Industrial automation manufacturer and Internet of Things platform developer Opto 22 announces their IoT Certification program for authorized System Integrators, called OptoPartners. This program addresses a specific need as Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), or Industry 4.0 applications and projects proliferate.
The potential benefits of IIoT applications are enormous, from predicting system failures to making processes more efficient to reducing costs. However, to realize these benefits, information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) teams must work together to leverage and apply each other’s technology and skillsets.
“At ACS, we recognized that having the skills to get data where it needs to go was going to be necessary for our growth as a business,“ says Dave Pilliod, President of IoT Certified OptoPartner Advanced Control Solutions. “With their mindset of multi-platform communications, Opto 22 has provided the tools to enable us to have Operations and Information Technologies come together. It would be a disservice to our customers not to be as learned as possible on the technologies of today, even if they lie outside the traditional realm of automation.”
IT/OT convergence continues to be a challenge on both the technical and cultural fronts. In today’s enterprise, a significant communication gap exists between OT and IT technologies. Each uses its own methods of connectivity, from the physical connectors and buses that data rides on, to the
language each uses to convert bits and bytes into human readable and actionable information.
Opto 22 OptoPartners who carry the IoT Certification possess the unique combination of skillsets in both the OT and IT domains. They have demonstrated proficiency in OT technologies such as sensors, instrumentation, controls, and automation as well as with IT technologies such as networking, databases, computing, data analytics, and cloud or edge IoT platforms.
With this holistic expertise, these IoT Certified OptoPartners are positioned to help customers achieve their IIoT goals using Opto 22’s IoT-enabled automation platform—SNAP PAC System™ and groov®—plus connectivity tools such as Node-RED® and commercially available IT and IoT solutions.
“Today, knowledge in both Operations Technologies and Information Technologies is an absolute requirement for the networked and data-driven applications our customers demand," says Todd Reynolds, President of IoT Certified OptoPartner Perceptive Controls. “As a result, we've staffed up and educated our team with the necessary skills from both camps. As a long-time Opto 22 systems integrator, we're pleased to see the updated OptoPartner program recognize our unique skill set with the new IoT Certification badge.”
Additionally, Opto 22 is part of the IoT ecosystems of three major IT companies: Dell® (IoT Solutions Partner), IBM® (Registered Business Partner- Ready for IBM Watson IoT) and AT&T®/ M2X (IoT Partner).
These relationships and the new network of IoT Certified system integrators will help customers more easily design, install, and commission their industrial IoT projects and quickly realize a return on their investment through increased business intelligence.
Opto 22 is proud to announce the following sixteen IoT Certified OptoPartners at the time of program launch, and expects to build on this group to further serve the worldwide marketplace by inviting qualified system integrators with both OT & IT expertise to apply.
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