Glossary · IIoT, data and AI
Cloud computing
Also known as: Cloud
German: Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is a model for on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources, such as servers, storage, applications and services, that can be provisioned and released rapidly with minimal management effort. Service models include IaaS, PaaS and SaaS; deployment models include public, private, community and hybrid cloud.
- IIoT
In one sentence
Cloud computing provides on-demand network access to shared, scalable computing resources such as servers, storage and applications.
Example
A machine builder collects anonymized operating data from installed machines in a public cloud and offers customers a web dashboard for fleet monitoring.
How it applies
- Engineering: Real-time control stays on the plant floor. The cloud suits fleet analytics, long-term storage, model training and software distribution, where latency and short connection losses are acceptable.
- Security: Connecting OT to the cloud creates new paths into the plant. Use outbound-only connections, gateways and segmentation according to IEC 62443, and clarify who controls access (Remote access).
- Documentation: Describe which data leaves the plant, where it is stored, how long it is kept and what happens when the connection fails. Customers increasingly ask for this before they allow a connection.
Cloud vs. edge vs. fog
Edge computing processes data on or near the machine; Fog computing is an intermediate layer, for example at plant or line level; cloud computing runs in remote data centers. Most industrial architectures combine all three.