Continuous Application Portfolio and Enterprise Infrastructure Rationalization Strategies in the Industrial Sector
Industrial business transformation initiatives have been made possible by the synergistic combination of expertise from the worlds of Operating Technologies (OT) and Information Technologies (IT).
The convergence of these technologies, communities, and skillsets is challenging industrial and manufacturing organizations to manage application portfolios as underlying enterprise infrastructures constantly shift.
Executive discussions reveal a growing momentum around building cross-disciplinary teams that can collaborate and integrate efforts to rationalize enterprise investments in applications and infrastructures in a coordinated manner.
According to a recent analysis by IBM, many industrial business transformation initiatives have been made possible by the synergistic combination of expertise from the worlds of Operating Technologies (OT) and Information Technologies (IT). This is bringing about intelligent, interconnected, and autonomous manufacturing equipment and systems. The achievement of shared objectives across OT and IT communities will be enabled by new dynamic -- constantly evolving -- technological resources, such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and ubiquitous connectivity.
The convergence of these technologies, communities, and skillsets is challenging industrial and manufacturing organizations to manage application portfolios as underlying enterprise infrastructures constantly shift.
BizTechReports caught up with David Ruggiero of IBM to discuss the topic of continuous application and enterprise infrastructure rationalization strategies.
David Ruggiero, IBM
Here is what he had to say:
According to Ruggiero, a senior leader in the Cloud Advisory team at IBM, executive discussions reveal a growing momentum around building cross-disciplinary teams that can collaborate and integrate efforts to rationalize enterprise investments in applications and infrastructures in a coordinated manner.
“You can't approach this just from an application perspective or just from an infrastructure perspective anymore. The two are so tightly tied together that you have to develop joint perspectives on future state objectives for the organization as a whole,” said Ruggiero.
This requires a deep understanding of the strategic business trajectory of organizations, which is bringing application and infrastructure professionals into business planning processes at earlier stages in the game, compared to what was occurring just a few years ago.
“This is particularly important in industrial and manufacturing environments that are employing modern engineering practices to build the plants of the future,” Ruggiero observed.
A significant part of the discussion revolved around integrating IT with OT teams to nail down manufacturing operations’ application and infrastructure requirements. Several participants noted that many industrial applications that are tied to the shop floor are latency-sensitive. This situation, noted Ruggiero, demonstrates the importance of ensuring that the OT perspective is reflected in the development of enterprise architectures. While many organizations have a strong interest in harvesting the technical and economic benefits of cloud computing, the rapid rise of highly automated industrial facilities often requires compute capacity to remain close to the plant.
“The towers that used to separate IT and OT teams are going away. Smart manufacturing facilities are adopting DevSecOps, AI, and other cutting-edge enterprise technologies. But they are also creating specific demand for innovations in edge-compute capabilities that address the application needs of the OT teams. It raises the importance of continuous coordination of enterprise infrastructure and application portfolios,” said Ruggiero.
As the industry explores its technology modernization options, discussions are becoming far more nuanced and complex.
“We need to take advantage of new technologies -- such as microservices, containerization, and automation -- to proactively develop the talent and processes that will take us into the future,” concludes Ruggiero.
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