When the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) launched in 2014, it was a global consortium, founded by multi-national conglomerates to drive the adoption of the industrial internet. In three short years, its membership has grown to nearly 300 companies across more than 30 countries. “Those of us in the technology industry know that technological advancements are achieved when organizations, public and private, domestic or international, work together,” says Richard Soley, Executive Director of the IIC. In his view, it’s about integrating across systems, applications and borders. “Technology in general, and IoT specifically, doesn’t respect borders.”

“And so,” Soley says, “Volkmar Denner is right when he writes about the Spirit of Openness:”

“Today, we connect not just billions of people, but billions of things as well. This will trigger data-driven solutions, in manufacturing just as much as in smart homes and connected cars. And again, these solutions will not be the work of a single individual, but dependent on open exchange among the companies involved — large and small, young and old, wherever they are in the world.”