SOFTWARE & SYSTEMS
IT & OT CONVERGENCE
COPADATA
DO PEOPLE, PLACES AND PROFIT HOLD THE KEY?
THREE ADVANTAGES OF IT/OT CONVERGENCE
Engineers and academics have been extolling
the benefits of IT and OT convergence as
far back as the early Eighties, but many
businesses are still reluctant to adopt
platforms that combine the two. Here, Martyn
Williams, managing director of industrial
software provider COPA-DATA UK, explains
the advantages of IT and OT convergence.
In a 1982 paper published by the US National
Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), the authors proposed a new control
system architecture for use in an Automated
Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF).
In a diagram reminiscent of a castle, the
shapes that make up the control system
appear to create two fortified tower-like
structures joined by a flat wall-like section
in the centre. The tower on the right depicts
a hierarchical database that contains
the control programs that define how to
manufacture parts — think of this as the
operational technology (OT) of today.
The tower on the left makes up the
hierarchical database that contains the
management information system and data
on the state of the parts — think of this as
information technology (IT).
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Finally, the wall in the middle is made up
of I/O lines and feedback control loops
connected to boxes that represent robotic
workstations and machine tools. The convergence of IT and OT not only
benefits from the resource sharing of
connected devices, but it also promises to
boost productivity.
While these structures were symptomatic of
their time, they have historically separated
IT and OT teams both figuratively and
literally, with staff often working in different
departments or even different facilities. Better scheduling, production planning,
material allocation, product tracking and
real-time access to process data are quick
and easy with the two realms working in
sync.
In contrast, today’s control architectures have
broken down the rigid structures, replacing
them with highly integrated and free-flowing
systems that are flexible and easy to change
based on business needs. However, without an effective digital
platform running at the heart of the system,
businesses will continue to face issues with
complexity, compatibility and cost.
Advantage one: Profit
Whether you call it digital transformation,
the Internet of Things (IoT) or Industry 4.0,
the primary driver for businesses seeking
automation improvements is to bolster the
bottom line.
At a time when political uncertainty is
driving up the cost of doing business, many
organisations are looking inward, searching
for those all-important marginal gains.
This is why COPA-DATA developed zenon,
a manufacturing and automation software
platform that provides a single, integrated
environment, combining data recording,
machine operation and business intelligence.
Using zenon, manufacturers can eliminate
the redundancy and cost associated with
running two separate overlapping IT and OT
systems, delivering better performance and
productivity.