„Smart Factory“: From buzzword to real opportunity

Wimsheim, 15. November 2017 Companies that implement the Smart Factory project strategically and with foresight, secure important market share: They are able to react in a targeted manner to customer requirements in real time.

The future starts now: smart production is on the rise – networked and completely automated. This new work atmosphere requires closer cooperation between the parties involved. New collaboration platforms, just as how WidasConcepts has created with customers, prove to be the best. This is how experts of all participating companies create innovative products and services. The resulting production processes gain today a valuable competitive advantage – if they are integrated across companies and characterized by a partnership-based business relationship. Effective control over permissions, roles and assignments is absolutely necessary. Identity management, such as the cloud platform cidaas, plays an important role here. The cidaas B2B module enables all groups to securely and quickly manage users, whether employees or business partners, and provide a single and convenient, passwordless user access.

Connected Devices for improved interaction
Digitalized work steps no longer limit themselves to human-machine communication, but also have an impact on M2M. Products in the production process run independently through the production steps, machines automatically order parts and trigger maintenance and repair appointments. Intelligent systems regulate themselves. The trend of a rapidly increasing number of “connected devices” is unmistakable, which makes unambiguous identification, authentication and authorization of the devices indispensable. Such a “IoT Device Authority Management” is a fundamental part of the digitized world where Smart Factory, Smart Home or Smart City dwell.

Securer is better: IT-Security
In an identity management, IT security has top priority – indispensable when dealing with sensitive data. Technical standards for authorization such as OAuth2 and OpenID, additional security measures such as two-factor authentication and modern fraud detection systems with Big Data technologies should be the set benchmark. Innovative digitization measures can easily be implemented using a minimal viable product approach. Finally, intelligent production, personalized partner and customer services, or revolutionary business models can be designed. Modern, future-proof concepts in the fields of Big Data and Internet of Things enable companies to position themselves even more successful in the market. Together with their subject matter know-how and a visionary IT service provider, entrepreneurs are paving a promising way into the digitalized future.