Industrial automation is not a new concept to the manufacturing world, however, the Internet is. As the Internet of Things becomes a larger and larger phenomenon in almost every industry across the world, factory floors are gradually joining the trend by creating connected factory floors. With factory managers trying to optimize processes and lower costs, analytics tools could hold the key to improvement. Many manufacturing companies have taken the first step toward analytic tools by implementing “bring your own device” (BYOD) programs on the floor for more efficient operations.
According to a 2014 survey by IHS Technology, 46 percent of companies surveyed had already adopted or planned to adopt BYOD programs. These companies have found BYOD increases mobility and optimizes response time for engineers on the factory floor. It also brings economic advantages, as the majority of employees already own a smartphone or tablet, pay for their specific data plan and understand how to operate the device.
While these devices have proved successful thus far, many worry they are not designed to sustain the harsh conditions of the floor. To combat this, some manufacturing companies plan to replace commercial devices with company provisioned devices that are more durable.
An even larger concern for factory managers is that BYOD programs open the company to new avenues of vulnerability. When the company’s production system can be accessed from any location with just a few clicks on a tablet, hackers have a potential new point of access to the company’s data – a potential point many believe is not worth the risk.
Moving forward, each manufacturer will need to evaluate if a BYOD program is suitable to the particular company in question and if the advantages outweigh the security circumstances. If so, new techniques for protecting data exposure must be explored before complete adoption can be achieved.