IT/OT convergence brings physical (OT) equipment and devices into the digital (IT) world. This digital transformation is driven by technologies like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and big data analytics, which are crucial for enhancing production efficiency and boosting productivity. Historically, both systems have operated independently with distinct priorities, protocols, and security needs. However, with the dynamic digitalization landscape, challenges are ever evolving. Complexities arise as the demands for security, flexibility, scalability, lifecycle management, and efficiency become more evident. aReady.COM, congatec’s application-ready offering around computer-on-modules (COMs), provides the perfect building blocks for out-of-the box IT/OT convergence, reducing complexity by seamlessly integrating hardware and software for enhanced performance and flexibility.
The advent of Industry 4.0 and the IIoT have positioned IT/OT convergence as a pivotal element in the core of business operations, becoming indispensable for organizational success. This convergence demands the exchange of data from machines and systems with minimal latency to ensure the integrity of a real-time digital twin. Additionally, it is imperative to have a feedback mechanism integrated within the same hardware platform for usage-based business models that rely on immediate access to operational data, such as finance, for accurate billing, and maintenance to enhance productivity and maximize uptime.
However, as the integration of IT and OT systems deepens, the exposure to cyber threats escalates. Cyber attacks, once primarily aimed at IT, now extend their reach to OT. In response to this heightened risk, the European Union introduced the Cyber Resilience Act alongside the IEC 62443 standards. These measures mandate that starting in 2027, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must ensure their connected systems, devices, and machines comply with these regulations before entering the EU market. The objective is to reduce the vulnerability to cyber-attacks and safeguard against potential risks by secure software updates.
Security through separation
To ensure such secure updates via a separated IIoT gateway for example, OEMs don’t need to add individual hardware. Using system consolidation techniques alongside a hypervisor, such an instance can be implemented on the same multi-core module fully separated and secure. All that’s needed is a separate instance that doesn’t run under the same operating system as the HMI or the control system but instead operates in an isolated environment. This environment, acting as a security island, separates data and applications from one another. This approach helps reduce hardware costs while increasing the system’s flexibility and reliability.
However, implementing the necessary software for this consolidated system can be more complex than configuring the hardware itself. Crafting a hypervisor tailored for system consolidation is an arduous task if done in-house, given the tightly coupled association between this type of hardware-related software and the embedded platform. In such instances, the specialized knowledge of an embedded systems partner is invaluable.
IT/OT convergence needs dedicated software
Furthermore, many organizations do not possess the necessary in-house capabilities to develop the functional IT/OT convergence software, as the generic software solutions available on the market may not meet specific functional needs. Furthermore, the availability and precision of the embedded system’s operation hinges on the hardware data, which must be accessible and standardized by the IIoT software in terms of format, transmission protocol, and measurement units. For instance, a discrepancy in temperature data units – receiving Kelvin or Fahrenheit when Celsius is expected – could lead to operational disarray. This can be circumvented by leveraging the expertise of embedded manufacturers who can provide the required building blocks for monitoring software, given their intimate knowledge of their hardware.
The software in question should enable a range of functionalities, including remote monitoring of essential hardware details such as module identification, health, specifications, and sensor data, as well as the integration with standard communication interfaces like I2C, GPIOs, and Ethernet. It should also facilitate comprehensive monitoring and secure access to embedded systems, encompassing security protocols, sensor and actuator integration, control logic, lifecycle management, and historical data. Additionally, it should provide connectivity to prevalent cloud services like Azure and AWS, with options for establishing or integrating private on-premises clouds to protect critical business data. At its most advanced, the software should grant secure, real-time control over machines through edge devices, complete with remote management capabilities.
With a resilient, reliable, and secure IIoT connection, businesses gain real-time visibility of all data types from devices and connected sensors. Further advantages include reliable data processing, secure and encrypted connection with authorized access, real-time machine operation capabilities, and optimized maintenance costs with minimal on-site service for routine work and updates. With or without AI enhancement, predictive maintenance provides further opportunities to reduce machine downtime compared to fixed maintenance intervals.
Application ready software building blocks
With aReady.VT for system consolidation and aReady.IOT for IIoT connection, congatec has set out to address these needs. The aReady.VT virtualization technology enables designers to consolidate functions that previously required multiple dedicated systems on one single hardware platform. For example, the IIoT connector for IT/OT convergence can be highly efficiently integrated on the same COM that is hosting the application by using a dedicated virtual machine.
By reducing the number of systems, embedded computing applications can achieve significant size, weight, power consumption, and cost (SWaP-C) savings. aReady.VT supports the full range of congatec’s x86 COMs, from low-power to high-performance Server-on-Modules (SOMs). Notably, congatec is currently the only manufacturer to implement such Hypervisor-on-Module functionality application-ready across all their current x86 modules. This system consolidation shortens time-to-market and optimizes overall system functionality.
aReady.IOT offers a range of application-ready software building blocks that can be chosen to implement the exact functionality needed for successful digitalization (Figure 1). The IoT software and hardware building blocks enable seamless communication and data transfer between diverse systems and devices. This empowers companies to optimize production processes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. Crucially, aReady.IOT incorporates intrinsic security features to safeguard sensitive data against cyber threats and maintain operational integrity.
The capabilities of the aReady.IOT solution encompass a comprehensive suite of functions. Users can remotely access a wealth of device information, including serial numbers, software versions, voltages, and temperatures. It also allows for the retrieval of status values from an array of connected peripheral devices and sensors, capturing metrics such as acceleration, pressure, and vibrations. Beyond monitoring, the solution provides for the remote control of devices, enabling users to manage operations from afar.
In terms of data presentation, the system facilitates the visualization of information through dashboards or digital twins, offering an intuitive and interactive representation of the devices’ statuses. Additionally, the solution supports process automation, streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency.
The technology that underpins aReady.IOT is built upon the solid foundation established by Arendar, a company that congatec acquired in 2023. A key advantage of aReady.IOT is that designers don’t need to program their IIoT connection from scratch. Instead, they can simply parameterize it through a web interface. This approach offers maximum flexibility and the convenience of ready-made apps, providing instant access to cost-saving opportunities.
Robotic arm implementation
Consider a robot arm with a stereoscopic camera for object recognition and positioning. This system consolidates various tasks but doesn’t run them under one operating system. Instead, it creates dedicated virtual systems for real-time control, HMI, AI-powered object recognition and an IIoT connection for secure IT/OT convergence.
This setup enables predictive maintenance and new business models like Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS). System consolidation allows these diverse tasks to co-exist on a single COM yet be kept separate by a hypervisor. This approach transforms multiple systems into one, maximizing resource utilization while reducing space requirements and cabling, resulting in significantly lower overall system and installation costs and increased reliability.
Application-ready COMs
As part of its aReady.COM strategy, congatec offers aReady.VT and aReady.IOT in an application-ready or custom-configured package (Figure 2). These aReady.COMs integrate a pre-configured hypervisor, operating system, and IIoT software. Developers can boot these individually configured aReady.COM modules immediately and install their applications.
Alternatively, they can skip this task and let congatec deliver ready-made images with pre-installed application software, allowing modules to be directly deployed on-site during the commissioning process. This streamlines workflows, supply chain, and warehousing, making them much more efficient.
Regardless of the chosen integration level, aReady.COMs minimize the complexity of integrating diverse IIoT functionalities into embedded and edge computing systems below the application layer.
