Manufacturers are embracing AI to present a caller level of automation, optimization, and innovation. To unlock the afloat imaginable of AI connected the store floor, organizations are investigating and investigating technologies and paradigms that empower them to leverage their information much effectively.

Microsoft, successful concern with IoT Analytics, marketplace probe firm, conducted a planetary survey of manufacturers to summation penetration into however they are seizing the AI accidental portion navigating cardinal manufacture challenges. We asked manufacturers astir their existent priorities and aboriginal visions, their adoption of modern technologies and paradigms, and the benefits they expect from those technologies 

In this report, we stock the cardinal findings from the survey, to amusement however manufacturing enterprises are preparing their shopfloors for AI to marque them secure, scalable, and automated and however they are adopting precocious technologies specified arsenic centralized instrumentality management, bundle containerization astatine the edge, and unified concern information operations to accelerate that process.

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How manufacturers hole shopfloors for a aboriginal with AI

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Read connected to observe the six cardinal lessons learned from manufacturers rethinking their operations for AI and however Microsoft is supporting the mill of the aboriginal with Azure’s adaptive unreality approach.

Six findings from manufacturers preparing their store level for AI

1. Scale matters the astir successful the epoch of AI

Scalability was the main interest for 72% of survey respondents, who highlighted this paradigm arsenic important for their factory’s future. Scalability came first, followed by automation and serviceability. These paradigms guarantee that factories tin efficiently grow with demand, optimize with minimal manual determination making, and support precocious uptime done casual troubleshooting and maintenance. 

What does standard look similar for concern environments? 

Manufacturers look the challenges of keeping up with the changing demands of the market, the regulations, and the competition. They besides admit the imaginable of AI to alteration their operations, optimize their processes, and heighten their products. But they don’t person the luxury of spending months oregon years connected deploying and scaling solutions crossed their plants. Manufacturers request a faster mode to move, a smarter mode to manage, and a much flexible mode to adapt. That’s wherefore we person introduced a caller approach—the adaptive unreality approach. 

To larn more, see how the adaptive unreality attack is designed to assistance manufacturers unify their teams, sites, and systems with cloud-native and AI technologies that enactment seamlessly crossed hybrid, multicloud, edge, distributed computing, and IoT. The adaptive unreality attack empowers manufacturers to present worth faster, negociate devices much efficiently, and tally applications much securely to prepares them for the AI-powered mill of the future.  

2. Cybersecurity and information absorption are apical of caput close now 

Security risks and information handling difficulties airs superior problems, with 58% of respondents seeing cybersecurity arsenic a terrible contented and 49% seeing information absorption arsenic a terrible issue. These concerns are motivating customers to amended web information and guarantee information is reliable and accessible for decision-making. 

What does information look similar for concern environments? 

Security and information extortion are captious for the manufacturing sector, arsenic the assemblage faces expanding regulatory standards and cyber threats. Manufacturers request to unafraid existing devices, and program during instrumentality refresh to take devices that conscionable manufacture information standards, volition alteration them to much easy comply with regulatory standards, and supply information to support from the latest information threats.  

To larn more, spot Microsoft’s broad attack to security, from instrumentality to cloud, that helps customers conscionable their compliance needs and support against attacks. For existing devices, Microsoft provides firmware and web scanning with Microsoft Defender for IoT, which allows customers to inventory their devices and show for vulnerabilities and threats. For caller devices, customers tin take from starring manufacture archetypal instrumentality manufacturers (OEMs) devices labeled Secured-core, which conscionable the latest information requirements. Both existing and caller devices tin beryllium monitored and remediated utilizing Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel.

3. Device absorption is captious for information and information handling 

Device management’s worth is evolving beyond updates and instrumentality wellness monitoring to besides code information risks and information travel management. The survey information supported this trend, with 68% of respondents noting that the information monitoring facet of instrumentality absorption was precise oregon highly important to their enactment and 59% of respondents highlighting information absorption arsenic the 2nd astir important facet of instrumentality management. 

Why is centralized instrumentality absorption important? 

Centralized instrumentality absorption is captious for ensuring the show and information of operations successful a mill setting. It helps to support devices unafraid and functioning optimally, which contributes to the wide ratio and productivity of a manufacturing environment. Effective absorption besides enables amended oversight and power implicit the mill processes, improving operational reliability and supporting scalability and adaptability successful a dynamic concern landscape.

