Nature of the Opportunity/Problem

What's Driving IT/OT Convergence?

The move to Industry 4.0

Why is IT/OT convergence happening right now? For answers, look no further than the increasing digitization and transformation at the manufacturing “edge.”

This metamorphosis goes by many names (typically depending on the vendor you ask). Here are just a few of the ways people describe it:

Smart factory or smart manufacturing.
The move to cyber-physical systems (CPS) or cyber-physical convergence.
Industrial transformation (IX).
Fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

The most common term that encapsulates the above? Industry 4.0.

The figure on the next page shows several technologies and initiatives an organization might deploy on their own journey to Industry 4.0. For example, cloud services (now extended to the industrial edge) often become a necessary, underlying engine to fuel greater real-time insights in conjunction with analytics apps and IIoT sensors.

To succeed in their Industry 4.0 deployment, organizations also need to focus on successful IT/OT convergence. Note that true convergence extends well past the merging of IT and OT systems.

Converging IT and OT to Reach Industry 4.0

The supporting technologies and initiatives to get there

The push toward Industry 4.0 can take many forms as industrials identify new business initiatives that depend on one or more of the technologies in this graphic. Regardless of the technology deployed, one thing is clear: All Industry 4.0 use cases will require the continued convergence of IT and OT technologies, people, cultures, and processes.

[Source: Adapted from https://www.i-scoop.eu/industry-4.0/.]

Now that we know a bit more about the process, the next question is: Just how important is it for your organization to invest in accelerating its own IT/OT convergence? According to this i-SCOOP article on Industry 4.0, the author states, “Without IT and OT convergence, there is no industrial transformation.”

That’s a strong statement in support of merging two different worlds. And it aligns with the thinking of many others. Here are two of the most oft-cited benefits for converging IT and OT:

Reduced cost. Many claim IT/OT convergence can significantly reduce operational costs as the two disparate systems become unified. Converging systems may also offer better, more commoditized capabilities than legacy industrial environments based on SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) or ICS (Industrial Control Systems).

Faster, better real-time insights. Such insights come from enhanced sharing and processing of data from multiple sources within and beyond the plant. AI and ML-focused use cases in this area are plentiful and include preventive maintenance, using cameras for real-time decisions to enhance worker safety, increasing production efficiency, and factory robot management to avoid collisions with the help of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology.

You may have to overcome some obstacles to realize these and other benefits. In another article on IT/OT convergence, i-SCOOP cites early findings from Siemens in the Utilities sector. Of special interest were efforts to deploy Industry 4.0 use cases, such as advanced metering and smart grid systems. According to Siemens, interoperability issues and cost were often challenges in the sector’s efforts to deploy these use cases. Siemens also noted another key inhibitor to successful deployment: “The need to get IT and OT out of their separate and traditional silos.”