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Services & Solutions

IT/OT Data Contextualization

Bridge the gap between enterprise business systems and shop floor operations—creating a unified view where ERP meets SCADA, and business decisions are informed by real-time production reality.

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Purpose & Pain Points Solved

IT/OT Data Contextualization eliminates the costly divide between business systems and production floor operations. When your ERP knows what's happening in real-time on the shop floor—and your SCADA system understands current business priorities—you can finally make decisions with complete context.

Disconnected Data Silos

Production data lives in SCADA and MES systems while business data sits in ERP and CRM—with no connection between the two.

Impact: Operations makes decisions without business context, and executives lack real-time production visibility

Manual Data Reconciliation

Teams spend hours copying data between systems, exporting CSV files, and manually correlating work orders with production events.

Impact: Delayed reporting, human errors, and wasted resources on repetitive tasks

Incomplete Production Context

Machine downtime data lacks business context like which customer orders were affected or what materials were in process.

Impact: Inability to assess true business impact of operational issues

Stale Business Intelligence

ERP and BI systems rely on batch updates and end-of-shift reports rather than real-time production data.

Impact: Business decisions made on outdated information, missing opportunities for immediate action

What This Service Enables

Unified Context

Production events enriched with business data—orders, inventory, quality specs, all in sync

Real-Time BI

Business intelligence dashboards that update with live production data—no more stale reports

Better Decisions

Operations and business teams aligned with shared, real-time visibility into what matters

Enabling Tools & Technologies

We leverage purpose-built industrial data integration platforms that speak both IT and OT languages fluently.

HighByte Intelligence Hub

Purpose-built industrial data modeling platform that merges IT and OT data into unified, contextualized models.

Key Capabilities:

No-code data modeling with drag-and-drop interface
Real-time data contextualization and enrichment
Native connectors for ERP, databases, and APIs
Direct integration with OPC UA, MQTT, and industrial protocols
Publish contextualized data to any destination

N3uron Industrial IoT Platform

Edge-to-cloud IIoT platform with powerful API connectors and data transformation capabilities.

Key Capabilities:

REST API client for pulling IT system data
Built-in data transformation and scripting
Database connectivity (SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL)
MQTT broker and publisher for unified data streams
Bidirectional data exchange between IT and OT

OPC Router

Flexible middleware for routing and transforming data between IT systems, OT devices, and cloud platforms.

Key Capabilities:

Visual data flow designer for complex integrations
Database read/write with SQL support
REST API calls and JSON/XML processing
CSV import/export for legacy system integration
Event-driven workflows and data triggers

Data Connectors & APIs

Enterprise-grade connectors for accessing IT system data including ERP, WMS, QMS, and custom databases.

Key Capabilities:

REST/SOAP API integration
ODBC/JDBC database connectivity
CSV and flat file import automation
Real-time and scheduled data retrieval
Authentication and secure access management

Bidirectional Integration

Our solutions don't just pull IT data into OT systems—they enable bidirectional flows. Push production updates back to ERP, trigger work orders from machine events, and keep every system synchronized in real-time.

How We Deploy at Your Site

Our structured approach ensures seamless integration between your IT and OT systems with minimal disruption.

1. Data Source Identification & Mapping

2-3 days

Activities:

Catalog critical IT data sources (ERP tables, inventory systems, quality databases, scheduling tools)
Identify corresponding OT data points (machine states, production counts, process parameters)
Define relationships and linkages (e.g., work order IDs linking ERP to production line data)
Document data refresh requirements and latency tolerances

Deliverable: Complete IT/OT data mapping document with integration requirements

2. Integration Platform Deployment

2-3 days

Activities:

Deploy integration hub (HighByte, N3uron, or OPC Router) at edge or data center
Configure connectivity to IT systems via REST APIs, database connections, or file imports
Establish connectivity to OT data sources (OPC UA servers, MQTT brokers, PLCs)
Set up authentication, network access, and security protocols

