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Enabling Affordable Digital Transformation In Plant Operations

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Written by Matt Wopata

 

Uniting Ignition and Hirschmann’s OpEdge family helps your plant implement digital transformation faster so you can see ROI sooner as you capture, process and visualize critical data.

Bringing computing intelligence to the edge of an OT network unlocks new waves of advanced automation capabilities, from predictive maintenance that anticipates equipment needs to intelligent robotics that self-operate (think automated guided vehicles, for example).

 

According to MIT Technology Review, 27% of manufacturing plants have edge computing in production today, with another 56% prepared to kick off pilot projects in the next two years.

 

Bringing Edge Computing to Automation Infrastructure with OpEdge

To process large volumes of operational data in today’s connected industrial environments, Hirschmann OpEdge-8D brings edge computing capabilities to automation infrastructure.

 

Acting as a robust industrial edge gateway, it allows mission-critical applications to run at the network edge, enabling plants to quickly transform their heaps of local data into useful insights and actions. When integrated with Belden Horizon™ Console Edge Orchestration, cloud-hosted device management, application orchestration and secure remote access functionality are all possible.

 

Designed to complement OT spaces, the OpEdge-8D platform is easy to use and install, supports application deployment in a few different ways and can be used with many systems and applications.

 

How Belden and Inductive Automation Work Together

To help industrial environments take full advantage of what digital transformation has to offer, Belden partners with industry players, such as Inductive Automation, a provider of industrial automation software, to provide solutions that help industrial environments fulfill their Industry 4.0 journey.

 

Inductive Automation’s Ignition software removes the technological and economic obstacles associated with bridging production and IT so plants can turn great ideas into reality quickly. It enables the creation of virtually all kinds of industrial applications, including SCADA, IIoT, MES (machine execution systems) and more—all on one platform.

 

Uniting Ignition and Hirschmann’s OpEdge family makes affordable digital transformation and edge computing possible for industrial operations in three ways.

1. Faster Time to Value

The Belden Horizon Console streamlines the onboarding, configuration and maintenance of OT gateways, end devices (e.g., PLCs and I/O) and edge applications through three main services:

  • Belden Horizon Device Manager allows users to seamlessly onboard and configure Belden and ProSoft edge gateways.
  • Belden Horizon Edge Orchestration allows users to seamlessly deploy and manage edge applications (e.g., Ignition containers) on fleets of Hirschmann OpEdge hardware.
  • Belden Horizon Secure Remote Access (SRA) allows users to remotely access and configure both the OT end device connected to the Hirschmann gateways (e.g., PLCs and I/O) and the edge applications running on the gateways (e.g., accessing an Ignition instance running on an OpEdge).

2. Lower Maintenance Costs

The Belden Horizon Console helps users reduce two types of maintenance costs associated with IIoT deployments:

  • Troubleshooting time associated with OT end devices can be reduced by leveraging Belden Horizon Console’s SRA software, which empowers technicians to remotely connect to OT assets and applications and eliminates the need to travel onsite. The Belden Horizon Console also supports remote packet captures, allowing network engineers to diagnose pesky network-related issues.
  • Fleet management costs associated with updating OT devices and edge applications can be reduced thanks to the Belden Horizon Console’s ability to provide secure remote access to OT devices and edge applications (like Ignition) and update multiple Hirschmann OpEdge systems simultaneously.

3. Certified Performance

OpEdge-8D is one of the industry’s first certified Ignition edge devices. The certification is granted by Inductive Automation to devices that are fully compatible with Ignition Edge software and are ready to be pre-imaged with it.

 

This gives you the confidence to launch Ignition software and easily and affordably expand your system to capture, process and visualize large volumes of critical operational data at the edge.

Explore Our Ecosystem Partnerships

We partner with industry experts to connect you with the products and solutions you need—all in one place—to streamline project complexity while maximizing business value and agility for digital transformation.

 

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3 Steps For A Smooth Transition To Digital Transformation

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Written by Jeremy Friedmar

 

It’s time to move from big data to smart data in manufacturing. How can your plant prepare? By following these three steps for digital transformation.

It’s time to shift from “big data” to “smart data.” Plants are no longer concerned about collecting information—most are knee-deep in it. Instead, they’re now questioning how to get more value from their data, whether it’s used to improve processes, reduce costs or optimize equipment efficiency.

 

But many manufacturers can’t extract valuable insights from their data because they’re still trying to figure out how to manage the sheer volume of information generated at every step in the production process, from production to quality control.