To larn more, spot how Azure Arc delivered centralized absorption for IT and OT environments. Manufacturers tin specify resources, specified arsenic hybrid, multi-cloud, edge, and IoT, to Azure Resource Manager so services specified arsenic strategy wellness monitoring, security, and galore others tin beryllium easy applied crossed a globally distributed integer estate.

4. Containerized workloads are coming to the store floor 

The adoption of containerized bundle connected the store level is rising, with 85% of survey respondents already utilizing this technology. This displacement towards containerization astatine the borderline signifies a determination to amended operational efficiency, strategy stability, and security. 55% of respondents indicated that containerized bundle could importantly oregon highly mitigate reliability and uptime challenges, portion 53% indicated it could bash the aforesaid for cybersecurity challenges.

What is containerized software? 

Software containerization enables accordant and repeatable improvement and deployment of solutions crossed antithetic environments, successful the unreality and successful factory. Containerization of OT bundle is indispensable for the AI-powered mill of the future, arsenic it enables seamless exertion deployment successful scalable, serviceable, and automated factories. Kubernetes automates the scaling and absorption of containerized applications, redeeming clip and resources for manufacturers.

To larn more, spot how Azure Kubernetes Service helps to securely modernize and optimize Kubernetes environments with unified management, governance, and monitoring. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), helps teams accelerate app improvement and deployment with best-in-class tools and generative AI. With AKS, enabled by Arc, these benefits tin besides beryllium extended to on-premises and edge-based applications 

5. Industrial information operations optimize OT information management

Companies privation to harvester accusation exertion (IT) and operational exertion (OT) systems for discourse driven determination making. 52% of respondents indicated that having a combined IT and OT information level was precise oregon highly important for their company. Industrial information operations heighten the integration of IT and OT information by improving information flow, prime and value; therefore, 87% of companies person already adopted concern information operations exertion successful immoderate signifier oregon are readying to bash so.

What are concern information operations? 

Industrial information operations delivers information successful a reliable, real-time mode for optimizing factories and plants. Industrial information operations manages and unifyies information from assorted sources, facilitates seamless integration of information, and ensures information is accessible and usable for decision-making purposes. Industrial information operations helps interruption down information silos and amended predictive insights done an speech and integration betwixt store level and unreality environments.

To larn more, spot how Azure IoT Operations handles information from instrumentality and systems successful OT environments, ensuring that information is collected, pre-processed, and integrated into applications moving onsite. This service, announced successful nationalist preview astatine Ignite 2023, embraces manufacture standards—such as, unfastened packing conventions unified architecture (OPC UA), connection queuing telemetry (MQTT), transportOpen telemetry (OTel)—and natively integrates into Microsoft Fabric. Microsoft Fabric, handles information for unreality environments, centralizing information connected 1 open, organization-wide information water to destruct sprawl and trim duplication. It allows creating and managing AI models connected a azygous foundation, reducing information question and clip to value.

6. Respondents are investing successful underlying information architecture for AI 

According to the study, manufacturers program to put successful AI-powered factories of the aboriginal wrong the adjacent 2 years. On average, respondents expected their organizations to summation their investments successful bundle for orchestrating borderline AI by 11%. This concern shows that they admit the request to flooded method and accomplishment gaps to afloat exploit AI’s capabilities successful aboriginal manufacturing processes. 

How to put successful underlying architecture for AI? 

Microsoft recommends embracing precocious technologies specified arsenic centralized instrumentality management, bundle containerization astatine the edge, and unified concern information operations to accelerate concern translation and hole for AI.

Accelerate concern translation successful manufacturing

To larn much work the afloat 2024 IoT Signals report, a broad survey of manufacturers’ priorities, challenges, and plans for adopting caller technologies, specified arsenic these, successful their factories to hole for AI. The study shows that manufacturers are looking for solutions that tin assistance them secure, scale, and automate. Microsoft Azure is responding to these needs with its adaptive unreality approach, which offers a flexible and scalable level for managing devices, applications, and integrated information crossed the borderline and the cloud.

To presumption a presumption of this survey by IoT Analytics’ CEO and Microsoft’s GM of Azure IoT and Edge, recorded astatine HMI 2024, click here.

To observe much insights and champion practices for accelerating concern transformation, download the 2024 IoT Signals study below.

Download the 2024 IoT Signals report

The station 6 findings from IoT Signals report: Manufacturers hole their store level for AI appeared archetypal connected Microsoft Azure Blog.