Reliable, high-speed data transmission isn’t an option any more. And, with more data than ever before, industrial networks need to keep up with evolving bandwidth requirements. With the influx of data from smart machines, the once compartmentalized worlds of IT and OT need to follow similar standards to operate more efficiently and achieve these requirements. Due to this inevitable convergence of IT and OT and the greater demand for seamless communication across many connected devices, networks will require an increasing amount of bandwidth. Our conclusion? Full gigabit networks are the standard of the future.

In today’s information age, everything in our lives, both as engineers and consumers, is about data. From big data and smart cities, phones and cars to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), we have access to an incredible amount of information ready to be tapped everywhere we turn. And we’re starting to leverage it in a way that not only makes our lives easier, but shapes markets through new capabilities and opportunities for innovation.

2017 is expected to be an improved year for oil and gas. Reports show the industry is expanding, jobs are growing and drilling permits have doubled. This leads many to believe that over the next quarter, the market will rebound from several years of plummeting sales. Even with a rosy forecast, no industry is immune to challenges, and oil and gas is no exception. The oil and gas sector faces a unique array of pain points, from traditional concerns of safety and reliability, downtime and availability to dynamic new-age issues, such as regulatory and cyber security concerns. The key for overcoming these obstacles is having a sound and secure networking infrastructure.

It’s not surprising that Ethernet has migrated from office environments to industrial environments. After all, the use of open, standards-based communication technology has made it easy to connect the plant floor to enterprise systems resulting in many business benefits. And, the adoption of common computing and networking platforms has reduced costs such as network maintenance, administration and labor expenses.

Electric energy operators around the world are working to increase reliability, resiliency and capacity with smart investments in new technologies. This includes Stadtwerke Karlsruhe Netzservice GmbH (SWKN), the municipal utility that provides electricity, gas, water and heating to the 300,000 inhabitants of the city of Karlsruhe in southwestern Germany.