Value Propositions in the Internet of Things: A Taxonomy of B2B Smart Services

Connected and smart products give rise to smart services that leverage their advanced capabilities and promise profitable business models. However, many companies in the Internet of Things domain are still struggling to incorporate smart services into their portfolios, and more research is needed to facilitate service innovation and adoption. We, therefore, identify common characteristics of the value propositions of B2B smart services and summarize them in a taxonomy. The taxonomy development follows established methods and is based on a systematic literature review and the study of 100 empirical objects. To confirm the validity of our findings, we conduct two ex-post evaluations. Our research provides descriptive knowledge about B2B smart services that can serve as a foundation for further research on smart service innovation

Modelling availability risks of IT threats in smart factory networks: a modular Petri net approach

In manufacturing, concepts like the Internet of Things (IoT) or Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) accelerate the development from traditional production facilities towards smart factories. Thereby, emerging digital technologies increasingly connect information networks with production processes, forming complex smart factory networks. Due to their reliance on information flows and the high degree of cross-linking, these networks are, in particular, vulnerable to availability risks caused by attacks and errors. To address this problem, we aim to identify and analyse availability threats by developing a modelling approach that depicts specific characteristics of smart factory networks. Based on modelling requirements derived from a literature review, we propose a modular Petri net approach. To iteratively revise and validate our model, we followed established evaluation principles and conducted evaluation rounds with industry experts and other researchers. To demonstrate the usefulness and applicability of our model, we simulated one real-world use case and two planned extensions of a mechanical engineering company. Our model depicts information-based dependencies within smart factory networks and allows for the simulation and analysis of threat propagation. Thereby, it enables both researchers and practitioners to identify critical network connections and components, serving as a basis for layout decisions and IT security mitigation measures

MODELLING AVAILABILITY RISKS OF IT THREATS IN SMART FACTORY NETWORKS – A MODULAR PETRI NET APPROACH

In manufacturing, concepts like the Internet of Things (IoT) or Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) accelerate the development from traditional production facilities towards smart factories. Thereby, emerging digital technologies increasingly connect information networks with production processes, forming complex smart factory networks. Due to their reliance on information flows and the high degree of cross-linking, these networks are, in particular, vulnerable to availability risks caused by attacks and errors. To address this problem, we aim to identify and analyse availability threats by developing a modelling approach that depicts specific characteristics of smart factory networks. Based on modelling requirements derived from a literature review, we propose a modular Petri net approach. To iteratively revise and validate our model, we followed established evaluation principles and conducted evaluation rounds with industry experts and other researchers. To demonstrate the usefulness and applicability of our model, we simulated one real-world use case and two planned extensions of a mechanical engineering company. Our model depicts information-based dependencies within smart factory networks and allows for the simulation and analysis of threat propagation. Thereby, it enables both researchers and practitioners to identify critical network connections and components, serving as a basis for layout decisions and IT security mitigation measures