BOSTON — The Industry IoT Consortium announced updates to its Industrial IoT Internet Connectivity Framework (IICF), a foundation document that guides the building of an industrial IoT (IIoT) connectivity architecture. The latest version of the IICF expands the connectivity guidance to include lightweight, resource-constrained, machine-to-machine (M2M) devices often found at the edge of networks. The IICF defines an IIoT communications stack and a connectivity assessment template. It applies the assessment template to evaluate IIoT connectivity standards and provides guidance on selecting the right connectivity standard based on system requirements. The IICF connectivity reference architecture enables data sharing and interoperability across a diverse range of IIoT systems.

“Five years ago, the IICF laid the foundation for ubiquitous data sharing across the rich but often confusing landscape of IIoT applications,” said Rajive Joshi, lead author of the IICF, co-chair of the IIC Conectivity Task Group, and principal solutions architect at Real-Time Innovations. “Today’s important updates and new assessments cater to the communication requirements of resource-constrained devices. “IIoT architects can use this document confidently to review up-to-date requirements, technologies, standards, and solutions that enable rapid, open information exchange across their systems.”

“Sharing data is essential for organizations to create new value streams and unleash the potential of a global IIoT marketplace,” said Stephen Mellor, CTO, IIC. “The latest version of the IICF helps organizations use IoT-connected M2M devices to drive better business outcomes.”

The IICF is a fact-based, consensus-developed document that provides a stable, long-term foundation for IIoT interoperability. It offers helpful, practical, tangible guidance for requirements assessment, technology evaluation, and selection.

The updated IICF builds on the previous versions and provides updates and assessments for connectivity framework standards, including Open Platform Communications United Architecture (OPC UA); oneM2M; Lightweight M2M (LwM2M);  and Data Distribution Service (DDS), including the new DDS for Extremely Resource-Constrained Environments (DDS-XRCE) and DDS for Time-Sensitive Networking (DDS-TSN) specifications. The latest version of the IICF also includes updated diagrams and an expanded list of standards.