Industrial DevOps is rapidly transforming the engineering processes related to programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and overall industrial automation. In this exploration, we delve into the innovative solutions provided by Software Defined Automation, a Munich-based company, and how their cloud-based platform is addressing the challenges faced by modern automation engineers. Software Defined Automation, founded in 2021, leverages the principles of DevOps to offer a comprehensive Industrial DevOps platform. This platform, designed for automation engineers, includes version control, browser-based engineering, secure remote access, virtual PLC orchestration, automated backups, and AI-powered documentation. By doing so, it aims to streamline various facets of industrial automation, improving efficiency, security, and operational performance.
Understanding Industrial DevOps
Central to the evolution of PLC engineering is the concept of Industrial DevOps, which extends the principles of DevOps traditionally applied in software development to the realm of industrial systems. By harmoniously integrating and automating software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops), Industrial DevOps significantly enhances the systems development lifecycle. This innovative approach adeptly supports both new and legacy systems within a vendor-neutral setting, a crucial feature given the diverse array of hardware and software currently used in industrial environments.
One of the most compelling advantages conferred by Industrial DevOps is its capacity for remote collaboration and approval workflows. By facilitating these processes, teams of engineers can work together seamlessly without being physically co-located, promoting efficiency on a global scale. Moreover, the approach fosters scalability and accessibility, key elements in an industry where the ability to rapidly adapt and upscale processes can provide a distinct competitive edge. Finally, project management is substantially streamlined, allowing for better oversight and control over complex industrial projects, reducing errors, costs, and downtime.
Key Features and Functions of the Industrial DevOps Platform
The platform developed by Software Defined Automation introduces several key functionalities that significantly ease the burden placed on engineers and enhance overall operational performance.
Version Control
Version control, a cornerstone of Software Defined Automation’s platform, meticulously tracks every change made in PLC code. It provides detailed insight into who made which changes, at what time, and for what reasons, effectively enhancing collaboration and compliance with stringent manufacturing change control regulations. The platform ensures proper access permissions, crucial for maintaining security and integrity, and boosts productivity by enabling visual comparisons of different program versions. These features are indispensable across various verticals, such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, where precision and adherence to regulations are paramount.
Another vital aspect of version control is its role in mitigating the challenges posed by managing numerous versions of vendor-specific software. In scenarios where software versions are not compatible, version control offers a streamlined way to handle multiple versions without confusion or error. This capability markedly reduces the risk of operational disruptions, improving overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Browser-Based Engineering
IDE as a Service (IDEaaS) represents another innovative feature of this platform, allowing users to access and edit integrated development environments (IDEs) through any web browser. This capability simplifies the management of multi-vendor IDEs, a common challenge in the diverse industrial automation landscape, and substantially reduces hardware burdens.
Secure remote access is a standout feature of IDEaaS, facilitated through VPN-secured sessions. This ensures that engineers can share licenses and update all IDEs without compromising security. By centralizing and securing access to development environments, IDEaaS promotes a more streamlined and efficient engineering process, free from the constraints of specific hardware requirements.
Secure Remote Access
The secure remote access feature of Software Defined Automation’s platform elevates security considerations to new heights, surpassing the capabilities of traditional VPNs. It meticulously controls access using encrypted MQTT and WireGuard VPN protocols for secure operational technology (OT) device interactions. This dual-layered security not only protects against potential cyber threats but also ensures complete transparency and auditability, with all actions being meticulously recorded and traceable.
The significance of secure remote access cannot be overstated in an industrial context. It secures the operational technology landscape, mitigating risks associated with unauthorized access and cyber-attacks. The platform’s meticulous access control, combined with its advanced encryption protocols, ensures that industrial operations remain secure, efficient, and resilient against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.
Virtual PLC Management
Virtual PLC management introduced by Software Defined Automation promotes independence from vendor-specific hardware, enabling soft PLCs to run on standard IT servers. This ability allows for swift deployment of Virtual PLCs, integrating real-time and non-real-time tasks seamlessly. Virtual PLCs can operate alongside conventional PLCs, significantly enhancing operational efficiency by leveraging existing IT infrastructure.
This feature introduces a level of flexibility and scalability previously unseen in industrial automation. It allows engineers to deploy, manage, and scale PLCs without being constrained by specific hardware requirements, reducing costs and increasing the agility of industrial operations. By enabling operations to be more resilient and adaptable, virtual PLC management ensures that the industry can keep pace with rapid technological advancements and changing market demands.
AI for Automation
The integration of AI into the platform translates complex PLC code into human-readable language, significantly facilitating quicker onboarding and ensuring up-to-date process documentation. This integration allows for a more efficient understanding of automation projects, providing automation engineers with clearer insights and a more intuitive grasp of ongoing processes.
AI-powered documentation and translation capabilities are particularly beneficial in complex industrial environments where understanding and maintaining code is vital. By simplifying the communication of technical processes, AI enhances the overall efficiency of project management, troubleshooting, and process optimization. This leads to more effective training of new personnel and a smoother transition when integrating new technologies or updating existing systems.
