#Operational Technology

[acuvate-updates]

The Evolution of IT-OT Integration in the Energy Sector

In today’s digital era, industries are increasingly recognizing the need to integrate Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) to drive efficiency, safety, and innovation. Historically, OT systems, which control industrial equipment and processes, have operated in isolation to ensure security.

Energy sector digitalization is transforming the industry by integrating advanced technologies like AI, IoT, and real-time data analytics to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and operational performance.

However, as Dan Jeavons, VP of Digital Innovation at Shell, puts it, “We can’t operate in isolation anymore.”

Overcoming the Challenges of OT Isolation

For years, OT environments were air-gapped to safeguard critical infrastructure from cyber threats. This ensured security but also created silos, preventing companies from utilizing valuable operational data for predictive maintenance, production optimization, and advanced analytics. One of the biggest advantages of IT-OT integration is the ability to leverage Real-Time Data Analytics for predictive maintenance, operational efficiency, and proactive decision-making.

Johan Krebbers, highlights the challenge: “The question isn’t whether we should integrate OT with IT — it’s how we do it securely.” This shift is crucial for companies looking to enhance operational efficiency without compromising safety.

With data-driven decision-making, energy companies can leverage real-time insights to enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and innovation.

A Paradigm Shift: The Control Tower Approach

To better illustrate the need for IT-OT integration

Dan uses an analogy: “Think of OT as the pilot flying an aircraft — fully in control. IT, on the other hand, is the control tower, providing insights, weather updates, and route optimization. The two must communicate effectively for a smooth operation.”

By establishing a secure connection between these domains, companies can enhance decision-making, streamline processes, and leverage real-time insights for better efficiency and safety.

For more information, click on the link to the video-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AE-zVRJZR0

Cloud-First Strategy

Recognizing the importance of seamless integration, Shell has adopted a cloud-first, open-source approach to securely connect OT data with IT systems. This allows for:

Real-time production monitoring

Advanced predictive maintenance powered by AI

Improved efficiency and proactive decision-making

“We needed a system that allows IT to learn from OT data — without disrupting operations,” Dan explains. The result is a framework that ensures secure data flow while maintaining operational stability.

The Role of Open Standards

While the transition to integrated IT-OT environments is promising, challenges remain. “Open standards like OPAF and OPC UA are great, but adoption is slow,” Johan points out. “OT environments don’t change overnight.”

However, companies like Honeywell and Yokogawa are increasingly adopting open integration models. Additionally, Shell’s experience with WITSML in wellsite data management proves that industry-wide adoption of open standards is achievable over time. The shift towards Smart Manufacturing allows energy firms to implement predictive maintenance strategies, minimizing costly equipment failures and unplanned shutdowns.

Standardizing data formats using open standards in IT-OT enables smoother integration between legacy OT systems and modern IT architectures.

Unlocking the Power of Real-Time Data

One of the biggest advantages of IT-OT integration is the ability to work with real-time, time-series data. According to Dan, “This data is gold for machine learning.” Shell has taken major strides in unlocking this potential through:

RTDIP.IO (Real-Time Data Ingestion Platform) — an open-source framework for secure OT data ingestion.

SSIP (Shell Secure Interconnect Platform) — a system designed to transfer real-time data from OT to IT environments securely.

By leveraging these technologies, companies can analyze operational data in real-time, predict failures before they occur, optimize processes, and even automate decision-making.

One of the biggest advantages of IT-OT integration is the ability to leverage Real-Time Data Analytics for predictive maintenance, operational efficiency, and proactive decision-making.

The Road Ahead: Scaling IT-OT Integration

The results of IT-OT integration have exceeded expectations. “We knew the data was valuable, but once we made it available, the innovations that followed blew us away,” Dan admits.

From optimizing maintenance schedules to reducing energy consumption, the integration of IT and OT has unlocked new possibilities -many of which were previously unimaginable.

As organizations continue this journey, the focus will be on scaling, refining, and further pushing the boundaries of digital transformation. By embracing open standards, secure connectivity, and cloud-first solutions, industries are unlocking the full potential of their operational data.

Bridging the IT-OT divide is no longer a choice-it’s a necessity for staying competitive in the digital age. The revolution has begun, and those who embrace it will lead the way in efficiency, safety, and innovation.

Conclusion

The adoption of digital twins in energy facilitates better asset management, operational efficiency, and risk mitigation in complex industrial environments.

Bridging the IT-OT divide is no longer a futuristic vision-it is a present-day necessity for industries striving to remain competitive. Companies that successfully integrate OT data with IT systems gain access to real-time insights, improved decision-making, and operational efficiency.

The journey is complex, requiring the adoption of open standards, secure data pipelines, and cloud-based architectures. However, as Shell’s pioneering efforts demonstrate, the rewards far outweigh the challenges. IT-OT integration is not just about connecting systems; it’s about transforming industries, driving innovation, and ensuring a more efficient and sustainable future.

