Digital transformation requires businesses to merge information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT). Rethinking their relationship and their supporting technologies can go a long way toward helping businesses meet their goals. Our new blog post series explores the enabling technologies behind the digital transformation phenomenon.
When it comes to starting, operating and expanding Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions, information technology (IT) architectures play a key role. For example, leveraging IT tools like innovative algorithms can help you increase your production efficiency. At the same time, you may be facing some architecture-related challenges, such as plant- and enterprise-wide deployment migrations, cloud connectivity, database integration, programmable logic controller (PLC) connectivity, security and ongoing maintenance. While these challenges are typical, until recently it was impossible to build a future-proof, enterprise-wide IT architecture that makes ongoing maintenance possible. PLCs can take decades to upgrade, while the pace at which IT architectures change is dizzying by comparison.
Using tManager, a connectivity module for Rockwell Automation Controllers, two of our customers recently met their clients’ project goals of total systems integration. Here’s how they did it.
System integration using a PC and custom code can come with a lot of errors in project estimation, increase risk, cost money and possibly even put your customer at risk. Fortunately, there are built-for-purpose integration solutions that eliminate the PC, eliminate custom code, and eliminate protocol conversion for PLC-to-database and cloud integration projects. In this blog, we show you how tManager from Rockwell, an in-chassis PLC module for bidirectional data exchange between enterprise systems and ControlLogix® and CompactLogix™ PLCs, does just that.
What does Industrial Edge mean? What role does it play within an IIoT architecture? And how do cloud services from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and open source container tools like Kubernetes complement this architecture and help companies improve their processes? Our blog answers these questions and shows three projects in different stages of realization.
For companies with global production sites, centralized secure data integration is the key factor for competitiveness, progress and safeguarding their existence. After all, the operating data from thousands of programmable logic controllers must be integrated, aggregated and securely processed - especially in view of future Industrial IoT applications. Softing offers professional and reliable solutions, as a case study from a customer shows.
The worlds of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) are coming together in factories around the world, each with the same goal: use digitalization to improve productivity and other business objectives. But sometimes the two worlds require some translation and teamwork so that transactions between them flow as smoothly as possible.
While plants in discrete and process manufacturing often comprise both legacy and new equipment, they still need to be controlled and managed effectively. This requires a modern communication architecture that is able to aggregate their heterogeneous data. smartLink from Softing facilitates interface-neutral data integration in complex production systems.
When it comes to expanding and operating innovative IoT solutions, IT architectures have a key role to play. What architectural issues arise at the interface between IT and OT, and how does this interface relate to 'edge' and 'cloud'? If you take these questions into account during planning you can fully exploit the potential of software, IT and innovative algorithms and make your production more efficient.
Secure data exchange between production and management levels is still something of a minefield, with many aspects and security issues needing to be negotiated. Middleware has since established itself as a key component in the pursuit of seamless integration of the OT and IT domains. The following post addresses the aspects of secure cross-company communication by looking at an OPC UA-based solution from Softing.
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