Industrial networks in the IoT era

To be held during ACI Connect 2015 at Sydney Olympic Park on 12-13 August, the Future Networks Forum will feature many local and international experts representing four of the leading protocols - Profinet/Profibus, FieldComm Group (formerly Foundation Fieldbus and HART Wireless), ODVA and EtherCAT.

The forum will be moderated by Glenn Johnson, editor of What’s New in Process Technology/ProcessOnline, and will feature 30-minute presentations from each group on how they see the challenges and opportunities that the Internet of Things, big data, cybersecurity and cloud services are now bringing to the industrial networking sector. They’ll also consider what needs to be done to prepare for an always-connected future.

After the presentations there will be a panel discussion where delegates will be encouraged to join the discussion. Questions covered will include:

• How can IT and engineering management work together better at the network planning stage - and what are the benefits of better collaboration?
• How will advanced network design better facilitate advanced manufacturing?
• What are the security effects of smartphone access to business-critical operational data on your network?
• What impact will external technology and economic forces have on future network design and planning?

“Industrial communication networks are the lifeblood of every control system. Understanding a network’s functionality is critical for operators choosing technologies best suited to their individual applications,” said Rafael Koenig, chairman, Profibus Australia.

“Further challenges are now emerging with the rise of IoT and the impact it will have on our future industrial automation landscape,” he added. “Profibus Australia believes forums like ‘Future Networks’ at this year’s ACI Connect perform an invaluable role in defining the issues and outlining the potential outcomes for further debate.”

The wider ACI Connect 2015 program will include:

• Leadership panels.
• Two dedicated MiniLab workshop channels (technical and management) from leading industry educator IDC Technologies, catering to a broad sector of industries and job functions.
• A new Live Theatre on the expo floor featuring the latest technology and applications from leading automation, control and instrumentation vendors.

ACI Connect 2015 is supported by leading industry groups the IICA and Engineers Australia, plus the above industrial networking groups. Registrations are now open, with early bird discounts available until 3 July. Visit www.ACIconnect.com.au.

Image courtesy of Marcus Brown under CC