 

How can you move from overwhelm to action? By following these three steps for digital transformation.

Step 1: Develop a Solid Network Infrastructure

To support the transmission of data from point A to point B, you need to build a solid network infrastructure that can support increasing numbers of devices.

 

What characteristics make a network up to the challenge?

  • High bandwidth. Bandwidth sets the limit for how much data can flow through the network. With the number of connected devices growing every day, the result is more traffic. An increase in traffic means that more bandwidth is required.
  • Low latency. Managing latency is essential for processes that require determinism (consider robotic arms, for example). Low levels of latency help ensure that a specific action executes reliably and consistently, so you always know exactly when it will occur (in the case of a robotic arm, this means knowing when the arm will perform an expected movement).
  • Security. To protect critical processes, networks must incorporate tools and best practices that prevent and detect cybersecurity issues, such as unauthorized access, tampering or disruption.
  • Remote management. By providing remote access to the network, workers can monitor and control network activity and devices from anywhere to minimize downtime and optimize performance.

 

All these factors work together to improve uptime and keep mission-critical networks running. This minimizes disruption, maintains revenue and reduces waste.

Step 2: Make Sure Your Network Can Support Data Contextualization

Through sensors and automation systems, industrial environments are producing copious amounts of data. In order to do anything with this data, however, your network must be able to support the deployment of software that can process and contextualize it. This will help you quickly digest complex datasets to uncover patterns, establish benchmarks and predict future trends.

 

These resources can be deployed at the edge, in the cloud or both (a hybrid approach). How do you know which is right for you?

  • Edge computing helps you maintain control over your data and reduces latency by decreasing the physical distance between data sources and destinations. Some companies also choose this option for security reasons (to eliminate internet connectivity).
  • Cloud computing removes the burden of having to develop your own infrastructure for data storage and management. It also helps you easily access and manage data remotely.
  • Hybrid offers a mix of both so your plant can reap the benefits of edge computing and cloud computing while using the most effective resource for each workload.

Step 3: Follow Established Best Practices

Following best practices can help you overcome the challenges you’ll confront along your digital transformation journey. Consider interoperability among automation products, for example: Guidance is available from organizations like the NAMUR User Association of Automation Technology in Process Industries.

 

The manufacturers and integrators you partner with can always step in to provide help in this area as well, sharing what they know and have learned through their years of hands-on work.

Make Digital Transformation Your Competitive Advantage

Belden is here to offer the right guidance and help you take the right steps so you reap the benefits of innovation as you embark on your digital transformation journey.

 

Manufacturers that are efficiently digitalized will have a clear competitive advantage: They’ll be able to use data to drive differentiators like predictive maintenance, operational visibility and faster troubleshooting and diagnosis.

 

Our Customer Innovation Center experts can help you design, develop and validate solid network solutions tailored to the complexity of your unique business needs so you can unleash the power of your OT data.

 

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Power Up: Utilities Must Get Ready To Meet Rising Energy Demand

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Written by Guilhermme Lisboa and Aman Sheth

 

Recent U.S. energy demand has remained stagnant—until now. Find out how power transmission and distribution companies should prepare for the surge ahead.

Over the past few decades, U.S. energy demand has remained stagnant. Upcoming decades, however, will tell a much different story.

 

In fact, the country is already seeing spikes in energy use. In 2023, for example, grid planners virtually doubled their five-year forecast for load growth (from 2.6% to 4.7%). By 2028, they predict peak demand growth of 38 GW—and this growth will continue to trend upward. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that energy demand will rise to 4.112 billion kWh this year and will stretch to 4.123 billion kWh next year.

What’s Driving Higher Energy Demand?

As the economy, businesses and consumers become more electrified, they create new kinds of energy loads. Here are three examples:

Electric Vehicle

Electric vehicles (EVs) are on the move—literally and figuratively. As more EVs hit the road, they’re also making energy mobile, consuming energy from different places on the grid at different times, depending on when and where they charge. This requires dynamic, real-time control over the grid so electrons can be pushed to wherever they’re needed.

Data Centers

As data centers handle new demands ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) to virtual reality (VR), they play an increasingly critical role in our digital world—and they consume more power. According to commercial real estate advisor Newmark, U.S. data center power consumption will reach 35 GW by 2030, which is almost double the energy they consumed in 2022. As the world becomes more tech-forward, data center deployment will continue.

