REDMOND, WA -- C-Labs LLC, a provider of connectivity software for the Internet of Things (IoT), announces the availability of Factory-Relay to industrial automation customers in North America and Europe.
According to BI Intelligence, 82% of companies expect to deploy an IoT solution by 2017, yet are held back by concerns over "threats to data or physical security" (42%) and "inability of our IT systems to keep up with change" (38%). Available as both a software product and a drop-in ruggedized appliance, Factory-Relay simplifies IoT implementation for remote and mobile access to industrial automation systems.
No longer the domain of just PCs and servers, IT organizations must be able to embrace and connect to industrial automation systems and bridge traditional "corporate" systems to "operations" systems. This has proven challenging for many organizations, regardless of size or budget. Enterprise IT policies designed to protect and secure corporate systems can be inappropriate for industrial machines. And many industrial machines were designed to run on isolated networks, beyond the reach of corporate networks or the public internet, making remote access with mobile devices impossible.
"Customers told us they needed a secure, scalable solution that would work with existing firewalls, routers, and IT policies, and was simple to deploy and use," said Chris Muench, CEO of C-Labs. "Factory-Relay makes it possible to connect industrial automation systems in a way that is compliant with enterprise IT policies, protecting data and ensuring efficient operations."
With an extensible architecture, Factory-Relay supports connections to leading industrial protocols, including the popular OPC-UA protocol. OPC protocols are supported by over 4,200 suppliers and more than 35,000 industrial products. Factory-Relay with support for OPC-UA will be showcased by The OPC Foundation at SPS IPC Drives 2014 in Nuremberg, Germany on November 25-27, 2014 at booth 7-180.
The hardware appliance version of Factory-Relay is built on a custom configuration of the Phoenix-Contact VL BPC 1000 Industrial PC, an IP20-rated fanless industrial PC in a small, compact form factor. "We are very excited about what C-Labs has to offer. C-Labs is building on a reliable, proven hardware platform to deliver their IoT solution to the industrial automation market," said Mike Rothwell, Director, Control and Industry Solutions at Phoenix-Contact.
For more information about C-Labs Factory-Relay visit http://www.c-labs.com