Modern IT Infrastructure Vs. Legacy OT Infrastructure
Think of Think of Information Technology (IT) as a cutting-edge iPhone. It's equipped with the latest technologies, always on the move, consistently connected to the internet, and frequently patched with the most recent security updates. This iPhone mirrors the capabilities of your enterprise architecture - the ability to process massive data securely and quickly communicate, and adapt to changes in real-time. It's like your corporate headquarters, where strategic decisions are made, leveraging data to predict market trends and make informed business decisions.
In contrast, Operational Technology (OT) is like a reliable VGA cable (or more realistically an RS232 cable). Imagine this as the machinery in your manufacturing facility. It's been designed to carry out specific tasks in the physical world - making things, assembling things, handling things, and measuring things. It's the workhorse of the manufacturing industry that's been around for a long time and performs its job consistently, day after day.
The Challenge
Your task now is to connect this VGA cable, your manufacturing operations, to the iPhone, your enterprise architecture. They seem to exist in different eras, speaking different languages. You can't just insert a VGA cable into an iPhone. Similarly, you can't simply integrate your physical manufacturing processes with the digital world of enterprise IT. It's like trying to discuss the nuances of social media strategy with a blacksmith from the 1800s - both have their expertise, but they live in very different worlds.
The Way Forward
The crux of the issue with IT/OT convergence is not to force a square peg (OT) into a round hole (IT), or vice versa. It isn't about adapting the old to fit the new. Instead, it requires fundamentally reimagining how these two worlds can coexist and collaborate. It's about creating a wholly new environment, a new language, a transformative bridge where the physical and digital worlds can engage in meaningful, efficient, and seamless dialogue. It's about inventing a revolutionary device that can accept a VGA cable and connect it natively to an iPhone, with no loss in quality, and no confusion in translation - creating a truly integrated, harmonized system.as a cutting-edge iPhone. It's equipped with the latest technologies, always on the move, consistently connected to the internet, and frequently patched with the most recent security updates. This iPhone mirrors the capabilities of your enterprise architecture - the ability to process massive data securely and quickly communicate, and adapt to changes in real-time. It's like your corporate headquarters, where strategic decisions are made, leveraging data to predict market trends and make informed business decisions.