Automated Backup
Automated backup is another critical feature offered by Software Defined Automation’s platform. Supporting multiple vendors and versions, this functionality minimizes recovery times and ensures business continuity and disaster recovery. The platform allows for centralized management of backups across various factory locations, facilitating prompt and secure recovery processes.
The importance of automated backup systems cannot be overstated in today’s industrial environment. They ensure that critical data and configurations are preserved, enabling rapid recovery in the event of hardware failures or other disruptions. By providing a centralized and automated approach, the platform minimizes downtime and ensures that operations can be restored quickly and efficiently.
Challenges in Modern PLC Engineering
Automation engineers today contend with a host of challenges, many of which stem from managing multiple versions of vendor-specific software that are often incompatible. These engineers must also grapple with legacy code that frequently suffers from inadequate documentation, complicating efforts to troubleshoot and update systems. Furthermore, there is a notable shortage of young, skilled talent in the sector, with many younger engineers hesitant to work with outdated and cumbersome development environments.
These challenges result in several adverse outcomes, including operational inefficiencies, increased downtime, elevated security risks, and higher overall costs for organizations. Engineers are often forced to waste valuable time resolving compatibility issues or deciphering poorly documented legacy code, diverting them from more productive tasks. The reluctance of younger engineers to engage with outdated systems exacerbates these issues, leading to a talent gap that can be difficult to bridge.
Addressing these challenges is critical for improving the efficiency and reliability of industrial operations. Adopting modern, streamlined engineering processes and tools can help mitigate many of these issues, making it easier for engineers to focus on optimizing and advancing their systems rather than wrestling with technical debt and outdated technologies.
Advantages of Software Defined Automation’s Platform
Software Defined Automation’s platform addresses these pain points by centralizing the management of industrial automation assets and providing a vendor-neutral solution. This approach enhances efficiency, reduces costs and downtime, and provides greater control over the automation lifecycle. By offering a unified platform for managing industrial automation, Software Defined Automation streamlines processes, improves collaboration, and enforces standards across the board.
Automation engineers can now manage code repositories centrally, removing the burden of dealing with multiple, incompatible software versions. The platform enables remote collaboration, allowing teams to work together seamlessly despite geographical distances. This capability is particularly important in today’s interconnected world, where global collaboration is often essential for staying competitive. Furthermore, the platform’s ability to enforce standards ensures that best practices are consistently followed, reducing the risk of errors and improving overall system reliability.
The benefits extend beyond just operational efficiency. By reducing downtime and improving the reliability of automation systems, Software Defined Automation’s platform also helps minimize costs. Fewer disruptions mean less lost productivity and fewer resources spent on troubleshooting and repairs. The platform’s centralized approach to managing automation assets also simplifies compliance with industry regulations, providing an added layer of security and peace of mind for organizations operating in highly regulated environments.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity remains a critical concern in the manufacturing sector, with ransomware attacks on the rise and the average cost of recovery from such attacks hitting $1.67 million. Software Defined Automation’s cloud-based approach offers robust protection against these threats by isolating backup and recovery processes from on-premises infrastructure. This separation reduces the risk of ransomware spreading to critical backup systems, ensuring that recovery can proceed smoothly even in the event of an attack.
The platform’s compliance with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 further reinforces its robustness in safeguarding industrial operations. This framework provides a comprehensive set of guidelines for managing and reducing cybersecurity risks, helping organizations ensure that their operations are secure and resilient. By adhering to these standards, Software Defined Automation’s platform helps organizations protect their assets from cyber threats while maintaining high levels of operational efficiency.
In addition to ransomware protection, the platform’s advanced security features help safeguard against a wide range of other cyber threats. These include unauthorized access, data breaches, and other malicious activities that could compromise the integrity of industrial systems. By providing a comprehensive suite of security tools, Software Defined Automation ensures that its clients can operate with confidence, knowing that their systems and data are well-protected.
Future Outlook
The platform created by Software Defined Automation incorporates a host of essential functionalities designed to significantly lighten the workload on engineers while simultaneously boosting overall operational efficiency. This innovative solution streamlines complex, time-consuming tasks, thereby allowing engineers to focus on more strategic aspects of their work. As a result, the platform enhances productivity by automating routine processes and reducing the potential for human errors, which can be costly and time-consuming to rectify.
Additionally, the platform supports a seamless integration with existing systems, making it easier for organizations to adopt without disrupting their current workflows. This ensures a smoother transition and quicker realization of benefits. Real-time monitoring and analytics tools embedded within the platform offer engineers valuable insights into system performance, helping them make informed decisions and proactively address potential issues before they escalate into major problems.
Another standout feature is the platform’s scalability, allowing organizations to expand their operations effortlessly as they grow. This adaptability ensures that the platform remains a valuable asset, regardless of the size or complexity of the operation. Moreover, the user-friendly interface, characterized by intuitive navigation and clear visualizations, makes it accessible even to those with limited technical expertise.
By integrating these functionalities, Software Defined Automation’s platform not only makes engineers’ lives easier but also significantly improves the overall efficiency and reliability of engineering operations. The comprehensive solution set that Software Defined Automation offers solidifies its place as an essential tool in the modern engineering landscape.