Deliverable: Operational integration platform with bidirectional connectivity established

3. Data Modeling & Contextualization

3-5 days

Activities:

Design unified data model that combines IT and OT attributes (e.g., Order + Machine + Material)
Configure data transformations and enrichment rules
Map IT business context to OT operational data (attach customer, product, order info to machine events)
Define data quality rules and validation logic

Deliverable: Contextualized data model with IT and OT attributes merged

4. Integration Logic & Workflows

2-3 days

Activities:

Configure data retrieval schedules or real-time triggers
Implement data joining logic (match work orders to production runs)
Set up error handling and data quality checks
Create fallback mechanisms for system unavailability

Deliverable: Automated integration workflows with error handling

5. Data Publishing & Distribution

1-2 days

Activities:

Publish enriched IT/OT data to target systems (UNS MQTT topics, data lakes, analytics platforms)
Configure multiple output formats as needed (JSON, CSV, database writes)
Set up data retention and historical storage
Enable secure access for downstream consumers

Deliverable: Integrated data streams available to analytics and visualization systems

6. Testing, Validation & Documentation

2-3 days

Activities:

Validate data accuracy and completeness across IT and OT sources
Test edge cases and failure scenarios
Verify performance under production load
Document data models, integration flows, and maintenance procedures
Train teams on monitoring and troubleshooting

Deliverable: Production-ready IT/OT contextualization with complete documentation

Typical Implementation Timeline

12-19 Days

From initial data mapping to production-ready IT/OT contextualization

Business Benefits

Complete Business-to-Production Visibility

See the full picture from customer order to finished product, with all business context attached to operational events.

Real-Time Business Intelligence

Make decisions based on live production data enriched with current inventory, orders, and resource information.

Automated Data Synchronization

Eliminate manual data transfers and CSV exports—data flows automatically between IT and OT systems.

Single Source of Truth

Create one unified, contextualized view of your operation where IT and OT data are always in sync.

Faster Root Cause Analysis

Quickly correlate production issues with business factors like material batches, suppliers, or work order changes.

Foundation for Advanced Analytics

Enable AI/ML models and advanced analytics with rich, contextualized datasets that combine IT and OT perspectives.

Common Use Cases

Production-to-Order Tracking

Link real-time machine output and quality data to specific customer orders from your ERP system. Automatically update order status, estimated completion times, and alert on delays.

IT Data:

Customer orders, SKUs, due dates, quantities

OT Data:

Production counts, cycle times, quality results

Outcome: Real-time order fulfillment visibility and proactive customer communication

Material & Inventory Optimization

Combine WMS inventory levels with real-time consumption data from production lines. Trigger automatic replenishment and prevent stockouts.

IT Data:

Inventory levels, reorder points, supplier lead times

OT Data:

Material consumption rates, line status, batch changes

Outcome: Optimized inventory levels, reduced carrying costs, fewer production stops

Quality & Traceability

Merge quality management system data with process parameters captured from production equipment. Create complete digital twins of each product batch.

IT Data:

Quality specs, test results, certifications, supplier data

OT Data:

Process temperatures, pressures, speeds, environmental conditions

Outcome: Complete batch genealogy, faster quality investigations, compliance reporting

OEE with Business Context

Enrich traditional OEE metrics with business data like product complexity, changeover difficulty, and operator skill levels from HR/ERP systems.

IT Data:

Product BOMs, standard times, operator assignments, shift schedules

OT Data:

Machine states, cycle times, downtime events, production counts

Outcome: Fair OEE comparisons across shifts and products, actionable improvement insights

Ready to Bridge the IT/OT Divide?

Stop choosing between business systems and production reality. Get both—in real-time, fully contextualized, and always in sync.

Schedule a Consultation See Success Stories

Let Software Toolbox help you create a unified data architecture where IT and OT systems work together seamlessly. Start your IT/OT integration journey today.