By Jose Rivera
By the time this newsletter is released we will have passed the first-year anniversary of the pandemic-driven lockdowns around the world. The impact has been dramatic on many levels. During the past 12 months, we all have learned of friends and family getting the virus.
Several CSIA members have reported getting it and, fortunately, recovering; many after an agonizing period. One SI shared with that they got pregnant and delivered a baby safely during this time.
Sadly, I have also learned about a few where the virus provided the fatal blow. These cases involved elderly and health-compromised folks. For most of us, the virus evolved from being a news item to something very real.
We are in this together
The vaccines are being administered at a growing pace, and I am learning on a regular basis of more friends getting their shots. I am patiently waiting for my turn. I realize that not every country is as far along with vaccinations as the US. I remain confident that this is just a matter of time. Nobody will be safe until the virus is defeated globally. We are truly in this together.
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Reflections on reducing software risk and
the value of CSIA membership
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By John Weber
25 years. A quarter century. 1,300 weeks. How many days since July 1, 1996, to April 8, 2020, today? I’ll tell you at the end. I’ve been involved in CSIA as a partner member that long. The last year has been one of so many challenges. The total void of human contact, the gaping energy gap from that, the fears, challenges, the loss, perhaps all too personal for you, has been overwhelming.
But this isn’t just another COVID-19 story. I want to share perspectives that I hope can help you, help your business, help you deal with risk in software projects and add value to your day.
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By Luigi De Bernardini
Today I started writing my contribution to our newsletter, and I was thinking to the most recent trends I’m seeing in the market and how CSIA could help our businesses to continue to provide value to the customers in this fast-changing scenario.
My two years as chair
Then suddenly I realized that it’s almost two years since I started my position as Chair of the Board of Directors of CSIA, and this is my last contribution I will write for our newsletter and my last opportunity to greet you all.
It was beginning of May 2019 when I stepped into the role. I had a lot of expectations and ideas on how to contribute and help CSIA moving forward. I was excited to be working with the Board, Jose and the whole team to organize and hold the Executive Conferences in New Orleans and Denver.
A challenging time
If I look back, I have to say that nothing went as expected. I’m really frustrated to be the one who interrupted our long-term tradition of the annual Executive Conference (fortunately we were able to celebrate the 25th anniversary). At the same time, I’m also proud of how we were able to get through the crisis and not only survive, but even successfully transform the association to be ready to find a new and modern balance.
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Red Lion’s FlexEdge allows for use of both MQTT and OPC-UA in food packaging equipment streamlining public and private data acquisition within the same application |
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By Courtney Peel
A large food packaging equipment OEM needed help designing an architecture that would allow a user with a global footprint to access their data in real-time, while significantly reducing the OEM’s maintenance costs. They needed to enable their user to access operational data locally without providing access to their private machine data, which was routed to the cloud for preventive maintenance monitoring.
The original architecture included industrial PCs and a centralized protocol server, which captured and transmitted all available data to the cloud. The operational dataset that the user required was sent back to them. This architecture resulted in exorbitant server management and licensing costs, totaling almost $1 million annually. In addition to the on-going costs, there was also no way to share real-time data with the user, which inhibited their ability to drive efficiency.
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By Lisa Richter
In no order, a few sundries:
2. CSIA Townhall Business Meeting: Hear from the CSIA Board of Directors and staff as they candidly share a financial update, unveil the strategic direction for CSIA and give an overall state of the association presentation during this members-only event on Thursday, May 13 at 10 am CT. Reserve your spot now.
3. Keynote Address: Back by popular demand, Alex Chaurovsky of ITR Economics will address the current economic outlook and review the short- and long-term global economic forecast based on the latest data during this special 90-minute, members-only presentation sponsored by Aveva and Schneider Electric. Save your seat today.
4. Treat Yourself: If you are non-member who has been enjoying the weekly virtual events the association has brought to you, now is a great time to fill out that membership application to unlock even more goodies available to members only. If you really want to treat yourself, upgrade your profile on the Industrial Automation Exchange. You deserve it!
5. Sellout: We are almost completely sold out of sponsorships, display and newsletter advertising and sponsored content, so if you want in on the action, scootle your bootle.
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Mitsubishi Electric and ICONICS:
Bringing you to the next level
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By Scott Kiser
In 2020, ICONICS joined Mitsubishi Electric to become a group company of the global electrical solutions provider, adding its expertise in automation software development to its parent company’s already extensive products and services available around the world. The combination of software and hardware offerings now available from a single source is sure to help integrators expand their own offerings, as well as provide additional benefits to their end customers.
