Insights
These are long-form technical articles about moving industrial data across the OT/IT boundary, covering legacy protocols, outbound-only architecture, and brownfield modernization. Each article stands on its own, so start with the question you are facing.
Cutting Through the Noise: OPC UA, MQTT, UNS, IX³
This vendor-neutral paper explains why OPC UA, MQTT, UNS and IX³ each solve a different part of the same problem, and why none of them is a silver bullet.
Selecting the Components of an Industrial Data Architecture
A selection method for industrial data architecture: what OPC UA, MQTT, UNS and their companions each cover, and how to choose among them.
The Business Value of Industrial Data
Industrial digitalization is an operating-model shift, not a technology project. A secure data foundation turns trapped plant data into decisions.
Your OPC Classic Server Didn't Break: DCOM Hardened
Your OPC server still works. A Windows security update stopped accepting its old connection. I explain what happened and your three honest options.
Outbound-Only: What Can Reach Your Control Layer
An inbound connection is a door an attacker can find. An outbound-only path removes the door entirely. I give you three questions to test any path.
Water and Wastewater Data Without a Rip-and-Replace
The world has changed, your equipment has not. Everyone wants data it was never designed to give. I explain three fixes with no rip-and-replace.
After the Disconnect: Water Data on an Outbound Path
You took your control system off the internet, but the reasons it was online are still there. I explain how that data still gets out, on an outbound path.
AI-Ready Data Still Has to Cross the Boundary
Your AI roadmap rests on one arrow across the plant boundary that nobody has specified. I explain the property to decide and the questions to ask first.
Pharma Data Integrity: Analyzer to MES Without Retyping
Your analyzers are not too old, they were never given a way to connect. I explain what retyping costs and how report files reach your MES on their own.
Wellsite Flow Computer Data: ROC Plus Without the Trip
Your flow computer already has the month, and the truck is the only thing that moves it. I explain how to read it where it sits over ROC Plus.
Water Cybersecurity Funding: What It Has to Buy
US water systems are under cyber attack, and a proposed Senate bill would fund the defense. I explain the tiers, small-system priority and the EPA's role.
PLC Internet Exposure: Two Advisories, One Answer
Two federal advisories found the same gap: controllers reachable from the internet. I explain what they ask for, and how your data still gets out.