Why IT and Automation Go Hand in Hand

I recently responded to a post on LinkedIn in the Automation & Control subgroup. There, a young engineer was asking the question, "if I am in automation, why do I need to know IT." 

That is a great question and over the years that I have been in automation, I've experienced first a chasm between IT and automation (one company I visited 15 years ago had a CIO that had never gone on the plant floor!) to a gradual alignment and now, cross over between the two practices.

ArchestrA Workflow from Wonderware Supports the Coolest New Tablets

by Jim Frider, Product Marketing Manager, Invensys

Everybody wants one.  Tablet computers are gaining popularity not only at home but at work too from CEO’s to field operators.  Why?  Because tablets are light, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive.  Plus they give you access to a world of information through a myriad of interesting and useful applications or apps.

Tablets are great for collaborating and keeping you informed while away from your office.  With most security concerns being addressed along with the ubiquitous of wireless networks, tablets are coming into their own as the mobile platform of choice for many workers.

This ability to stay connected provides a great opportunity for companies to improve worker productivity by allowing them to stay involved in important workflows regardless of their location.  For example, an operations manager within a manufacturing facility is attending a staff meeting.  Elsewhere in the plant a hazardous material spill occurs.  The Work Tasks app from Wonderware can help notify you of the spill and ask for your approval to take specific mitigation steps in real-time. 

Repost: Mobile Tops Desktop for Social Sharing

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Mobile-Tops-Desktop-Social-Sharing/1010091

Interesting study: more social sharing is done with mobile devices than with PC's.  This to me means a couple of things: people don't have the time to read, or process long articles, they like "sound bites" and a mobile device is perfect for that; they use any spare time to browse and share; and we, as marketers, have the responsibility to present information succinctly, and in formats that can take advantage of the mobile format.

For industrial automation products, this is a growing market segment: mobility. Providing not only the applications that take advantage of the portable form factor, but present information, and allow you to interact with the software, in a natural and intuitive manner.  In the past few years, we've seen products such as our SmartGlance mobile reporting, and IntelaTrac mobile work force management software, be widely adopted by industries such as food and beverage, oil and gas, and refining.  It helps people with productivity, collaboration, and information management, without being behind a desk.  It maps the way people work, which is a good thing.

Repost: Device Shipments Up 6% To 2.4B In 2013, Driven By Android Smartphones, Tablets Amid More PC Decline

http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/24/it-device-sales-to-rise-6-to-2-4b-in-2013-driven-by-android-tablets-smartphones-pcs-continue-decline/

If we as an industry aren't paying attention to the tremendous growth seen in the mobile device market, we'll miss one of the most important platform changes since the PC took hold.

In 2013, over 2.3 billion units are anticipated to be shipped.  By 2014, Gartner projects over 2.5 billion units--that's equal to 32% of the world's population!  Mobile access to data has now become part of our everyday life--from shopping to entertainment to work tasks.  The blending of our private and public lives centers on these devices that travel with us 24 x 7.

From an industrial software perspective, it's exciting and challenging. New formats mean reaching new customers, that may not have the legacy associated with PC-based systems.  So it gives us a chance to provide richer, more graphical applications.  The challenge, of course, is that it requires new products, to take advantage of the form factor and expected performance in a mobile device--intuitive, report-ready, simple to operate.

We've already seen startups such as Sarla (SmartGlance) and Transpara offering mobile device-enabled reporting.  But there's so much more!  MES, EMI,  HMI, the list goes on--all are using mobile as an important form factor to reach the increasingly mobile worker. 

Just Released: Wonderware Mobile Reporting Connector for SmartGlance

Wonderware Mobile Reporting Connector for SmartGlance

Updated software improves ease of use and configuration

Wonderware is pleased to announce a new Mobile Reporting Connector for its popular smart device-enabled reporting application, SmartGlance.  New features include enhanced security, such as SSO (Single Sign On), enriched reporting, and an expanded feature set for better ease of use.

The entire press release can be found here: http://iom.invensys.com/EN/Pages/IOM_NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=558

IDC: Tablet shipments up 142% in Q1: What Does That Mean for Automation?

