OMAC and ei³ Lead Industry to Define Remote Access Practices for Plant Equipment

Herndon, VA – Feb. 19, 2021 – The Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC) in Sep 2020 convened a workgroup of 37 industry leaders from across the globe to define best practices for secure Remote Access to plant equipment. The result is a 90-page guide providing a thorough understanding of the benefits, trends, and challenges of Remote Access.

Based on the expertise of key leaders from the automation ecosystem — from major manufacturing companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), system integrators (SIs), and automation vendors — the report balances the requirements of end users, IT departments, and equipment and solution suppliers. ei³, an IIoT company with 20 years of track record in providing secure manufacturing connectivity, facilitated the meetings and identified critical topics that were subjected to an in-depth review, for example:

• The evolution and ever-growing role of remote access on shop floors
• Review of the effectiveness of technologies and techniques currently being used for Remote Access using a well-established maturity model
• Overcoming organizational IT/OT barriers
• Understanding the industrial automation network architecture
• Legal liability aspects of Remote Access
• Methodologies to reduce the risk posed by cybersecurity threats

“By documenting the best practices for Remote Access, OMAC has developed a practical and vendor-neutral guide that would assist in a secure deployment of Remote Access to respond, resolve and support manufacturing operations,” says OMAC Chairperson Ron MacDonald. OMAC plans to continue to monitor the technology landscape for Remote Access to provide ongoing knowledge and experience to the manufacturing industry.

The guide is available free of charge to all individuals in manufacturing and the public at large and can be accessed here.

About ei³ Corporation

ei³ offers a suite of no-code IIoT apps and AI-based solutions for the industrial manufacturing sector. With a focus on enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and cost savings, ei³ enables businesses to achieve predictive outcomes. Printing, Plastics, Packaging, and Commercial Real Estate are some of the company’s key market segments. ei³ is headquartered in New York with offices in Montreal, Tokyo, and Zurich. For more information, please visit www.ei³.com.

About OMAC

The Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC) helps manufacturers and suppliers work together to identify new and innovative ways to increase the effectiveness of their production operations. OMAC brings together leading End-User Manufacturers, OEM Machine Builders, System Integrators, Technology Providers, and Non-Profit/Government Agency organizations to address issues that confront global manufacturing today. OMAC’s two working groups, Packaging and Manufacturing, lead the way in producing industry consensus guidelines that help manufacturers reduce their delivery times, be more efficient with available resources, and increase profitability. More information is available at www.omac.org.