Online community discusses IP infrastructure

A new online community that extends the Industrial IP Advantage website has been launched. Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation are sponsoring the online community, in cooperation with ODVA.

The community aims to help IT, engineering, maintenance and operations professionals transform industries by taking advantage of the futureproof interoperability delivered by internet protocol (IP).

The Industrial IP Advantage discusses emerging-technology trends in industrial plants and IT networking - like the Internet of Things, convergence, big data and EtherNet/IP. The website offers guides, case studies, technical white papers and online discussions on how these technologies can be applied to automation, industrial compute, remote assets and services, video, energy management, mobility and security and compliance.

In support of this community, Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation led a roundtable on the adoption of standard IP-based Ethernet at the Internet of Things (IoT) World Forum - a global event that unites thought leaders, business leaders and practitioners in business, industry, government and academia, held on 31 October in Barcelona, Spain.

On 13 and 14 November, at the annual Automation Fair event, the Industrial IP Advantage booth will showcase key technology trends and a working demo of an IP-centric infrastructure. The booth’s ‘Ask the Expert’ area encourages attendees to seek technology, design and deployment advice on-site and from the online community.

Many manufacturers use multiple networks with proprietary protocols to manage devices, which create breakdowns in communication within an organisation, increase threats to network security and complicate IT management. This approach does not scale and creates inefficiency across manufacturing and business operations. To stay competitive, companies are looking to integrate the entire manufacturing value chain and leverage IP to seamlessly connect devices, processes, systems and people.

“A common IP network seamlessly manages communication between digital devices - such as video cameras, RFID readers, controllers, instruments and digital tablets - with processes, systems and people from the plant floor to the corner office. IP extends innovative networking and management services for optimum levels of security, performance and ease of integration,” said Chet Namboodri, director of global manufacturing solutions, Cisco.

“IP integration is a critical factor for the evolution of industrial networks to assist in maximising plant uptime and ensuring long-time reliability,” said Steve Timian, director of Industrial Automation Solutions, Panduit Corp. “This new online resource provides valuable education and knowledge-based experiences to assist in the implementation of sophisticated network architectures that provide connectivity from plant to enterprise.”

“The overwhelming majority of digital things will naturally depend on IP because of its overarching interoperability,” said Kevin Zaba, vice president, Rockwell Automation. “Instead of overriding the power of IP, solutions such as EtherNet/IP put the software protocol to work, allowing industrial producers to easily extend collaboration to the plant along with other higher-level services that IP supports.”

To join the Industrial IP Advantage community forum, click here.