[jamesmitchia]

Security Failover Technology Redefining the Very Essence of ICS and OT Resilience

Security failover safeguards critical operations, minimizing downtime and protecting against cyberattacks targeting Industrial Control Systems ICS and Operational Technology OT environments. Robust failover mechanisms ensure continuous protection against cyber threats, reinforcing the resilience of ICS and OT networks. In a constantly evolving digital landscape, organizations must shift to a proactive cybersecurity approach.

How Security Failover Enhances ICS and OT Resilience

Rapid Recovery Salvador Technologies offers 30 second recovery, enabling swift restoration of operations in case of failures or attacks.

Air gapping for Business Continuity Ensuring uninterrupted critical processes and services with a widely recognized 3 2 1 organizational backup, recovery, and operational continuity plan.

Redundancy Implementing redundant systems and components to provide backup capabilities using boot from the Salvador Technologies unit.

Risk Mitigation using Software Agent Reducing the potential impact of cyber incidents on operations by installing the agent, which takes less than a minute to install.

Compliance Adherence Meeting regulatory requirements for system availability and security.

By leveraging advanced security failover technology, organizations can enhance ICS and OT resilience, ensuring business continuity and protecting critical operations from cyber threats.

Explore how security failover can redefine your cybersecurity strategy with this exclusive whitepaper.

[ilikeit-art]

In order to plan and perform operations easier, New York surgeons have shown an augmented reality device that helps them in their work. The program in AR glasses converts images (MRI, CT, and more) into interactive 3D diagrams that are superimposed on the patient's body in real time.

[liminalmindcore]

[computer-nerd-girl]

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[unbfacts]

All 500 of the world's fastest supercomputers run on Linux-based operating systems.

[mystycalypso]

He's doing his best to understand his daughter henchman's hobbies

[bunabyte]

Man, I know Linux is very distinctly NOT a black box, but it sure does feel like one sometimes.

[bobcat-pie]

[sealrock]

febhyurary, day 5: color

23rd sun of the 2nd umbral moon, 1547

my pet project with a colored aethograph, or what I like to call an 'aethochrome', with aetherically enhanced ink to capture colors. featuring my friend and classmate, elaine tatlonghari. taken early morning, with a waxing crescent moon in the background. I accidentally mixed in too much red during the process, and it gives the impression that it's still autumn. —W.J.

[stormvanari]

based on a dream i’m having

original reference of the top image below cut:

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

It's funny how most every cyberpunk story or setting thought that due to technology taking over people's lives and humanity, computer literacy would become commonplace enough that the very term would disappear. Everyone in Night City or whatever is super into hacking or can at least give you the difference between hardware, software, antivirus, spam, etc. To not know the basic gists or cybernetics and cyber security is paramount to not knowing how to count or how to read.

In reality we're about to enter an age where knowing how to create a folder or a zip file is back to being ancient lore inscribed in tablets that only the 30 year old who works at your IT office knows how to do. Phones and the growing marketability of easy-access no-customization technology means kids just don't use computers anymore. And it's crazy how fast it happened.

When I was in kindergarten we still had "computer class" once a week, and it was objectively useless for everyone in my class. Regardless of our age or interests, all of us had casual PC time either at home or in cyber cafes, all of us knew how to do things the teachers many times struggled with. The moment typing machine class became keyboard typing class, computers were already dominating most of our time. I learned how to navigate a computer the same way I learned English; by myself, because it was vital for my own interests.

And between highly streamlined video games, single umbrella closed OSs and everything being a fucking app, a 14 year old nowadays is lucky if they know what quotation marks do to your Google results. It's genuinely harrowing how the future is tech-dependent, yet we're becoming completely tech-illiterate.

The worst part is that it's completely on purpose by the tech industry. Much like not being able to fix your own products when they break, if you simply don't know what your phone or your computer can *do*, it's much easier to sell you a borderline identical one a little earlier than you'd actually need it. Phone updates are already pretty much semantic; you can't even see the difference between new models and old ones anymore, unless the visual difference is the point. And it all just gets more and more expensive for less and less bang for your buck.

We never expected the cyberpunk dystopia to be dull, and to rely on making us dumb. Crazy how well it worked.

[elizabethrobertajones]

ooh I see, in Pyramids of Mars pt2 the Doctor takes Sarah Jane to look at 1980 if they don't stop what happens in 1911, and it's an apocalyptic wasteland, so when you're watching the Beatles episode in 2024 you're supposed to go like "hey just like in Pyramids of Mars!" and then you're thinking about the exact right episode.

You know, if you already had watched all of Doctor Who before this year instead of say, hitting the current plot twist related episode today. :P

[vintage-tech]

Pocket calculator from Montgomery Ward (active 1872-2001).

It's the simple things that matter and all this one's going to do is add, subtract, multiply, divide, and do percentages.