VFDs, or Variable Frequency Drives, are used by manufacturers to control motors at variable speeds, thus matching the speed of the motor-driven equipment to the load requirement. For example, to operate a long conveyor system, of let’s say beer production, a motor is used to turn the drive pulley and move the conveyor belt forward.

When it comes to industrial networking today, many factories and process control facilities around the world are focused on upgrading to managed Ethernet networks. With the long, useful life of industrial devices, there is plenty of old equipment using legacy industrial protocols in active service. Indeed, much of our business involves helping companies upgrade to structured, reliable and easy-to-maintain industrial Ethernet infrastructure.

Industrial networks need reliable and secure data communication. Operating in extreme or harsh environments – which is the reality network managers face each day – isn’t an acceptable excuse for disruptions or downtime.

Every industry today is under pressure to lower costs yet increase flexibility. A particular example is the electric power industry where on the one hand there are initiatives to increase the two-way communication of data to meet the vision of the smart grid, and on the other hand, keeping costs down is essential.

The malware campaign known as Dragonfly has surprised those of us concerned with industrial cyber security on several fronts. Initially, it was notable as the first malware since Stuxnet in 2010 to specifically target Industrial Control Systems (ICS) components.