The web has transformed the way engineers, technicians, and plant managers find, select, and buy industrial automation, instrumentation, and controls.

I recently binge-watched the series "Halt and Catch Fire" on Netflix. It’s a fictional but historically based drama about the rise of the personal computing industry starting in the mid 1970s and running through to the internet age.

It was really interesting, especially for those of us who lived through it, or some of it (I started college in 1985). Not to mention the great soundtrack, if you like 1980’s punk, new wave, and alternative music!

Topics: Videos, Internet of Things, IoT

Over the years, one of the most difficult things I’ve had to help clients with is justifying an automation project. Whether it’s a new system or an upgrade, the challenge is often in quantifying the benefits financially.

Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, API, REST API, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things

You may have been thinking about doing an IoT application that could help your company, but embarking on your first industrial IoT application may seem daunting.

I’ve heard Opto 22 Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy Benson Hougland tell people to "start small," or "just get started." 

Topics: Internet of Things, Remote monitoring, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Data acquisition

One of the main promises of the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is advanced data analytics. As I research what exactly this means and look for use cases, one thing that comes up often is anomaly detection. At first glance, the question that comes to my mind is, "But wait, don’t we already have this?"

Topics: Process control, Internet of Things, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Data acquisition