Initial impressions of the Cisco Industrial Smart Solution at ARC Forum

In Monday’s blog, Maciej Kranz, Cisco VP/GM for the Connected Industries Group introduced the Cisco Industrial Smart Solution which converges factory automation, control systems and enterprise business systems onto a common, standards-based IP network.

Yesterday, Maciej and many others wrapped up the second of four days at the ARC World Industry Forum, discussing processes and technologies that enable breakthrough performances in industry and infrastructure.

Some Cisco team members shared their perspectives on the Cisco Industrial Smart Solution, how it effects industrial performance, and how it’s being received here at the ARC Forum.

Paul Didier, Solutions Architect, Cisco Connected Industries Group
“IT & OT convergence is helping industrial companies meet the primary business goal of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). A converged network will allow for faster fixes, better monitoring, and easier access to remote partners, employees and expert resources.  Standardizing on Ethernet enables rapid network deployment and a less expensive total cost of network ownership.

The keynote topic here at the forum was about achieving breakthrough performance.  The Internet of Things (IoT) was recognized as a top trend that’s having positive effects on manufacturing and automation and even on society. The Cisco Industrial Smart Solution enables the IoT so our industrial customers can benefit from those effects.”

Hazim Dahir, Solutions Architect, Cisco Advanced Services
“Cisco is a known and trusted advisor for bringing a lifecycle of services into thousands of IT infrastructures.  These include architecture, development and delivery services.  With the Industrial Smart Solution, Cisco brings that IT business value to the OT infrastructure.  We help customers align the unique business needs of their industrial infrastructures while providing secure, real-time access to suppliers, partners, employees and defined devices.”

Doug Bellin, Cisco Business Development Manager, Global Manufacturing and Auto Industries
“The Cisco Industrial Smart Solution provides new networking convergence guidelines to industrial customers. Those guidelines provide clarity on how to bring standards-based Ethernet into an OT environment that is very different from the IT environment.

The companies that I’ve talked with here at the ARC forum agree that there’s a need to have a single, standardized infrastructure, without having to start all over again.  Many customers already have Cisco in their IT network.  They want to benefit from the economy of extending that network without having to learn another technology, another protocol and another brand.”

Want to learn more?  Get the Cisco Industrial Smart Solution Overview here.