Connected Enterprise and the Internet of Things

As one of the biggest topics in global IT, the Internet Of Things often seems like an intangible piece of jargon but it came a little closer to reality at the Connected Enterprise event hosted by Hanley Automation in Mondello this week.

Hanley Automation, the leading Irish automation and robotics company, based in Swords, in conjunction with Rockwell Automation and Cisco hosted a conference for manufacturing & utility companies from all over Ireland. The topic of the conference was Connected Enterprise and the Internet of Things. Another hot topic was how big data can impact the running of industrial and manufacturing plants.

All of the companies from sectors as divergent as Pharma, Food and Beverage producers as well as power generation and water treatment were on hand to learn more about the practical applications of using data and connecting devices. This connection of data producing devices is becoming more and more relevant in industrial settings in large and small enterprises in Ireland.

Gareth Hanley, ‘The “Connected Enterprise” refers to how industrial plants are now full of internet connected devices controlling machines and processes. These devices produce a great deal of data and they could also be a security liability.

Our customers want to understand how they can handle these challenges and also mine value from this data by using it in conjunction with data from other sources such as their business systems, social media etc. By hosting this conference and bring in international thought leaders in this arena, we are helping Irish industry to adopt to move quickly to generate value from the industrial Internet of Things”

Dominic Molloy, Marketing Director EMEA & Managing Director UK and Ireland at Rockwell Automation told attendees of the almost 50 billion connected devices currently included in the connected universe.   ‘This event was the first of its kind in Ireland, and was oversubscribed with a large number of attendees mainly from Ireland’s Global Blue Chip manufacturers, and their suppliers.  An audience of over 120 senior IT and Engineering professionals spent the day talking about industrial applications of the Internet of Things.  Seminar topics included Big Data, Security and Mobility, and the conversations expanded during networking times to cover many diverse aspects of the future of manufacturing in Ireland.  It was an excellent event giving many thought provoking ideas on how Irish manufacturers can apply the latest solutions to continue to be innovative, agile and competitive in the global manufacturing market.’

Paul Taylor,  Business Development Manager, Strategic Alliances  of Cisco said ‘It is all about the “Internet of Things” and the “Internet of Everything” connecting devices, people and things, this will drive the next wave of global innovation and deliver  $19tn over the next 10 years in additional profits and cost savings to the private and public sectors. The companies that have attended today have already started this process of growth and convergence and are turning the corner into the future, it is great to see so many companies in Ireland moving forward implementing this type of technology in their plants.

Rockwell Automation Ltd
UK Marketing Communications Specialist
Pitfield, Kiln Farm
Milton Keynes K11 3DR
Tel 0870 242 5004  Fax 01908 839696
E-mail: ukmarketing@ra.rockwell.com