The Internet of Things and M2M: Industrial and smart businesses

This article was produced by Olswang LLP, which joined with CMS on 1 May 2017.

Industry is on the brink of experiencing another major revolution. M2M technology and in particular industrial automation will change production processes drastically, as "intelligent" machines and components are increasingly able to control processes without outside (human) assistance.

Relevant information can be relayed directly to the producer who can react where necessary. Benefits include improved productivity in form of faster repairs, less downtime and streamlined production, better error awareness, more flexibility to meet customer demands and most importantly greater cost efficiency. And also in smart businesses M2M is playing an increasingly important role, helping optimise processes and leading to better efficiency and reduced costs.

With these advantages come challenges, particularly with regard to the increased volume of data and the need to ensure that this is managed securely, reliably and with integrity.

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