Laying the Foundation for Factories of the Future
Bringing together the right IT and OT systems will be key for manufacturers to realize a digital future.
To remain competitive in an increasingly digital and interconnected environment, companies across the manufacturing sector are working toward data-driven, lights-out facilities. But manufacturers cannot reach that point without having foundational information technology and operational technology infrastructures that work symbiotically to unify supply chains, cloud platforms, and other aspects of operations.
To take advantage of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins and robotics, manufacturers need to change the way they think about network infrastructure. Integrating historically siloed IT and OT infrastructures will be central in developing the factories of the future. Companies should make investments that make it easier for the OT side to make decisions using data, and that make it easier for the IT side to understand how the OT environment works.
Businesses will not be able to embrace advanced technologies if they don’t have the foundational data highway and security in place to support them. For many teams, building an integrated IT/OT infrastructure foundation will require a mindset shift. Rather than just a means of sending data from Point A to Point B, these IT and OT foundations — when integrated holistically — can enable more circular connectivity throughout operations, better security, continual improvements in efficiency and, ultimately, growth.
Shifting the Mindset
Especially with the rise of more regulatory requirements around data security, manufacturers need to determine whether their IT and OT infrastructure align with their business goals and make intentional efforts to use the infrastructure’s capabilities proactively across the organization. Leadership teams should view IT and OT foundations as visibility and containment tools in detecting viruses, performance issues and security gaps. Manufacturers will not be able to make meaningful improvements in supply chain efficiencies and elsewhere unless they prioritize such efforts.
For many businesses, this will mean collapsing IT and OT to be more connected to each other, which will enable faster decision-making with the use of real-time data. This will help foster the necessary mindset shift from viewing networks solely as a way to connect machines to seeing the broader scope of their functions. Developing more resilient IT and OT foundations will be especially crucial for boosting capabilities in the following three areas:
John Chambers is a director at RSM US LLP.
Scott Hermanson is a principal at RSM US LLP.
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