Technology is changing the way we look at instrumentation and controls. To maximize profit, business plans are leaning heavily on the aftermarket, software technology, and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Questions about who owns the equipment, software, and even the data become serious concerns to anyone involved. This article will show how software and IIoT are both helping and hurting industries by adding valuable features, but possibly preventing maintenance or modification to be done on the equipment (also see "Where Subscription and IoT Models are Working").
“The rules and expectations for ’ownership‘ have mutated profoundly over the last couple of decades,” says Jason Walker CEO of Stanley Robotics. “It seems clear that a company can claim almost anything as their product, and it's buyer beware as to whether the model being sold is what works for them. The trends seem to indicate, however, that the less open a company is, the more reluctant customers are to choose that company.”