Historically, information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) have developed along separate paths. Today, these two paths are converging, especially at organizations in the manufacturing, commodity, and energy sectors. This convergence is transforming the supply chain, enabling a smarter, more dynamic, more efficient supply chain through data and advanced analytics.
The Internet of Things
IT and OT convergence has increased with the rise of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Tiny sensors that gather, receive, and send information are applied to plant equipment, goods in transit, and other industrial assets. These sensors embed both intelligence and connectivity into equipment, sending and receiving data about performance, location, and other parameters. Secure cloud technology transports the data from sensors to computer systems for analysis.
Advanced Analytics
Advanced analytics takes this data and generates valuable insight into the supply chain, revealing new possibilities to increase production, improve efficiency, and decrease risk. In commodity supply chains, the IIoT enables smart factory applications and smart warehousing, predictive and remote maintenance of machinery, asset tracking, and connected logistics. At the far end of the supply chain, the production of agricultural products and raw materials are being transformed by smarter feed mechanisms and innovative uses of drones for scanning and real-time performance updates in mines and metals. From initial input to final product, the convergence of IT and OT is potentially transformative.
Obstacles to IT/OT convergence
There are risks. A massive amount of data must be managed, secured, stored, processed and routed. Any IT/OT convergence strategy that does not take data management and cyber-security into account will not succeed. The data from IIoT systems comes from different sources, in different formats, and at different rates. Only advanced analytics capable of integrating data from all these disparate systems quickly and accurately can effectively turn the volumes of data into meaningful and actionable information about the supply chain.
Eka Analytics collects, blends, and analyzes data from disparate systems – both internal to the organization and external data feeds. Eka’s always-on Intelligence Engine uses industry, function, and role specific algorithms to analyze massive amounts of data to provide valuable insights in real time. Choose from any of our apps, or create your own using Eka’s code-free app builder. Interested in learning more? Request a demo or sign up for a free, 14-day trial today.
