Two different types of approaches to connected devices are
making headlines in today’s IT world. One is machine-to-machine (M2M)
processes, which focuses on connecting manufacturing devices and equipment in a
physical production space, and the internet of things (IoT), a much broader
term for a new reality where nearly everything we use has a chip inside it
connecting it to the global internet.
Obviously, the internet of things is much more
attention-grabbing and popular because of its broad, nearly infinite set of
applications. Machine-to-machine technology is still mostly talked about in
trade journals and in rooms where executives figure out how to improve industry
processes. (To learn about IoT security, check out 10 Steps to Strengthen Your
IoT Security.)
With that in mind, M2M and IoT have some key similarities,
as well as some important differences. Both will play major roles in the development
of device connectivity services moving forward. Specifically, they will each
have an impact on how mobile apps, those ubiquitous carriers of wireless
functionality, are developed.
What Is M2M and How Will It Affect Mobile Apps?
The idea of machine-to-machine communications is built
around making manufacturing processes and assemblies smarter by doing more with
the machines and pieces of equipment that help with production or monitoring on
an assembly line or elsewhere in industry.
This method of industrial control has been around for a
while, and although it’s experiencing quite a bit of innovation, in many ways
it lags behind what the internet of things is doing, simply because its
applications are less broad.
“While it’s not clear who popularized the acronym, the roots
of M2M communication date back as far as the early 1970s, when Theodore
Paraskevakos invented and patented ‘an apparatus for use in a telephone system’
responsible for ‘automatically transmitting information from a calling telephone
to a called telephone.’” writes Brian Ray at LinkLabs, describing M2M’s
origins. “In other words, Paraskevakos invented the first Caller ID.”
Machine to machine has often been seen to utilize the control plane of the network,
where routing tables and other tools address network topology, rather than
classically sending along bits of internet-connected data. The use of
programmable logic controllers, or PLC, in industry is an example of this.
So what does this mean for mobile apps? Well, in industrial
settings, M2M will be a guiding design metric for all of those apps that have
users tapping, typing and texting equipment, facilities or environmental
controls. If you have a clean room app, where blowers and heaters and other
equipment will have to work in automated tandem, M2M will likely apply.
What Is the Internet of Things and How Will It Affect Mobile
Apps?
IoT is much newer – but there’s also a key difference
between M2M and internet of things connectivity. The internet of things works
through the connected global internet over IP protocols in the data plane of a
network. (Learn about what it takes to work with the IoT in Job Role: IoT
Solutions Architect.)
On the IoT side, it’s harder to collectively describe how this
technology works. The “internet of things” is really a broad catch-all term.
What is the internet of things? Some people talk about OEM manufacturers and
how companies want to embed internet connectivity into manufactured devices.
Think of your smart refrigerator, smartwatch, smart toaster or smart
dishwasher. Also, think about your Fitbit and all of the different wearables
that come connected to the IoT.
Most of those IoT items are not related to industrial or
manufacturing processes. They’re consumer goods, or items that help with government
or business administration. So the big dividing line is that while
machine-to-machine technologies connect the machines that make the machines,
IoT connects the products of those assembly lines and generally builds a more
connected world.
The IoT is going to help us to unlock tremendous power in
terms of consumer mobile apps. All of these apps that used to work through smartphones are going to be able to network with
smart refrigerators, dishwashers, etc. Part of this massive innovation will
lead to “seamless device following” where that data tracks a user’s physical
movement to offer more customized results.
What's in Store with M2M and IoT?
In the future, we can expect that both M2M and IoT are going
to continue to innovate. We can also expect that M2M is going to move toward an
IoT model – because that makes these systems more versatile.
Classically, M2M systems were not often internet-connected.
They were very isolated and walled off from the global internet, and as a
result, they were somewhat ossified. Companies can talk about security
concerns, but as we see all of these other processes moving toward the global
internet, there’s really no reason why M2M wouldn’t go along.
There’s another key trend that we’re likely to see, particularly in M2M technologies. That’s
the decoupling of the control plane from the data plane by utilizing
software-defined networking approaches. Software-defined networking takes the
control from the hardware and puts it in a software component on its own, so
that the networks of the future can operate with more transparency and
flexibility.
For instance, think about a wastewater treatment plant that
uses specific M2M workflows from a proprietary vendor to manage grinder pumps,
treatment stations and all sorts of other equipment and assemblies. The plant
operators may be happy with their M2M infrastructure – but as time goes on,
public planners will evaluate what’s available and probably gravitate toward an
IoT model that makes it easier to come in and change equipment processes as
needed. If, on the other hand, a company sticks with specific M2M technologies,
those technologies will get smarter and more automated to allow machines to do
more. With sensor fusion and either modern M2M or IoT, new factory machines
will be able to spot defects in products. They’ll be able to move items
according to very specific needs. They’ll probably be able to manage
inventories and even control facilities environments in very particular ways,
all without human intervention. Our machines are getting smarter – and how we
handle that evolution will be a defining characteristic of tomorrow’s business world.
Again, M2M and IoT will both inform mobile apps, in their
respective ways. M2M will move the mobile app in enterprise facilities use
cases, and IoT will move it in most consumer-facing cases. Look for both of
these trends to happen rather quickly as new connective technologies come
online.