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130503/WEB07/305039997/idc-tablet-shipments-up-142-in-q1&utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=daily

 

We ran this ad a few months ago to demonstrate the adoption of mobile devices as a viewing agent on the plant floor.  Over the past year, the use for viewing, monitoring, and responding to tasks using mobile devices has surged.  The concern for BYOD (bringing your own device) in the plant has been replaced with an organized approach to procuring applications, from the business systems to the control systems, that can leverage the mobile platform.  Everything from databases to operations management applications are now running on mobile devices.

It's no surprise that the tablet would show greater growth--its ease of viewing and ability to present more information/data on the surface makes it a natural progression from the smaller form factor of the smart phone.  And since the majority of these devices are simply presentation layers, versus process control, the concern for remote access and security is diminished. 

We anticipate a continuing drive toward mobile devices for clients.  Invensys already has mobile support for Wonderware Intelligence, SimSci Esscor's EYESIM Immersive Virtual Reality training software; SmartGlance mobile reporting, Avantis Enterprise Asset Management, Wonderware Workflow...the list goes on.  It's in direct response to our customers that are looking for easier, more cost-effective ways of using our software. 

We'd like to hear from you--are you using innovative ways to integrate mobile technology into your plants?  Email me at maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com.

Tablet, smartphone ownership continues surge--and Invensys leverages this platform

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130412/WEB07/130419997/tablet-smartphone-ownership-continues-surge&utm_source=itm&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=itm

B to B Online states that tablet ownership has surged 44% over the past year.  This is amazing growth, far beyond anything we could dream of for the automation industry.  But what it does tell us is that it is a platform that bears watching, and delivering products that can take advantage of its portable form factor and ease of use.

Repost: Mobile Usage Is Rocketing Search Efforts

Mobile Usage Is Rocketing Search Efforts

by Gavin O'Malley, Yesterday, 1:24 PM

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/196826/mobile-usage-is-rocketing-search-efforts.html#ixzz2OwU04vED

Why is mobile device search usage important to the industrial automation industry?  Because it shows us a booming trend in the way users want to access information--and it shouldn't matter if that information is coming from a website, or from a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) or an industrial application such as Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence or Human Machine Interface software. 

People are "joined at the hip" with their smart device.  Can you imagine driving somewhere, or even taking a walk, without your smart phone?  Unheard of.  In the world of industrial automation, it's getting to be the same.  Smart Devices are being fed by information coming from data historians, MES applications, workflow, and corporate energy management software.  It's allowing people to get the information they need, when they need it, to make more effective and timely decisions.

So you are now seeing a growing supply of vendors, large and small, who are providing either complete, or point solutions of mobile device-enabled reporting, visualization, and analytics.  Costs are coming down, to fulfill the single-user need for personalized information.  It's becoming part of the standard product offering, versus a strong differentiator.  For the end user, that's a really good thing.

Webinar 4/3/2013: Eliminate Paper Data Collection with IntelaTrac

Webinar 4/3/2013: Eliminate Paper Data Collection with IntelaTrac

Wonderware North presents an informative webinar on using IntelaTrac from Wonderware for workforce enablement, including task workflow enforcement and mobile device-driven data collection.  Join them on April 3rd, 2013.

Study: Twitter Mobile Users More Engaged with Brand

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/193206/twitter-mobile-users-more-engaged-with-brands.html#axzz2KYVSyFPy

It's no surprise that Twitter has continued to gain favor for brand marketing.  After all, it's short, requires you to be ver focused and pithy in your positioning and messaging.  And for the mobile platform, it's a perfect presentation and user interface.

For the industrial B2B vendor, I don't think we do enough in maximizing our use of this technology and venue.  Of course, we use to promote events, or press releases, or for sharing interesting reading materials.  But new product development ideas?  Or sneak previews of product releases?  Not really.

The automation market is getting used to using mobile devices for activities such as reporting and analysis--SmartGlance and Wonderware Intelligence are two smart device enabled applications. But news, promotions and information sharing are a different animal.

Since consumers (including myself) are so tethered to our devices, it makes sense to try to optimize our messages and campaigns to include a mobile aspect.  I would welcome any ideas you as my readers have on this subject. Email me at maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com...

Repost: Mobile users deposit more than $40B in checks via smartphones, tablets

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/mobile-users-deposit-over-40-billion-in-checks-via-mobile-mitek

When we first started talking about the cloud, we looked at the adoption of smart phones and tablets to do the simple, every day tasks that people have--and certainly, doing banking is an indication of the willingness of people to use new technology in labor-saving ways.