OptoBlog

Janice Colmer

Janice has worked at Opto 22 for nearly 20 years and is part of the marketing team that strives to share new and relevant content with the automation industry. She enjoys books, camping, country music, and spending time with family and friends.
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Recent Posts

Preventing a data center shutdown

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 7, 2025 11:29:04 AM

Are your systems able to withstand severe weather threats or power failures? Learn how a nationwide bank restored critical cooling without infrastructure changes.

Have your industrial control systems been put to the test? Do you have monitoring and control mechanisms in place to face a natural disaster?

After an HVAC retrofit in 2022, the headquarters of a nationwide bank in Australia encountered an unplanned shutdown of their data center, which was critical to their banking operations. Learn how they quickly bounced back, despite facing strict regulations, time constraints, and a list of new required system features.

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Topics: Case studies, groov EPIC, system integrator, groov rio emu, data center

Find your solution at ENTELEC

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 7, 2025 11:25:09 AM

Attend the annual ENTELEC Conference & Expo in Galveston, Texas for an up close look at cutting edge and security-focused application solutions in the energy sector.

Are you looking to achieve operational efficiency in industries such as petroleum, pipelines, natural gas, refineries, and utilities? Are your projects requiring new technologies that achieve digital transformation, as well as utilize edge computing, and cybersecurity?

You should join us at the annual ENTELEC Conference & Expo, May 19 - 22, 2025, in Galveston, Texas. Find out what makes this conference unique.

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Topics: Energy management, Events & conferences, groov EPIC, Ignition, groov RIO, oil and gas, energy monitoring

groov + Ignition = a powerful college classroom combo

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 29, 2025 8:33:04 AM

See why groov RIO edge I/O with Ignition Edge has become a key component to college Industry 4.0 labs and preparing students for real-world applications.

Have you wondered what a modern day college engineering lab is equipped with for today's students? What's the latest technology that's needed to prepare students for careers in industrial automation? Is it the same technology you're researching for your projects?

Inductive Automation explores the classroom in their latest case study featuring Clovis Community College. You'll learn why Ignition software pairs well with Opto 22 groov devices to meet the challenges of today's IIoT applications, as well as exceeding educational expectations.

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Topics: Case studies, IIoT, industrial automation, groov RIO, Inductive Automation

Why you should attend Automate 2025

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 29, 2025 8:28:38 AM

Hear why Automate is the leading industrial automation show in North America and what you can expect to learn from this free event. 

If you work in automation, are considering capitalizing on it in the future, or simply want to know what’s the next greatest advancement in technology, Automate is the place to be. And it’s completely free to attend.

Produced by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), Automate is a one-of-a-kind experience for any professional from any sector—and it's four days of nonstop action.

Opto 22 engineers will be returning to the annual event in Detroit, Michigan, May 12  -  15,  2025. Here's what you can expect.

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Topics: Events & conferences, IIoT, groov EPIC, industrial automation, Ignition, groov RIO, digital transformation, Inductive Automation

Optimizing energy management in heat treatment

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 22, 2025 7:42:30 AM

See how Schulman Engineering addressed their energy usage, analyzed costs, and established preventive maintenance with the groov RIO energy monitoring unit.

Are you working on machine health initiatives and predictive maintenance? Do you want to track (and reduce) operating costs? Energy management can be the key to achieving these goals. 

Schulman Engineering, an industrial automation and system integration company located in Southern California, recently shared a client success story using Opto 22's groov RIO EMU (GRV-R7-I1VAPM-3).

Is it possible to find a secure solution that translates energy data into usable information for cost management, process improvement, and equipment reliability?

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Topics: Energy management, Case studies, system integrator, groov rio emu, energy monitoring

Get real-time insights to avoid downtime, reduce costs, and optimize your industrial operation

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 16, 2025 6:08:48 AM

New white paper outlines actions you can take for practical and cost-effective machine monitoring with edge devices.

Keeping machines running smoothly is at the heart of every industrial operation. Machine monitoring helps avoid downtime by providing real-time insights needed to catch problems early and keep equipment working.

Have you been tasked with an IIoT (industrial internet of things) or digital transformation initiative for your company? Ready to learn how edge devices can be a part of your solution?

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Topics: machine data, white paper, edge computing, groov RIO, Edge I/O, machine monitoring

What drives IIoT success?

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 9, 2025 8:31:55 AM

Tune in to the latest episode of Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast to get insights on IIoT technology and how to make it work for everyone—not just the tech savvy.

Join IIoT podcast host Phil Seboa for another interesting discussion about the IIoT and its effect on several aspects of your daily life. His guest in the latest episode is Opto 22's Benson Hougland. 

Benson brings his 30 years of experience in industrial automation and IoT to discuss the benefits of IIoT, how he got started in home and industrial automation, the importance of interoperability, and his experiences from the recent ProveIt! tech conference.

Listen in for some valuable insights and tips to get started on your automation project—either at home or at work.

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Topics: IIoT, groov EPIC, industrial automation, podcast

Did Opto 22 Prove It?

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 2, 2025 9:45:56 AM

Listen in on a conversation from this year's ProveIt! conference as Benson Hougland discusses the why and how of securely moving data from OT to IT systems with the Manufacturing Hub podcast.

Have you tuned in to the Manufacturing Hub podcast yet? It's an educational show hosted by two longtime industrial practitioners—Dave Griffith and Vladimir Romanov. They asked Opto 22's Benson Hougland for a sit down discussion at this year's ProveIt! conference in Dallas, where several topics were covered.

What types of solutions are readily available for manufacturers to start their digital transformation? What are the most common challenges and roadblocks? What does the future look like in terms of product features?

And most importantly, was Opto 22 able to prove a viable solution on stage at the ProveIt conference?

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Topics: Events & conferences, IIoT, groov EPIC, podcast, edge computing, groov RIO, smart manufacturing

OEM achieves real-time data, predictive diagnostics, and remote access

Posted by Janice Colmer on Mar 26, 2025 11:47:28 AM

Learn from this new case study as CryoPhit USA explains how they overcame the complexity of cryotherapy systems with an advanced automated solution.

CryoPhit USA needed to design a system that was easy to use, maintain, and service, ensuring accessibility for end users, operators, and refrigeration technicians. This meant access to real-time data would be key. Sound familiar?

In this case study, find out how the groov RIO provided real-time data, predictive diagnostics, and remote access for their innovative cryochambers.

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Topics: Case studies, OEM, groov RIO

Get to know your Opto Distributor for Colorado to Four Corners

Posted by Janice Colmer on Mar 19, 2025 7:16:13 AM

Process Control Dynamics joins the OptoChannel of distributors to share their industrial IoT expertise and focus on the groov family of products in Colorado and the Four Corners region.

Now you have more options when it comes to finding IIoT and critical infrastructure application solutions, especially in Colorado and the Four Corners region of the USA.

Meet Process Control Dynamics. They've helped thousands of customers implement technologically advanced and cost-effective solutions in a wide variety of applications and vertical markets since 1986.

Hear about their product experience and why they've added groov EPIC and groov RIO products to their portfolio.

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Topics: IIoT, groov EPIC, cybersecurity, groov RIO, OptoChannel

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