New Online Community Helps Ease Network Convergence From Enterprise To Plant

Nov. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation, in cooperation with ODVA, are sponsoring a new online community that extends the Industrial IP Advantage website. The community helps IT, engineering, maintenance and operations professionals transform industries by taking advantage of the future-proof interoperability delivered by Internet Protocol (IP).

The Industrial IP Advantage (http://www.industrial-ip.org/) 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 computing, remote assets and services, video, energy management, mobility, and security and compliance.

In support of this community, Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation led a round table on the adoption of standard IP-based Ethernet at the Internet of Things (IoT) World Forum, a global event that united thought leaders, business leaders and practitioners in business, industry, government and academia, on 31 October in Barcelona, Spain. On 13 and 14 November, at the annual Automation Fair (http://www.rockwellautomation.com/events/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 (http://www.industrial-ip.org/).

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.”

For More Information:

· To join the Industrial IP Advantage community forum, click here (http://www.industrial-ip.org/community/blog).

· Video on “Why IP?”: http://www.industrial-ip.org/industrial-ip/why-ip/imagine-how-ip-connects-informs-and-transforms-video

· Industrial IP Advantage Q&A: http://www.industrial-ip.org/en/news-and-innovation/news/industrial-ip-advantage-qanda

· Infographic on value of IP: http://www.industrial-ip.org/en/industrial-ip/why-ip/why-ip-infographic

About Industrial IP Advantage

Industrial IP Advantage is an idea – that manufacturing and industrial companies can build more successful businesses by deploying a secure, holistic digital-communications fabric based on standard, unmodified use of the Internet Protocol. Using Industrial IP, companies can turn this vision into reality through connectivity that drives better business intelligence, increased profitability and reduced costs.

Industrial IP Advantage was established by Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation – three like-minded organizations joining together to educate the market on the benefits of Ethernet, Internet Protocol and EtherNet/IP. Industrial IP Advantage was formed in cooperation with ODVA (http://www.odva.org/), the organization that manages and commercializes the EtherNet/IP specification and standard. To learn more, visit http://www.industrial-ip.org.

About Cisco

Cisco  is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.

About Panduit
Panduit is a world-class developer and provider of leading-edge solutions that connect, manage and automate the physical infrastructure. Panduit Unified Physical Infrastructure (UPI) based solutions help customers integrate core business systems for a smarter, unified business foundation. Our robust partner ecosystem, global staff, and unmatched service and support make Panduit a valuable and trusted partner. (http://www.panduit.com)

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation Inc. (http://www.rockwellautomation.com/) , the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs over 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

Automation Fair is a trademark of Rockwell Automation Inc.

EtherNet/IP is a trademark of ODVA.

Trademarks not belonging to Rockwell Automation are property of their respective companies.

Media contact:

Joy Francisco
Asia-Pacific Connections for Rockwell Automation
joy@apconnections.com
+65 6334 9045