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Live from NovaTech User Conference 2015

Sept. 2, 2015
The editors of Control were on site at NovaTech User Conference 2015 to bring you the breaking news and insights from this world class event.
NovaTech interacts and innovates to master the future for users

It's not easy to keep up with demands for safety, efficiency, compliance and connectivity. To illustrate how NovaTech solutions can assist users in today's rapidly changing process and power environments, Bernie Anger, general manager of GE Intelligent Platforms, presented the keynote address, "Shaping the Industrial Internet." Read more.

Too many alarms or not enough?

The three main elements of alarm management are a coherent philosophy, benchmarking and bad actor resolution. “Everybody’s got to develop their own philosophy,” Cindy Bishop, Eastman's control systems specialist, said. “We follow the PAS approach." Read more.

Cybersecurity from the ground up at NovaTech 2015

Comprehensive and effective cybersecurity begins with basic protections. Before implementing cybersecurity remedies, it's crucial to take an inventory of an application and facilities network, controls and operating equipment to find all available ports, open wireless local area networks (WLANs) and other vulnerabilities. Read more.

ADM converts data into information to improve operations

Scott Harmeier, process optimization manager at ADM, shared key insights the company has gained through the experience. "The first step was to select and install a historian in our corn plants," he said. Databases are good for collecting and historicizing data, but converting it into information requires ways to find, analyze, deliver and visualize it. Read more.

Dow Chemical and MillerCoors show how to virtualize and simplify

Two major process control end users consolidate their computing on servers, virtual machines and thin-client workstations to reduce system complexity and save big on hardware, labor and maintenance. Read more.

Wireless problems have straightforward solutions

Wireless can be a huge help in process applications, saving cable and bringing in signals and data that could never be gathered before. However, there are so many different wireless devices, coverage topologies, antenna configurations, frequencies, communication protocols and other requirements that it can be daunting to pick the right solutions for individual sites and applications. Read more.