We have been hearing a lot about the convergence of information technology and operations technology (IT/OT). This has led to a rapid learning curve for both groups, such as IT learning about what is actually "real time" and OT learning that to leverage the latest technology, 30 year old control systems may need to be upgraded.
Connectivity between OT to IT is essential for any business to compete today with the increasing demand for tighter integration and more information and analytics, along with leveraging the Industrial Internet of Things, cloud, and big data. However, the reality is most factories contain multiple generations of systems where 30 year old products need to somehow be part of the convergence story.
This session will explore how companies have successfully linked their OT legacy systems to their state-of-the-art OT and IT systems, covering the hurdles and challenges that need to be overcome. Persons wanting to learn about IT/OT convergence, as well as those involved with control systems and/or production management software, should attend to gain insight into real world examples of OT and IT convergence success stories involving legacy systems, what lessons were learned, and what were the derived business benefits.