Industrial Processes

With record investments in U.S. manufacturing supported by key legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the industry is experiencing significant momentum. And many manufacturing and industrial processes require heat—which will require more energy.

 

What This All Means for Power Transmission and Distribution Companies

The time to prepare for more energy demand is now. Grid infrastructure must be ready to support double-digit load increases in relatively short order, which requires rapid planning for and construction of new power generation and transmission systems.

More Power Generation

As energy demand increases, more power generation will be needed. Because energy transition is moving consumers away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable energy, much of this power generation may happen by adding more wind farms, solar farms and other types of renewable energy sources. Traditional power plants, such as gas-fired plants, will also be needed.

More Transmission Lines

Even more challenging than increasing generation is increasing the country’s number of transmission and distribution lines, which carry energy from where it’s generated to where it’s consumed.

In California, for example, it can take 10 years or longer to build a single high-voltage transmission line. The process involves numerous stakeholders, from landowners who must agree on the line’s route to regulatory bodies that must approve and oversee their construction. Also creating challenges is the grid itself, which is undersized, is many decades old and can’t always support increased power transmission and distribution.

Remember: The grid was designed in and for an earlier era. While it has handled growing energy demands so far, it has a limited capacity to do so in the future. Increasing the flow of electrons on the grid could overload infrastructure and impact voltage and frequency stability.

More Substations

In addition to more lines, power transmission and distribution companies will also need more substations to improve grid resilience, integrate renewable sources of energy, reduce the distance between power generation and consumers and distribute energy loads evenly.

Tomorrow’s substations will need to be intelligent to handle more real-time data—from voltage, flow and current measurements to fault detection, event logging and maintenance records. These digital substations use sensors and this real-time data to support remote monitoring and control, enable digital communication and promote efficient, profitable power supply.

Because they contain their own computers, storage, networking, power, cooling and other infrastructure for given workloads, some even refer to these substations as micro data centers.

More Energy Storage

Energy sources like solar and wind aren’t always predictable. Unlike traditional power plants that generate the same amount of energy at the same times, variables like weather, system orientation and maintenance impact renewable energy generation.

Storage systems act as a warehouse to stock pile energy surpluses that are generated during sunny or windy periods—by consumers’ residential systems as well as utilities’ commercial systems—so it can be released when these resources aren’t as plentiful. This ensures a consistent supply of power and can protect against fluctuations in output or prevent voltage drops and blackouts.

New Job Roles

Remember what we said about digital substations becoming data centers? As this transformation happens, power transmission and distribution teams will need new skills.

A data center environment operates much differently than an operational technology (OT) environment (such as a traditional substation). Utility companies will need IT professionals to oversee software and hardware capabilities in complex substation environments that will include servers and other networking equipment.

In some cases, hiring may be necessary. In other cases, upskilling for existing OT team members can help fill gaps.

It’s Time to Accelerate Digitization

As society progresses and consumes more energy per capita, we all have a responsibility to generate, transmit and distribute energy in a sustainable manner.

Belden enables power transmission and distribution companies to accelerate digitization and outperform industry benchmarks in operational areas like substation automation systems, smart grids and load dispatch centers.

The experts and consultants in our Customer Innovation Centers can help you create a digital roadmap so you can start to prepare now for the surge in energy demand ahead and take advantage of the data being captured by your digital substations to improve operations.

 

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Beating The OT Security Skills Gap Amid Rising Cyber Threats

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Written by Zane Blomgren

 

The cybersecurity workforce is growing, but not fast enough to fill positions or keep up with cyber threats. Hiring isn’t the answer—tech and automation are.

When it comes to the future of OT cybersecurity, the outlook is ominous.

 

There are, of course, some positives to consider. In general, the cybersecurity workforce is growing (by almost 9% in the last year alone!).

 

The bad news: It’s not growing fast enough to fill the rising number of open positions—or to combat growing numbers of cyber threats. Moody’s Analytics reports that, in the past five years, the number of publicly reported cyber incidents has doubled. If these critical roles remain unfilled, then organizations and people will face higher risk of data breaches, unplanned downtime, privacy violations and financial fraud.

 

The report also details these critical statistics:

  • Cyber incidents have “substantial, statistically significant and persistent negative impact” on company value.
  • There’s an obvious connection between cybersecurity performance and rises in reported incidents.

 

Companies say they’re already feeling the effects of the ever-shrinking workforce. In The Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals, published by Enterprise Strategy Group in 2023, 71% of organizations report impacts from the shortage. And 67% of surveyed cybersecurity professionals say their organizations lack cyber staff to prevent and troubleshoot cyber-threat issues.

