Tag: virtualisation

Enough cannot be said about both the historical and current importance of distributed control systems and their role in industrial automation. It is therefore only fitting that we talk about their continuous evolution and future too. For years, plants have relied on a mismatch of small Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and proprietary black boxes to manage localised tasks. These systems were extremely effective in their time.

The debate between on-premise and cloud computing architectures remains a prominent topic among businesses, particularly in South Africa. This discussion is not merely about technology but is deeply intertwined with organisations’ specific needs and business models.

Organisations constantly seek ways to improve IT efficiency, reduce costs and scale operations quickly. Virtualisation benefits businesses by providing game-changing solutions with significant advantages.

As the world becomes increasingly focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, IT departments are actively driving sustainability efforts. According to Enterprise Strategy Group research, a significant majority (93%) of IT decision makers consider a supplier's ESG programme when making IT purchasing decisions.

Virtualisation in the cloud and the advancement of internet-connected devices have made running industrial systems much more manageable. However, these technologies are also introducing operational environments to new vulnerabilities and risks.

Often people talk of innovation as a one step idea-creating process that continues forever. But there are three building blocks to innovation. The idea creation or ideating and creating is only the beginning, with designing and killing ideas and lastly scaling as the other two parts.

The emergence of Kubernetes and containerisation is arguably more important for the evolution of computing than virtualisation about 15 years ago. It is poised to see massive uptake in the coming years, providing an attractive skills investment for those looking to future-proof their careers, while giving businesses a massive competitive advantage in the shape of cost savings, availability, flexibility, and portability of infrastructure.