By Jose Rivera
After an incredibly challenging year, the pandemic seems to have finally turned the corner putting us on course toward more normal times here. The ongoing “reopening” looks to continue to put the SI community into a positive mood.
According to the May 2021 EZ-Stats, an impressive 94% of the respondents viewed the months ahead as “things are looking up.”
At the same time, I am also fully aware that the good fortunes may be lagging in other parts of the world, still struggling with the pandemic and delayed vaccination campaigns.
CSIA News
I wanted to share the following exciting CSIA news items:
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2022 CSIA Executive Conference: After a two-year hiatus, the in-person conference is scheduled for June 27-30, 2022, at the downtown Hilton Denver. For those who have not experienced Denver, the airport is a major international hub that is provided with an efficient rail connection to the city. Nearby Rocky Mountains provide visitors with the opportunity to combine attendance to the conference with a nice vacation.
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Adapting to a New Reality
and New Tools to Help
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By John Weber
Last quarter, I shared with you my perspectives on risk management in software project implementations and 5 ways to assure success and reduce risk. This quarter, with the announcement of the 2022 CSIA Executive Conference and the theme “The Future of Work,” I want to look at the word virtual, how the use of that word has changed in work and in the industry, how we can help integrators continue to adapt to this new reality and offer some learning tools for your engineering team, and I hope, add some value to your busy day.
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By Lisa Richter
In no order, a few sundries:
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Resistance is futile: If you are not a CSIA member, it’s time to assimilate! C’mon, you’ll love it – especially when you see what’s included in the new First-Timer Package.
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CSIA Awards: Congratulations to Joe Martin, President, Martin CSI; Omnicon S.A.; AVEVA Software LLC; Jeff Winter, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Grantek Systems Integration; and Hallam – ICS for earning 2021 CSIA Awards.
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CSIA Estimation Training: With the economy busting open, this is no time to be anything less than confident in your ability to score jobs that make good business sense. The CSIA Estimation Course can help. Reserve your spot now.
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CSIA Financial Checkup: You know what you need? You need best-in-class accounting and financial support – and CSIA has you covered.
Questions? Send me an email, I’m here for it.
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Remote Access: Real-Life Security Lessons |
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By Barry Turner
When thinking about remote access, security is, and should be, top of mind. Control engineers are fundamentally changing how they do their job, from being onsite to 1,000 miles away and simultaneously managing multiple sites without a single truck roll.
Remote Access Solution Challenges
However, there are several challenges associated with implementing a remote access solution that is easy to use and provides robust security measures, preventing unauthorized access. The biggest hurdles once deployed, are ensuring the solution will block all unauthorized access and any infrastructure changes made during installation don’t leave open security loopholes in the architecture. There has been a long-standing belief that ease of use and security are on a sliding scale. Solutions can be very secure, or they can be easy to use but not both. This is not true.
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Sensis: Thermal Management and IIoT |
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By Matteo D'Incecco
It‘s increasingly strategic to keep on-board enclosure components in optimal working conditions to prevent damaging shutdowns.
Sensis is a new way to monitor and control the climate conditions inside electrical panels. Sensis is an IIoT device that collects the thermal management data into the enclosure. Sensis is the first thermal management device that offers the full integration between heating, cooling and ventilation in order to keep the conditions for the electronic components.
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How Do you Update 900 PLCs in
Warehouses with Minimal Downtime?
The CODESYS Automation Server
Makes Updates 6 Times Faster
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No matter if you are controlling warehouse logistic systems, machines, mobile equipment or an automated industrial building, all these automation systems need one thing: updates of the control application to add new features, improve performance, adapt to changing requirements.
Earlier, this was a time-consuming and costly process that could take the whole system offline. CODESYS customer, Gebhardt, shows how Digital Twins in the cloud and a cloud-based controller management can speed up the process of updating a large number of PLCs to the point where it’s just a few mouse clicks.
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Remote HMI Firmware V6:
IoT-optimized Firmware for Thin Clients
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The new version 6.0 of the REMOTE HMI firmware for Thin Clients from R. STAHL has been tailored to meet the current requirements for virtual network structures in the process industry. The new version is a great incentive for end users to migrate their legacy KVM systems to Stahl’s Thin Client solution.
As a closed system based on WINDOWS 10 IoT, the firmware meets the highest security standards and supports all major protocols for remote control and process monitoring that are relevant in the fields of the Industrial Internet of Things, virtualized server structures and cloud automation.
