MQTT Sparkplug B, or Not to B? Unified Namespace Architecture Considerations

What is Unified Namespace architectureThe Unified Namespace (UNS) has proven to be a popular architecture for folks undergoing a digital transformation initiative.  At the core of the unified namespace architecture is a centralized repository of structured data which any application or device can subscribe or publish data to.  Utilizing a hub and spoke architecture provides the benefit of decoupling your data from the application layer – each node only needs to subscribe and publish to data within the UNS rather than create discrete connections to each device/application in your ecosystem.  Read More

Rockwell Automation on the Move 2022 in Worcester, MA

Rockwell automation systems integratorsAs a Rockwell Automation systems integrator, we recently attended the much-anticipated Rockwell Automation on the Move 2022 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA.  The last Rockwell Automation on the Move event at Worcester was on July 1-2, 2015, which is about seven years ago!

The locally sponsored event is a fantastic venue for any industrial automation or OT professional not only providing a great networking opportunity with customers, OEMs, vendors, and other systems integrators, but also providing the latest cutting-edge information regarding products, services, and solutions from Rockwell Automation. Read More

NeoMatrix Goes Abroad to Support Ignition Operations

Neomatrix supports ignition operations in japanGreetings from Japan! My name is Peter Melendez, and I have been an automation engineer with NeoMatrix for 4 years. As part of a unique opportunity, I have traveled across the globe to a customer site in Japan. Our customer is one of many to whom we have delivered Ignition-integrated equipment over the past years. They have requested an engineer to help support their Ignition operations and train their engineers to use and troubleshoot Ignition. I was excited to be chosen to deliver their Ignition training and quickly started researching traveling and living in Japan. Read More

NeoMatrix is Growing!

Neomatrix is GrowingNeoMatrix’s passion is to help people manufacture a better future and we took an important step to ensure we deliver on that passion by adding new jobs across all job functions. We know that our customers are looking for flexibility and expertise in growing areas such as digital transformation and unified namespace, and in order to support our customers’ needs we have added eight new hires, one new co-op, and we are planning to onboard one additional Automation Engineer starting in September 2022. Read More

Throwing Axes, That’s How We Team Build

Throwing Axes Team Building NeoMatrixIt is important for a company to demonstrate their core values, and this quarter we proved that the NeoMatrix team knows how to embody our “have fun” core value. This June, NeoMatrix booked a private event at Wicked Axe in Haverhill, MA where we enjoyed a fun, friendly axe-throwing competition.

We started the night with axe-throwing lessons where the instructors worked with us 2-at-a-time and taught us one-handed and two-handed throwing techniques. After our practice rounds, we broke off into two brackets and the tournament was underway. Read More

Publish Data to the Unified Namespace from a REST Client Using HighByte Intelligence Hub

Tech Tip Wonderware Historian Unified NamespaceWe are currently working with a greenfield food and beverage startup and are implementing a unified namespace. To put it simply, a unified namespace is a centralized repository of structured data in which any application or device can subscribe and/or publish data to.  In our case this centralized repository is an MQTT broker.

For plant floor device integration, we are using HighByte Intelligence Hub to model information from plant floor devices and ‘flow’ that data to the broker.

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High Availability Ignition Architectures Part 1 – Mitigating Server Failures

Inductive Automation Ignition ArchitectureInductive Automation’s Ignition software is a SCADA platform which has grown in market share over the years. Most folks are familiar with Ignition’s server-based architecture and the benefits of the unlimited platform when it comes to tags, connections, and clients. The fact that Ignition is server-based adds inherent risks which many find troubling. Inductive has addressed this by creating a platform that has a plethora of options to mitigate these risks. This is the first of a two-part blog post to help demystify designing Ignition architecture to address risks to server and network infrastructure. Read More

Cyber Attacks on Critical Infrastructure and Industrial Control Systems  

Neomatrix Cyber Attacks on Critical InfrastructureGartner estimates that by 2025, cyber attackers will have weaponized a critical infrastructure cyber-physical system (CPS) to successfully harm or kill humans. In high-stakes sectors like water treatment, oil and gas delivery, and power distribution, an outage or delay in services due to cyber attacks on critical infrastructure can have a rippling effect. Looking at drinking water production or wastewater treatments as an example, an attack could result directly in citizens not having safe drinking water and sanitation, but it could also force the closure of hospitals and shutdown schools and government facilities. Read More