The IT OT Paradigm
What is IT OT and what is it so significant about it in today’s business? This article provides a brief history of industrial control and information systems and its emergence into a new era of integrated solutions.
The systems integration business is based on the combining of information technologies (IT) and industrial controls environments; SCADA, PLC, instrumentation and related communications infrastructure, what we now call operational technologies (OT). In a real sense this systems integration domain has been around for more than 40 years now. In that time, we have seen considerable change, which has been more or less in step with the personal computer (PC) industry.
In the beginning of this period we saw dedicated proprietary industrial control solutions and mainframe computers. As we moved through the mid ’80s, the PC emerged as a viable platform for industrial automation and monitoring solutions. The reliance on the proprietary and mainframe computing platforms immediately began to wane. Through the early ’90s the PC based HMI became a real force and by the end of the century we had begun the transition into a new era of information technology integration and data usage. The 2000’s consolidated the mix of information technology and operational technology with industrialised Ethernet becoming the basis of most communications links – from top to bottom. At the same time the desire for data from top to bottom across the enterprise was increasing and solutions for information level data became more critical.
Today the emergence of virtualisation as fundamental to the automation or operational technology (OT) environment along with cloud and mobile technologies, and fully hosted solutions is now forming the backbone of all major operations. This is the culmination of technology convergence in which automation systems have become fully integrated IT OT environments.
Now, more than ever before, we are presented with the opportunities and challenges that true IT OT convergence can provide. Fully integrated enterprise solutions enable secure data flow across the enterprise and supply chain to all forms of device. This is enabling vastly improved automation of data flow, analysis and innovation opportunities more than ever before.
The major challenge for us is to manage this technology convergence and the mechanisms that will be required to maintain and support the environments that emerge. Existing organisation structures and knowledge centres may be inefficient and ill-equipped for the fully integrated paradigm. The new organisation will need to consider the creation of IT OT capability and related organisation entities that will provide the best possible solution to take the business forward.
Jeff Lloyd, PRECODA Pty Ltd, 19 January 2016
Jeff Lloyd is a manager, leader and consultant with over 30 years’ experience in IT OT and engineering business. He is owner and managing director of PRECODA Pty Ltd, a consultancy service digital engineering management services to a wide variety of businesses.
Contact Jeff on mobile +61 (0)427 734 995 or by email jefflloyd@precoda.com.au.