INTELLIGENT CABLING
Smart networks;
valuable and useful
As we become ever-more interconnected, sufficient
monitored cabling is vital to maintain communications says
Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice President of R&M META.
D
igitalisation is advancing
inexorably. And the signs can
be seen in factories, offices,
apartments and businesses, in traffic and
health companies, as well as in education,
social and leisure-time facilities. All kinds
of interfaces connect the visible world
with the Internet and remote datacentres.
And the numbers are increasing all the
time. Experts call them ubiquitous or
omnipresent systems.
And there is a parallel increase
in the number of application cases
and scenarios. Electricity meters in
apartments are networked and talk
digitally to the provider. The smart
power grid powers the washing machine
on or off as required. A smartphone can
remotely control heating, lighting and
security systems in buildings. Sensors in
the water pipes indicate where there is a
leak and how it can be repaired quickly.
This means that even a water pipe system
is now a smart network.
Digitalisation is becoming ever
more prevalent in retail too. Displays
in the shop of the future will know a
customer’s demands and preferences
from his/her digital profile, and will lead
them to all the latest and appropriate
offers. And digitalisation promises
potential for industry, too. Regardless
of location, production networks can
be configured at the click of a mouse.
Machines can communicate with other
machines independently. Virtual product
development and construction save both
time and material. Data just has to be
created once to be used for production
planning and other purposes. The digital
copies can then communicate with the real
machines. This is how companies can find
out how production systems are doing and
when they should be serviced.
Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M.
Digital copy of reality
Due to technical progress, manufacturers
can now create ever more efficient
electronic network-capable components
at an ever lower price. Tiny computers,
actuators and sensors, which constitute
embedded systems, can now be
accommodated in virtually every object in
the physical world and be connected to the
Internet using a proprietary IP address.
This is how cyber physical systems, smart
networks and the Internet of Things (loT)
came into being.
And this is how incredible quantities
of information, knowledge and business
processes end up in an apparently
anonymous cloud. Gradually, an extensive
digital copy of the real world is built up
in this cloud. Copies are made of objects,
items and processes from bits and bytes
that are stored in datacentres. The data
networks also acquire and process their
current status and the environment
impacting on them.
Great value, practical use
The pros and cons of this mega trend are
the focus of many an argument. Health,
safety, data protection and market freedom
have to be guaranteed at all times. But the
great value and practical use of the digital
image of reality are clear. The digital image
can be used multiple times.
A few examples: The data gained from
smart networks can be analysed centrally,
quickly and in a standard form. Service
providers can better simulate, automatically
detect and more easily examine complex
risks, trends and contexts. The basis
for making decisions is more precise
for forecasts, marketing and service, an
important aspect of value creation.
Many causes of disasters, delays,
loss or high consumption values can
be determined online at short notice
from the digital copy of a procedure.
Authorities, insurance companies and
managers share their knowledge with
other parties at the click of a mouse.
There are many things that no longer
have to be examined ‘on-site’.
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