We're all hearing about drones these days, from hobby use to military use to delivering things you buy on Amazon. Getting a bird's eye view of the world has long been a human fantasy, and now it's a reality.

Topics: optonews, OptoNews 2017-02-01

Presented by ATX West and Design News in Anaheim, California, the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Summit is coming up next week, February 7-9, 2017. 

The conference offers three days of Industrial IoT strategy, automation solutions, and smart technology training.

Topics: optonews, Events & conferences, OptoNews 2017-02-01

So you know .NET—or Modbus—or Python—or HART. Can you use those development tools and protocols (or many others) with Opto 22 products?

You'll find the answer in our new technical note, Communication Tools & Protocols for Opto 22 Products. 

Topics: Process control, Internet of Things, Tips, IoT, optonews, PACs, Integrators, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-02-01

Ahh, the Sixties...

The 1960s was a decade full of inventions, especially innovative new tools that the manufacturing industry would eventually adopt:

• In 1964 the BASIC computer language was invented.
• The following year the compact disc went on sale in the US for a mere $1,000 per unit (maybe that’s why software was so darned expensive).
• 1969 brought us the first barcode scanner.
• And that same year Al Gore invented the Internet, leading to the development of the Industrial Internet of Things as we know it today. Way to go, Al.

Topics: groov, OEM

Drones are playing a key role in the Industrial Internet of Things. Not to mention the fact that they’re pretty much all the rage today with just about everyone.

I would hazard a guess that almost everyone you know knows someone who has one. They’re in all the stores at the mall, the military has fleets of them protecting the skies, and I can’t wait to see Amazon’s version dropping my packages off on my front doorstep.

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

Understanding how productive, efficient, and profitable your business operations are takes constant monitoring and analysis.

One of the tools used in manufacturing, automation, and process control to stay on top of these metrics is  key performance indicators, or KPIs.

KPIs can be applied to all levels of a business, from manufacturing to sales, marketing, operations, and customer service.

Topics: Process control, groov, Tips, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things

Attention industrial engineers: If you're not thinking about how secure that new wiz-bang-flashy PLC or PAC is before you purchase it, you're setting yourself up for a world of pain down the road.

Industrial control systems are used across a wide range of industries, from manufacturing and fabrication, to electricity generation and transmission, to oil refining and water treatment—all industries where a network security compromise could mean huge losses of capital for the business.

Recently we’re seeing many of these traditionally proprietary control systems—distributed control systems, PLCs, and SCADA applications—adding new, more open technologies like Ethernet and TCP/IP. And with organizations' increasing interest in the business advantages of obtaining system data, industrial control systems are now being connected to information technology (IT) networks.

That's scary.

Topics: Internet of Things, Tips, IoT, Networking, Security, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things

You never feel like you know enough about security.

And security issues and recommendations are constantly changing, as the bad guys try to hack in and the good guys try to keep them out. 

Here are a couple of new blog posts on this important subject, both by Opto 22's Matt Newton, who has years of experience in both automation and IT (information technology). 

Topics: Internet of Things, PLCs, IoT, optonews, PACs, Security, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-01-18

We've recently released PAC Project version R9.5003, with enhancements for PAC Display and SoftPAC, plus bug fixes.

In PAC Display Pro, we've improved response time for URL windows and URL controls by reducing the number of web page reloads they use.

Topics: Updates, optonews, PACs, PAC Project, OptoNews 2017-01-18

We're honored to be chosen by Automation World readers as a preferred supplier!

Every year as part of their Leadership in Automation Program, Automation World asks their readers—that's you—to choose their go-to suppliers. These are the automation equipment manufacturers that automation engineers most trust. 

Topics: groov, optonews, PACs, I/O, mobile, IIoT, Data acquisition, OptoNews 2017-01-18