Why Life Sciences Facilities Are Rethinking BAS – and Choosing PLC-Based Control
From the Desk of Guru Thakkar, Director of Engineering In life sciences, close enough isn’t good enough—especially when you’re trying to control every variable in a regulated space. Whether it’s a cleanroom, an R&D lab, or a production facility, the performance of your Building Automation System (BAS) can directly impact product quality, regulatory compliance, and […]
Modernizing Operations at American Water
We helped American Water upgrade its SCADA system to meet ISA 101 and high-performance HMI standards. American Water, the largest U.S. public utility that is publicly traded, provides water and wastewater services for more than 14 million people in 24 states. In 2022, the decision was made to convert its outdated SCADA system into a […]
TL;DR: Unified Name Space
If you’re hearing a lot of buzz about Unified Namespace (UNS) but not quite sure what it actually means, here’s the gist: A Unified Namespace (UNS) is a centralized, real-time, structured data environment where all your plant data lives—organized, current, and accessible. Think of it as your plant’s digital command center: PLCs, SCADA, MES, ERP, […]
Expert Answers: DT for Life Sciences
Our recent webinar “Accelerating Your Digital Journey: Best Practices for Digital Transformation in Life Sciences” spawned lots of ideas and discussion. Here are answers to three questions we were unable to answer during the session. Thank you to our experts — Tony Saldanha, David Williamson, and Chris Monchinski — for your participation, insights, and guidance. Q: […]
ICS and SCADA Security Must Evolve Beyond “Good Enough”
The recent advisory from CISA, in coordination with the FBI, EPA, and DOE, paints a stark picture of the growing threat to ICS and SCADA systems not from sophisticated nation-state actors alone, but increasingly from low-skill, ideologically motivated hacktivists. This trend is both troubling and telling. The fact that “unsophisticated” attackers are successfully tampering with […]
Cyberattack on Nova Scotia Power: A Wake-Up Call for Critical Infrastructure
On April 25, 2025, Canadian electric utility Nova Scotia Power and its parent company Emera disclosed a significant cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to parts of their Canadian IT network and business application servers. While no power outages occurred and physical infrastructure remains unaffected, the attack has disrupted digital services, including customer support phone lines […]
Field Notes: The Value of a Fresh Perspective
From the Desk of Jason Conkling, Cybersecurity Manager & Technical Lead When I visit a site for an evaluation, my ‘fresh eyes’ are one of my greatest strengths. As an outsider who has worked with dozens of similar operations, I am in an ideal position to spot issues that the operations team might have overlooked. […]
Smarter Water: 7 Practical Tips for Modern Plant Operations
Our latest eBook, “Smarter Water: 7 Practical Tips for Modern Plant Operations,” is here! After decades working closely with water and wastewater facilities, we’ve seen firsthand the evolving challenges operators face—from tightening regulations and staffing shortages to increasingly complex technologies. Recognizing the need for clear, actionable guidance, we created “Smarter Water” as a hands-on resource […]
Field Notes: Water & Wastewater
The water and wastewater sector is no stranger to long-standing challenges, and in 2025 many of them are still front and center. Aging infrastructure, patchy data, tighter regulations, and a wave of retirements in experienced personnel are all shaping the way this industry needs to evolve. But from what we’re seeing in the field, there’s […]
The Missing Link: Why MES and ERP Integration is Critical for Growth
From the Desk of Dave Ray, Principal Solutions Architect, InflexionPoint It’s a scene we’ve seen too often: production halts, operators scramble, and fingers point at data discrepancies. MES says one thing, ERP another, and the clock is ticking. If you’ve been there, you’re not alone—and we’ve figured out what it takes to fix it. Integrating […]