I²M²—The Future of Industrial Internet Monetization
Not all Monetization Methods can be
assigned to all business models; in practice,
groups of possible business models are
selected for specific Monetization Methods
and expanded by new business models
which are only possible with this method as
shown in Figure 4.
it. In Figure 5, two dark-green arrows show
traditional payment paths: The Operational
User pays the System Builder upfront one
time and the latter pays the Component
Builders one time.
Figure 5 is an abstract model of the actors. In
reality, the relationship is much more
complex for a specific industrial system with
additional actors, shown in Figure 6. Only
Monetization Methods which can be
adapted to such complex relationships will
have a chance for industry acceptance.
A Monetization Method is general if it
supports many business models and special
if it is designed around one or just a few
models, most likely invented specifically for
this Method.
Figure 5: Schematic Actors Relationship in I²M² (adapted from (IIC-IISF)) 1
Participants Monetized Items
Participants are the different actors involved
in an industrial system. Figure 5 explains
their relationship: An Operational User
wants to own or lease a new industrial
system (e.g. an oil rig), creating revenue
while the system is in operation. The
Operational Requirements are converted by
the System Builder into a real system
compiling many components together into a
specific design. The system is finally
deployed and the Operational User operates Figure 3 shows another parameter of the
I²M² model — the items which are
monetized: One item is the System itself
which is designed to use many components
in a sophisticated way. In an IIoT system, all
these components are ideally connected to
each other and have access to the Internet.
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March 2018