inside an IIoT Platform: The Layers That Make It Work
Read more: Inside an IIoT Platform: The Layers That Make It WorkWhen people talk about “IIoT platforms,” it often sounds like some magic box that connects machines and sends data to the cloud. In reality, it’s not a box — it’s more like a layered system, with several moving parts working…
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My First Real IIoT Project: Making Automotive Plants Smarter
Read more: My First Real IIoT Project: Making Automotive Plants SmarterIf I had to pick one project that truly started my Industrial IoT journey, it would be this one. Back in 2017, I was helping a large global automotive parts manufacturer — one of the top 10 worldwide — modernize…
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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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Foundations: What Is a PLC in an IIoT Architecture?
Read more: Foundations: What Is a PLC in an IIoT Architecture?Let’s start at the beginning: what’s a PLC, and why does it matter so much in smart factories and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) setups? The Basics: What Is a PLC? A PLC, or Programmable Logic Controller, is basically the…
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How Hard Is It for a Small IIoT Consulting Company to Win Projects in the U.S.?
Read more: How Hard Is It for a Small IIoT Consulting Company to Win Projects in the U.S.?Let me just say it straight: for a small Industrial IoT (IIoT) consulting company, selling projects in the US market is tough. I’ve seen it from both sides — building a practice from scratch and sitting on the buyer’s side…
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Integrating Autonomous AGVs: Lessons from the Field
Read more: Integrating Autonomous AGVs: Lessons from the FieldSome projects stay with you — not just for the technology, but for how they reshape what you think is possible on a shop floor. A few years ago, I was part of a large automotive manufacturing initiative that brought…
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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.…