Adopting industrial IoT
Make vs. Buy
There are two options to consider when implementing the industrial Internet of Things (IoT): build your own IoT solution (“Make”) or take advantage of a dedicated, pre-built solution (“Buy”). For either option, it is critical you go into this project prepared.
Make
Buy
Stage 1
Plan
Define the project scope, identify use cases and set goals
Use cases
Functionality
Measuring success
Stage 2
Form team
Bring your business and technical teams together to ensure IIoT success
Technical team
Business team
Expect to have 4x as many resources on your "Make" team, compared to if you were buying an IIoT solution.
Stage 3
Develop
Develop your industrial IoT solution or provision a pre-built offering
Make
Buy
Create the foundation for your industrial IoT solution
Identify the foundational specs, required IT services, and core features needed to execute your vision.
Implement the industrial IoT solution
Plan the adoption of your industrial IoT solution and begin standing up systems.
Identify and prototype the design
Create a model/mockup of the system’s architecture.
Stage complete
Develop the solution
Build the feature set and process flow for your industrial IoT solution.
Stage 4
Test
Build out industrial IoT capabilities and begin the pilot phase
Make
Buy
Satisfy the use case
Determine how to use data to meet your intended use case needs.
Satisfy and pilot intended use cases
Test the industrial IoT solution in the field to identify issues and solve them before launch.
Pilot your solution
Define and execute the pilot strategy for your industrial IoT solution.
Stage complete
Stage 5
Launch
Drive demand for the solution and launch it into production
Make
Buy
Gain momentum and start training
Drive enthusiasm for industrial IoT – both with your teammates and customers – and start educating users.
Move solution into production
After pilot success, launch Insights Hub in all appropriate plants.
Roll out and ramp up
Deploy the solution and scale it based on demand.
Stage complete
Stage 6
Maintain
Execute updates and ongoing maintenance, or start planning growth
Make
Buy
Update and maintain
Maintain the solution and update features based on technology innovations.
Scale and expand the solution
Offload updates and maintenance, and start determining wave two of adoption.
Make vs. Buy
Get started
Ready to start your industrial IoT adoption journey? Learn more by trying your own Insights Hub test account for free.
Which path is best for your business? Here’s a checklist to help you navigate the adoption process.