Scott Allen for Sys-Con Media:  Like other new technologies before it, IoT is going through its honeymoon phase. Can we cut out a manual process? Can we improve data transmission speeds? Can we make our machines smarter? When the answer is yes, the solution is IoT technology. But the haste to adapt to these new possibilities has left many feeling a growing and very real problem: security.

How network and systems architects respond to this problem could determine the long-term viability of technology that holds either the promise or the challenge of fundamentally changing the way our industrial sectors function.

For decades, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems have played a significant role in industrial operations. Industries like oil and gas, electric power/smart grid, agriculture, and utilities have implemented SCADA systems and networks to collect data and automate processes, and are always looking to automation systems for more effective ways to operate.

The capability to collect more data from geographically dispersed field assets in remote locations has driven the need for enhanced communication technologies. The number of sensors and data points collected will continue to rise dramatically with improved connectivity.

This collected data helps operators improve operational decisions, save manpower and, in many instances, keep employees safe by avoiding dangerous environments. Today, industrial network operators are increasingly implementing end-to-end IP connectivity or the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling more capabilities at the edge of these networks. This does not make SCADA systems obsolete by any means; it opens the door to greater possibilities of enabling new applications and analytics with every single data point being captured in the system.  Full Article: