Features Communications & Networks
Bridging the gap

Oct. 14, 2015 – An increasingly competitive world is forcing manufacturers to invest in becoming smarter and more productive. The Internet of Things (IoT) — the explosion of the number of smart devices that are interconnected via the Internet — is the next wave of technology that will help the industrial sector up its game. Connecting smart devices throughout a plant will allow companies to automate processes, better manage assets, and analyze real-time data from a variety of sources to make smarter business decisions and reduce costs.

Enabling multiple devices to communicate with each other and enterprise systems in this way is only possible with Ethernet and the Internet Protocol (IP). And, the flood of data that comes with it will require a new level of collaboration between Information Technology (IT), which focuses on information processing, and Operational Technology (OT), which focuses on the devices, sensors and software that keep production running.

Traditionally, these two disciplines have operated in silos. But, collaboration between IT and OT is crucial to the success of IoT. As an OT professional, you can play a role in supporting this convergence. Before starting an IoT initiative, review this list of potential challenges you may face in working seamlessly with IT and tips for how to overcome these obstacles.

The challenges
1. Different departments, different priorities
To an OT professional, availability is the top priority because shutting down manufacturing is potentially disastrous and definitely costly. It could cause safety issues, impact production levels and damage critical machinery. In fact, system uptime often holds a higher priority than data integrity. For example, if a network security breach causes a system to shut down unexpectedly, it is more important to recover and restart the system — saving the data is secondary.

When OT data crosses into the IT domain and is integrated with business processes, you should be aware that IT also has its own priorities and procedures that are important and need to be taken into account. The IT department’s top priority is to protect data by keeping it confidential and accurate. IT has developed its own set of policies and procedures for data integrity, availability and confidentially that you will need to learn to work with when interacting with IT systems, just as IT professionals will need to learn to adapt to OT needs when working in your domain.

2. Standard IT practices don’t work for manufacturing systems
Little to no downtime is key in any industrial setting. Therefore, IT may need to modify some practices for manufacturing systems. For example, some procedures may not be feasible in a factory, including:

• “Calling the help desk” to fix a system issue. Recovery must happen quickly to avoid impacting productivity. So, the recovery process must be simple and fast with steps that plant personnel can complete on their own.
• Implementing automatic software patch updates,
• Rebooting, particularly as an early approach to fixing a problem, and
• Giving all data equal priority versus prioritizing some types of data (e.g., robot movement instructions) over others (e.g., report generation).

3. Industrial networking systems have unique requirements that may be unfamiliar to IT
When you prepare to work with IT, remember they may not have experience working with:

• High-voltage, high-current equipment,
• Industrial ratings and policies,
• Keeping people and processes safe, and
• The important differences between putting control versus information on a network.

IT also isn’t familiar with working in industrial settings’ harsh environments, which can impact the type of equipment needed to ensure the integrity of data transmission that is vital to IoT. Without understanding this, the IT department might install commercial-grade wire and cable and commercial grade routers, switches and wireless networking devices that will not perform well in an unforgiving industrial setting.

Overcoming the obstacles
As an OT professional, you can help overcome these challenges by fostering an environment of collaboration. Here are a few simple steps you can take to start bridging the gap between OT and IT.

1. Offer an olive branch: Find out which IT representatives would be the most likely to handle IoT projects and set up a time to meet with them. Look for projects on which both functions can begin to collaborate.

2. Be sure you get in on the ground floor: Executives looking to capitalize on the IoT may think, because it involves IP technology, it should be led by the IT department. Speak to your leadership team and keep in touch with your friends in IT to let them know how including OT at the front end of IoT projects will help the process run more smoothly.

3. Educate: Proactively educate IT about what is required for the manufacturing side of the business to make an IoT initiative a success. For example, make sure IT understands that, even when sitting in a control room, equipment can be exposed to extreme aspects of an industrial environment that can degrade materials, so you need products that are resistant to water, oil, torsion, vibration and shock. Give them details about the types of industrial switches, routers and physical components the project requires to withstand the harsh manufacturing environment.

4. Walk through standard processes: Work together to develop standard processes for undertakings that will need to be modified to accommodate the needs of both OT and IT. For example, outline guidelines for when and how to administer software updates, how to recover from a network outage, and what steps to take before adding a new device to an existing network system.

5. Listen: Collaboration is a two-way street. Both OT and IT can learn from each other and the different types of perspectives and expertise each brings to the table. Begin to create this type of environment by listening to IT, asking for their input and being empathetic to their needs.

The goal of IoT is to transform data into insights for creating business efficiencies. IP is the foundation for IoT and, once you start putting in Ethernet-based systems, IT is going to be involved with network design and access. Instead of working in silos, join forces with IT and create a collaborative approach that will result in a stronger industrial network to ensure your organization can benefit from all that IoT has to offer.

Jeff Lund is the senior director of product line management for Industrial IT, Belden.

This feature previously appeared in the September 2015 issue of Manufacturing AUTOMATION.