HiveMQ CTO unveils why MQTT is skyrocketing in automation and IT.

TLDR:

The MQTT protocol is gaining traction in industrial automation and IT interop due to its scalability, low-client footprint, security, reliability, and bi-directional connectivity. MQTT is becoming a de facto standard for enterprise IoT deployments in various industries, including factory automation, logistics, and pharmaceutical workflows. The protocol offers a unified namespace and tested industrial automation interoperability, making it an attractive option for companies looking to unify their data silos. MQTT is also being used beyond traditional IoT use cases, such as streamlining workflows spanning ERP, CRM, manufacturing execution systems, supply chain management, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems.

Key elements:

• MQTT, a protocol initially developed in 1999, has seen a surge of interest in factory automation, logistics, pharmaceutical workflows, connected cars, building automation, and connected appliances at scale.
• MQTT provides scalability for up to 200 million clients, low-client footprint, security, reliability over sporadic networks, and support for bi-directional connectivity.
• The protocol is being adopted as a popular complement or replacement to the OPC-UA protocol widely used in factory automation.
• MQTT helps unify data naming conventions across disparate things and enterprise apps, facilitating interoperability and data sharing.
• HiveMQ, which offers an MQTT broker, has seen increased interest in MQTT outside of traditional use cases, particularly in industrial automation.
• Unified Name Space (UNS), a concept associated with MQTT, allows any app, control system, or device to talk to any other, disrupting the traditional hierarchy-based model of industrial automation.
• Organizational and cultural challenges exist in integrating IT and operational technology (OT) in industrial spaces, but MQTT and UNS can help bridge the gap.
• MQTT is seen as a better option than OPC UA for bridging data silos, as OPC UA implementations may not always be interoperable due to proprietary additions.
• The future of MQTT lies in its ability to support AI and autonomous decision-making based on data.