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Cyber Insurance Market Continues to Harden |
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By Jeff Forbes
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, a staggering number of businesses switched primarily to a work-from-home setup in an incredibly short amount of time. This meant ensuring employees had access to email, private company networks, cloud-based data and a host of other key parts of a company’s cyber infrastructure from devices and home networks that companies had little control over. This environment created a golden opportunity for cyber criminals, and they seized it with both hands.
Skyrocketing Claims
Cyber insurance claims have skyrocketed over the last 12 months. Industry analysts say the increase in cyber losses from 2019 to 2020 could easily represent a doubling or tripling.
One study by Hiscox estimated that almost 20 percent of businesses subjected to a cyber-attack, saying the scale of the attack threatened the business’s continued existence.
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Creative Ways to Build Culture |
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By Tim Finerty
As 2021 presses on, one thing that remains on everyone’s minds is talent. Running a successful business requires having the right people on your team. But what do you do when there isn’t enough talent to fill your open positions? Technology and innovations can only take your business so far without the right team in place. If you’re a business owner, you may be struggling with how to recruit, engage and reward employees – especially as we learn to adapt to a post-pandemic world where remote work environments are more prevalent.
Video Series to Help Tackle Talent Concerns
Our video event series Automation Talent 101: Culture, Hiring & Retention will help you tackle your biggest talent concerns. Discover innovative and effective ways to build a stronger culture, develop a winning team, keep employees engaged and more. These engaging hour-long sessions will feature culture and talent specialists.
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Information Management Challenges
Facing Manufacturing Today
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By Vaughn Rampersad
When Flow Software asked industry professionals what their biggest information management challenges were, the following points were reported as being most important.
- Delivering self-service reporting and analytics
- Reporting and analyzing data across multiple systems
- Unlocking data “buried” in systems
- Reducing the time and cost required to produce reports
- Freeing up IT resources from performing reporting and analysis
These challenges affect industrial process optimization, troubleshooting and overall costs.
You Can Only Manage What You Can Measure
In the manufacturing space, this means measuring variables associated with processes. The measurements serve a purpose -- to track how a process or set of related processes is doing with respect to business, operational or other goals. So, in the pursuit of truth, reliable and understandable information is required.
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System Integrators in a Great Position to
Educate Their Clients on Cybersecurity
Vulnerabilities and Risk Assessment
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By Steve Huffman
The recent cybersecurity attacks on the U.S. present far-reaching impacts on companies and government agencies. Those business and government agencies affected are assessing the damage and attempting to bring their mission critical operations fully back online. The term mission critical applies to any activity, system or equipment whose failure can result in the failure of an organization’s operations.
Depending on the organization, the consequences of failure can be catastrophic. It is vital to secure all elements of mission critical operations, which includes the education of the workforce managing those systems, against cyberattacks.
System Integrators are on the frontline every day working to ensure that mission critical operations are functioning properly. SIs need to continue to work with their clients to ensure that they understand any potential risks and vulnerabilities that can be introduced by implementing new technology into their mission critical ecosystem and how best to mitigate the risk.
Mission Critical Global Alliance (MCGA) is a trusted resource for business, government and industry to secure their critical infrastructure through advocacy, skills standards development, education, professional credentials, research and workforce development.
MCGA and CSIA are developing a partnership to provide CSIA members with additional education resources to aid in their efforts to better identify and mitigate risks within mission critical operations.
Steve Huffman is a Board Member of MCGA and currently works as Vice President Marketing & Business Development at Mead O’Brien, Inc. in St. Louis. To learn more, contact him at shuffman@mcgalliance.org.
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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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2021 Digital Transformation and Challenges
By Carolina Casas Anzola
2021 represents important challenges; companies that are better prepared and that understand that a digital transformation strategy is necessary to stay and be more efficient and productive, will have better results.
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Transformacion Digital y Retos 2021
Por Carolina Casas Anzola
Este 2021 representa retos importantes; las empresas que estén mejor preparadas y que entiendan que una estrategia de transformación digital es necesaria para mantenerse y ser más eficientes y productivos, tendrán mejores resultados.
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Media Opportunity for Control Engineering - Automation System Integration Roundtable, Part 3: Packaging
Integration of automation and controls with the packaging portion of operations remains challenging when machine vendors may or may not feel a need to use industry accepted standards and interfaces. Listen to system integrators for advice and best practices for packaging integration.
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, July 14
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, July 21
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, July 28
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, August 4
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Wednesday, September 8
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Date: Thursday, September 16
Time: 7 p.m. - 8 p.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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