Approach to Adapt a Legacy Manufacturing System Into the IoT Paradigm

This work has been supported by Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, by Uninova-CTS research unit and by national funds through FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia within the research unit CTS - Centro de Tecnologia e Sistemas (project UID/EEA/00066/2013). The authors would like to thank all the institutions.Enterprises are adopting the Internet of Things paradigm as a strategy to improve competitiveness. But enterprises also need to rely on their legacy systems, which are of vital importance to them and normally difficult to reconfigure or modify, their mere replacement being usually not affordable. These systems constitute, therefore, barriers to agility and competitiveness, raising the need to develop cost-effective ways for IoT adaptation. An approach for adapting legacy manufacturing systems into the IoT realm is proposed in this research. The methodology is twofold: an adaptation board is firstly designed to provide IoT connectivity, allowing to remotely invoke the “legacy” functionality as services. Then, the board itself can leverage the legacy system by developing additional functionalities inside it, as the update process is usually triggered by the need of new functionality from these systems. An experiment, which consists of adapting to IoT a small distribution line that is controlled by an aged Programmable Logic Controller, is developed to illustrate how straightforward, affordable and cost effective the adaptation approach is, allowing to holistically achieve a new system with more sophisticated functionality.publishersversionpublishe

Determinan Faktor Adopsi Teknologi Internet of Things: TOE Model

Adopsi teknologi terbaru, seperti IoT, memainkan peran penting dalam kemampuan organisasi mempertahankan posisi kompetitif di pasar, dan telah menjadi strategi inti untuk memastikan pengelolaan sumber daya teknologi informasi yang efektif. Namun demikian, keputusan untuk mengadopsi model IoT seringkali diperumit oleh tantangan dan ketidakpastian tentang nilai bisnis yang diharapkan terkait dengan teknologi baru tersebut. Berdasarkan hal tersebut, maka penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi adopsi Teknologi Internet of Things dengan model Technology Organization Environment (TOE). Metode penelitian yang dilakukan adalah metode deskriptif kuantitatif dan sampel diambil secara acak dari populasi penelitian yaitu karyawan dan pemilik UKM industry kreatif di Jawa Barat. Kuesioner didistribusikan terhadap 100 responden dan dianalisis menggunakan analisis PLS-SEM dengan program SmartPLS. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa Kesiapan teknologi, Dukungan Manajemen, Ukuran Organisasi, regulasi dan tekanan pesaing berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap adopsi IoT pada UKM industri kreatif di Jawa Barat. Temuan penelitian ini akan membantu memperjelas konsep dan model adopsi IoT dan adopsi Teknologi secara umum dengan meggunakan model TOE

Approach to Adapt a Legacy Manufacturing System Into the IoT Paradigm

Enterprises are adopting the Internet of Things paradigm as a strategy to improve competitiveness. But enterprises also need to rely on their legacy systems, which are of vital importance to them and normally difficult to reconfigure or modify, their mere replacement being usually not affordable. These systems constitute, therefore, barriers to agility and competitiveness, raising the need to develop cost-effective ways for IoT adaptation. An approach for adapting legacy manufacturing systems into the IoT realm is proposed in this research. The methodology is twofold: an adaptation board is firstly designed to provide IoT connectivity, allowing to remotely invoke the “legacy” functionality as services. Then, the board itself can leverage the legacy system by developing additional functionalities inside it, as the update process is usually triggered by the need of new functionality from these systems. An experiment, which consists of adapting to IoT a small distribution line that is controlled by an aged Programmable Logic Controller, is developed to illustrate how straightforward, affordable and cost effective the adaptation approach is, allowing to holistically achieve a new system with more sophisticated functionality

Influential Determinants of Internet of Things Adoption in the U.S. Manufacturing Sector

Manufacturers have been hesitant to adopt Internet of things (IoT) due to a lack of understanding about the innovate characteristics, technology, organizational and environmental factors related to IoT adoption and how their organizations can apply IoT correctly. This quantitative, correlational study used a combination of diffusion of innovation theory and technology–organization–environment framework as the foundation to examine if a relationship exists between relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, technology readiness, top management support, firm size, competitive pressure, and regulatory support and IT leaders\u27 intent to adopt IoT in U.S. manufacturing organizations. A sample of 168 information technology (IT) leaders from the U.S. manufacturing sectors was used. Multiple regression analysis indicated significant relationships between the intent to adopt IoT by IT leaders of manufacturing organizations and only 3 of the 8 independent variables: technology readiness, top management support, and competitive pressure. The model was able to predict approximately 44% of the variation of IT leaders\u27 intent to adopt IoT. The results of this study might help IT leaders in the U.S. manufacturing sectors understand the factors that influence IoT adoption. The findings from this study might contribute to positive social change by contributing to economic growth that results from increased efficiency gained from the adoption of IoT in key business areas

Modernization of Legacy Information Technology Systems

Large enterprises spend a large portion of their Information Technology (IT) budget on maintaining their legacy systems. Legacy systems modernization projects are a catalyst for IT architects to save cost, provide new and efficient systems that increase profitability, and create value for their organization. Grounded in sociotechnical systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies IT architects use to modernize their legacy systems. The population included IT architects in large enterprises involved in legacy systems modernization projects, one in healthcare, and one in the financial services industry in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas metropolitan area in the United States. The data collection included interviews with eight IT architects, reviewing 12 organizational documents and pertinent artifacts. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Prominent themes included collaboration in modernization projects, systems and process documentation, and resources upskilling and technical training. A key recommendation is for IT architects in large enterprises to ensure that team collaboration, system documentation, and resource technical training are built into all aspects of the legacy systems modernization projects. The implications for positive social change include the potential to bring together individuals with diverse backgrounds and different perspectives and skills to develop trust and build positive relationships during legacy systems modernization projects