ICONICS Institute: Develop your skills anywhere at any time
ICONICS has recently expanded learning opportunities for our clients and system integrators with our new ICONICS Institute. This is our free online learning platform designed to help you build your skills across the full spectrum of ICONICS software. This resource incorporates contributions from a team of people drawn from our Training, Solution Sales, and Applications Engineering groups around the world. You can now learn how to develop your skills in advanced visualization and control solutions, with ICONICS software, from the comfort and convenience of your home or office.
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By Lisa Richter
The past few months have been active on the M&A front for the industrial automation industry with the following transactions:
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GrayMatter acquired CSIA member E-Merge Systems to “meet rising demand for industrial intelligence solutions that optimize efficiency and quality in manufacturing, food & beverage, water/wastewater, energy and other industries across North America,” according to the press release.
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CSIA-Certified Member Electrical Consultants, Inc., a power delivery provider to the utility and energy industries in North America, acquired CSIA member Casco Systems, which provides design, protection, integration, automation and testing services to utilities, renewable energy developers, generation plants and industrial clients. Read more here.
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CSIA member Feyen Zylstra acquired Dynics Services Group, an engineering division of Dynics, Inc., and Dynics acquired Feyen Zylstra’s industrial internet of things (IIoT) software application, Endeavor. The full press release is here.
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Gray, a fully integrated service provider, announced a merger agreement between Gray Solutions, a Gray company, and Stone Technologies, a national systems integrator, “to deliver strengthened digital services to customers across the food & beverage, pharmaceutical, life sciences, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) markets,” according to Gray’s press release.
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CSIA member AVEVA announced that it will acquire OSIsoft, a leader in real-time industrial data software and services, according to a news release issued by AVEVA.
If you have M&A information that has been made public, contact CSIA Industry Director Lisa Richter for consideration in the next issue. Disclaimer: M&A Corner is not intended to be a source for breaking news but a place to get caught up on recent deals.
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Raising the bar for OT/IT network security
Key NIST guideline: One or more DMZs are needed for the most secure, manageable and scalable segregation of control and corporate networks
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By Robert M. McIlvride
Beset by a worldwide pandemic, many companies worldwide have turned to digital technologies to allow their workforce to stay productive and facilitate access to valuable production data.
This has led to unprecedented levels of industrial data being passed between company networks and across the internet, increasing the risk of exposure to malicious intruders.
To address the threat, industrialized nations are beginning to mandate cybersecurity guidelines.
As an example, the European Commission has accepted revisions to the Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS), now calling it NIS 2. Among other things, the document mandates a number of basic security elements, including standards for networking data between the production and corporate levels of a company. In pursuit of this mandate, standards established by three well-known bodies, NIST, ISO and ISA are being used to provide detailed descriptions of how network security should be implemented.
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Introducing New CSIA Financial Checkup |
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By Tim Finerty
Often small to midsize system integrators are great at working on their core business but may be unaware of best practices on managing their company’s finances. As a part of our new offering with CSIA, we’ve identified four key areas that may benefit from a financial checkup: tax planning, performance metrics, cash management and accounting systems.
The CSIA Financial Checkup program is designed to provide businesses with valuable financial and accounting services at special member rates. These services are designed meet your unique needs, including your budget, business goals and level of readiness.
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Insurance certificates: Why so much aggravation? |
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By Jeff Forbes
The certificate of insurance is one of the most misunderstood documents in business. Originally meant to serve as evidence that insurance was in place, owners and general contractors have often sought to make it a contract of insurance itself. The number of modifications that were requested actually caused state insurance departments, regulators and sometimes legislators to limit what modifications were permitted on a certificate.
It starts with the contract
It all starts with a contract, MSA or agreement for work to be performed. These documents will contain insurance requirements. Insurance requirements have become more and more onerous for integrators, expanding in a seemingly endless process. Customers try to transfer as much risk as possible and make someone else pay. By transferring the risk, they reduce their losses and future premiums.
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Risky business not to challenge “standard language” |
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By Janeia Brounson
On the surface contracts all look alike. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, or so it seems. You have your introductory paragraph, your terms and conditions. They always include some form of payment terms, liabilities, warranties, term and termination, and dispute resolution – followed by a signature page. Pretty standard, right? Maybe so but hidden within the “standard language” can be language that shifts the other party’s risk to you.
Let’s review some so-called “standard language” in the following scenarios:
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Scenario 1: The contract states that you have examined pre-existing drawings, design documents and site conditions and you assume the risk of them. Did you know that you are arguably vouching for the designs of others and the pre-existing site conditions, and you are taking on all of the risks associated with them?
