IIoT platforms' architectural features : a taxonomy and five prevalent archetypes

Title data

Arnold, Laurin ; Jöhnk, Jan ; Vogt, Florian ; Urbach, Nils:
IIoT platforms' architectural features : a taxonomy and five prevalent archetypes.
In: Electronic Markets. Vol. 32 (2022) . - pp. 927-944.
ISSN 1422-8890
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-021-00520-0

Project information

Abstract in another language

In the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), digital platforms have recently received significant attention.
Although IIoT platforms revolve around similar business objectives, they address various use cases and, thus,
differ considerably in their architectural setup. While research has already investigated IIoT platforms from a
business or design perspective, little is known about their underlying technology stack and its implications. To
unveil different IIoT platform configurations and better understand their architectural design, we systematically
develop and validate a taxonomy of IIoT platforms’ architectural features based on related literature, real-world
cases, and expert interviews. On this foundation, we identify and discuss five IIoT platform archetypes. Our
findings contribute to the descriptive knowledge in this ambiguous research field while also elucidating the
interplay of IIoT platforms’ architectural setup and their purpose. From a managerial viewpoint, our results may
guide practitioners in comparing and selecting a suitable IIoT platform.