John Fryer for MBTmag.com:  Many manufacturers are viewing the emerging Industrial “Internet of Things” (IIoT) as a way to provide their businesses with a new and powerful competitive advantage. They recognize the potential in harnessing and analyzing data from across the plant to drive greater efficiency and create the foundation for new business models. But how can manufacturers navigate from the automation infrastructures of today to the intelligent IIoT enterprises they envision?

To help answer that question, manufacturers stand to learn much from looking at other industries and how they have addressed the challenges of moving to the IIoT. Companies in a number of industries — from energy to financial services to telecom and building security — have successfully made the transition from the inflexible, limited proprietary technologies of the past to the agile, intelligent open technologies of today.

As manufacturers chart their course, there are insights they can glean from other industries that are successfully achieving the advantages of next-generation IIoT automation. Â Cont'd...