 

Although these numbers are daunting, the situation is even more dire in OT cybersecurity. Because these professionals must have specialized expertise in specialized industrial control systems and physical infrastructure processes, they’re harder to find.

 

There’s no easy way out of this conundrum. The problem is too big and too complex to be solved through recruiting, hiring or training, because there aren’t enough qualified employees in the workforce to fill these roles. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t solutions.

For example, automation and technology can help cybersecurity professionals be more effective and efficient so they can focus on strategic work—reducing and responding to cyber threats—instead of manual tasks. Let’s take a look at how this can be done.

Streamline Security Response

Incident response isn’t simple or straightforward, due in part to the complexity and diversity of systems. OT environments are made up of a wide variety of architectures, protocols and proprietary components. This makes it difficult to create standardized incident response procedures. Today, when a cyber threat appears or an incident occurs, most security professionals must chase down how to respond.

 

The language of security is complicated, too, which prevents valuable conversations about it. Complexity makes it intimidating for others to get involved or help address issues.

 

Monitoring 24/7 is critical to simplify the complex. It ensures that network performance and access are always being evaluated—and that data is readily available. Anomalies can be reported to the right place upon detection for further investigation.

 

When a cyber threat is identified, the appropriate way to fix it should also be at the worker’s fingertips. Remediation guidance should be accessible and live close to the problem.

 

Look for vendors that offer simplified interfaces and take a general approach to security. This removes unnecessary work associated with accessing systems, reviewing logs and reports, etc. It also makes it easier for others in the organization to support the cyber team’s efforts (through participation in education that prevents accidental insider threats, for example).

Simplify System and Network Designs

When possible, look for ways to simplify and standardize network design, firewall rules, physical layout, etc. This ensures simple yet effective security.

 

Remember: “Simplified” doesn’t always mean “simple.” Instead, simplification is about removing roadblocks; breaking down processes and concepts into smaller, more digestible pieces; and making things easier to understand.

 

Some examples:

  • If you can do the job with one piece of hardware instead of three, use one (as long as it provides everything you need.) For example, Hirschmann’s Industrial HiVision network management software can help you support management of network devices, simplify device replacement and enhance network visibility.
  • Put measures in place to prevent and avoid revisiting or rework. This can mean using modern technology with proper access controls and standardized security measures, as well as clearly defining roles for IT, OT and external partners.

 

If your team doesn’t have the skills to do these things, bring in an advisor who understands industrial networking and cyber threats. That’s one way to increase manpower without having to recruit and hire more staff.

 

Integrate Tools to Eliminate Siloes

Integration helps eliminate siloes, enable holistic overviews and enable automation. Integrating cybersecurity tools results in fewer touchpoints and repetitive tasks. For example, integration with Active Directory means you don’t have to manually add users from scratch to every system.

 

It also reduces the likelihood of human error, which removes the opportunity for security risks. For example, most outages related to human error are caused by people who ignored procedures or followed inadequate procedures.

 

Tools should not only be integrated with each other, but also with the business. IT and OT can learn from one another and share best practices. For example, these groups can work together to recognize disparities, implement effective security measures tailored to each environment and apply practices holistically to protect critical infrastructure.

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) can support these efforts, helping you automate network intelligence by completing tasks like analyzing for misconfigurations and vulnerabilities, as well as system mapping to understand system-wide weaknesses and prevent incidents.

Consolidate Partnerships to Minimize Vendor Sprawl

Finally, consider consolidating vendors. This offers many benefits:

  • Fewer contracts and relationships to manage, simplifying procurement
  • Clearer communication channels that lead to improved collaboration and problem-solving
  • Easier auditing and monitoring of vendor performance
  • Simplified interoperability and integration
  • Centralized and consolidated information
  • Streamlined budgeting

 

It also helps reduce misconfigurations and incompatibility, so there’s less finger pointing between vendors and more time for strategic security practices.

Educating the Next Generation

Instead of focusing on recruiting and hiring, make sure you prioritize training the next-generation cybersecurity workforce that’s already in place, and taking steps to simplify what they do so they can respond to cyber threats. This will make the existing workforce as effective and efficient as possible.

 

Belden believes in making OT and OT cybersecurity professions as attractive as possible. If you have questions about how to create an OT environment that supports up-and-coming workers, we’re here to help.

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