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Scenario 2: The contract requires you to double check the technical requirements or regulatory compliance of the design that the other party has sent to you. Your company has arguably guaranteed that the technical solution that your company has requested for its business is the right one and/or that its design parameters comply with all regulatory requirements.
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Scenario 3: Here’s my favorite one: A statement by the other party that it will not be responsible for the accuracy of its own information. What? But it’s their information!
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The controls and automation market:
Preparing for growth in the post-pandemic era
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By Clint Bundy
As investment bankers that specialize in representing controls and automation firms in business sales and capital raises, Bundy Group has seen first-hand the resiliency of the industry over the past year.
Even in the midst of the pandemic, strategic and financial buyers continue to pay robust valuations for controls and automation providers, including control system integrators. Based on the client engagements that Bundy Group is working on in 2021, we continue to see numerous industry indicators that buyer demand will remain strong.
Key players in the automation community are also eager to understand longer term implications of the pandemic on this essential industry, especially as it relates to the impact on valuations of companies. The controls and automation market resides in an influential position as society and business transition through this phase of creative destruction resulting from the pandemic.
The manufacturers, technology companies and service providers offering controls and automation solutions will benefit as the international business community evaluates, reviews and redefines progress into the future.
To broaden our perspective, several industry experts and leaders offer their thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on the automation segment and what the future holds for this important industry.
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Here’s your quarterly roundup of recent content you may have missed. |
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Talking Industrial Automation Podcast
If you are a podcast fan, you’ll want to check out CSIA’s Talking Industrial Automation. Some of the latest episodes include:
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Business and Technical Webinars
CSIA members share their expertise in these free virtual event recordings.
Interested in being a podcast guest or guest blogger? Both are available to member organizations that have upgraded to a Gold Profile. Contact Lisa Richter to learn how you can take advantage of these opportunities to position your C-suite as thought leaders.
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LATAM Update / Noticias de LATAM |
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Necessity is the mother of invention
By Carolina Casas Anzola
It is well-known that when man faces a time of change, an internal phenomenon happens that makes him develop the best of himself. Then emerges from him what he always had inside: ingenuity, initiative, creativity. And these are the weapons that overcome setbacks and take it to the finish line.
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La Necesidad es la madre de la Creatividad
Por Carolina Casas Anzola
Cuando el hombre enfrenta la adversidad, la dificultad y la carestía es también cuando recurre a lo mejor que hay en él, sólo entonces empieza a buscar las respuestas más allá de la superficie, de lo obvio, y sobre todo de lo común. Entonces emerge de él lo que siempre tuvo adentro: el ingenio, la iniciativa, la creatividad. Y éstas son las armas que vencen contratiempos y lo llevan a la meta.
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Control Magazine is requesting brief interviews and/or answers regarding Best Practices for IIoT for their June 2021 issue.
Interviews will be conducted in April.
If you prefer a phone interview or are planning to submit answers to the questions below, please email Heather Currier or Julie Gaier so we can inform the editor.
Cover Story-Best Practices For the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
- How are process application designs and operations being impacted by virtualization, cloud computing, IIoT and mobile computing?
- What are the primary gains of using these four technologies in process settings?
- Are any de facto standards (such as MQTT and AMQP) emerging to simplify the IIoT landscape?
- How should users evaluate their processes to determine what combination of virtualization, cloud computing, IIoT and mobility is best for their applications and operations?
- What are the drawbacks and potential risks associated with these technologies?
- What support tools and devices do users need to add to optimize virtualized, cloud-based, IIoT-enabled and mobile applications?
- Do you have any examples of the well-deployed virtualization, cloud, IIoT and mobile in process settings?
- Do they have any lessons learned or best practices to share?
- What's the ultimate evolution of virtualization, cloud, IIoT and mobility going to look like?
For a look at all upcoming opportunities, visit the CSIA Website. [Members only]
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Connect with us on LinkedIn! |
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Looking for even more ways to stay involved with CSIA and get the most out of your membership?
Follow us on LinkedIn and stay in the know on the latest CSIA and general system integrator news!
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Date: Wednesday, April 15
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, April 21
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, April 28
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, May 5
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 noon (CST)
Date: Wednesday, May 19
Time: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, May 26
Time: 10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, June 9
Time: 10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, June 16
Time: 10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (CST)
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Thank you to our 2021 Sponsors! |
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Stay in the know on the latest CSIA and industry news. Follow us on social media! |
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