Digital Transformation in Practice : Learning from IIC Deployments
not provided by traditional IT communication . TSN combines the connectivity of IT networks with the deterministic guarantees required by OT .
Operational impact : TSN-based converged networks impact the communication infrastructure . A single network serving all applications is required , instead of many parallel networks . IT / OT integration poses new challenges and opportunities in its operation and management .
Customer experience impact : The direct customers of TSN are solution providers integrating digital value in traditional OT systems . Their customers benefit from a new connectivity and data accessibility and a simplified communication architecture .
Business model impacts : TSN infrastructure , hardware and software solutions for endpoints and services are a highly relevant market . Even larger is the market for digital solutions for OT systems enabled by TSN .
Business : A single converged network instead of many parallel systems allows companies to focus on their business rather than being caught up in technology . This accelerates adoption of digital solutions . The unified infrastructure also allows the development and deployment of software products and services in an OT environment without having to provide hardware and devices .
Technology : TSN is a base technology for wired communication , and the base for other trending technologies such as 5G , DetNet , deterministic Wi-Fi or OPC UA on the higher layers of the communication stack .
Trustworthiness : Trustworthiness of OT networks and systems used to be achieved by airgaps or proprietary solutions , often of questionable quality . Connecting OT systems to the IT world exposes them to more threats , so we require solutions . A single , well-designed converged infrastructure enables a clear approach for trustworthiness relying on well-established solutions known from IT instead of many combined proprietary technologies with no interoperability .
Data center / edge : TSN-based converged networks connect field-level devices with IT networks and edge and cloud data center solutions . Various platforms were tested in the testbed .
Hyper-connectivity : Converged networks allow a single infrastructure to be used for multiple applications , protocols and services – real-time and non-real-time .
AI & analytics : Data access is a requirement for most AI and analytics methods . TSN enables the required connectivity and can adjust parameters of the acquisition to the needs of the methods .
Digital twin : Connectivity between the real and the digital world is a requirement for many approaches in the field of digital twins .
IIC Journal of Innovation 57