How you set your factory network up can make or break your Industry 4.0 initiatives. This fact is probably underappreciated, but if the network is not optimized, despite your best intentions and large investments in creating digital twins, building analytical cloud applications, or virtualizing your control systems, you may not achieve the outcomes you desire. Let Cisco manufacturing experts help you get a handle on what it takes and join us in a panel discussion. Register here.

What it takes

Optimizing your factory network goes beyond simply selecting the best industrial networking equipment. Of course, the choice of networking equipment is essential, but it's only a starting point, and you also must consider the often-neglected aspects and hidden gotchas that may hinder your ability to get the most out of the network.

For example, while good networking equipment will enable seamless connectivity and integration of various industrial devices and systems, you must consider how well it can facilitate collection of real-time data for analysis, provide visibility to connected industrial assets and traffic flows, and facilitate advanced services such as secure remote access.

Well-designed industrial networks are scalable and flexible to accommodate the evolving needs of industrial environments. They can support the addition of new devices, equipment, and systems without disrupting operations. They also ensure high performance for deterministic operations as well as reliability and resiliency to minimize downtime.

Industrial networks must also assess security vulnerabilities as well as provide granular visibility into connected assets and traffic flows. This insight can help define segmentation policies to limit the movement of threats -policies that the network can enforce. The network can also continuously monitor these assets for any abnormal behavior that might indicate presence of malware, which can be quickly identified and removed. Moreover, capable networking equipment can accomplish all this without additional servers.

Modern industrial networks provide advanced services such as remote monitoring and maintenance, especially useful for large or distributed operations that can avoid the need for physical access to each machine, increasing flexibility and reducing costs.

Let Cisco manufacturing experts sort it out for you

Can an industrial network really do all this? If it all sounds confusing, or too good to be true, and you have more questions than answers, be sure to join Cisco experts in an interactive webinar onTuesday, September 26, 2023, at 8AM PT/11 AM ET/5PM CET, where you can seek details and clarifications from specialists who bring their experiences from working with manufacturers just like yourselves. This webinar will be led by:

• Paul Didier, Senior Manufacturing Solutions Leader
• Carlos Rojas, Global Manufacturing Solutions Leader
• David Gutshall, Industrial IoT Manufacturing Sales Leader
• Erika Franco, Industrial IoT Technical Solutions Leader

Bring your questions and be sure to register. Unable to make it? No worries, a recording will be made available for your review after the event. Register for Modernize your factory network for smart manufacturing today and put Cisco manufacturing experts to work for you!

Meanwhile, check out Cisco Industrial IoT networking and Cisco industrial security pages, and read the  IT/OT Convergence in Critical Infrastructure and Industrials White Paper.