How Industrial Ethernet Switches Are Shaping Tomorrow’s Business
Most people gloss over how technology is revolutionizing business worldwide, but few care for the unsung heroes, ethernet switches, cables, and all the infrastructure that keeps the internet and digital communication going.
Industrial ethernet switches keep most critical systems running and are instrumental in shaping tomorrow’s business. Known for their ultra-fast data transmission speeds, durability, EMI/RFI protection, and redundant power inputs, industrial ethernet switches deliver exceptional performance, which is vital in today’s digital world.
Find out below the various applications of industrial switches and how they’re shaping tomorrow’s business.
1. Critical Systems Monitoring and Control
Industrial ethernet switches lay the ground for monitoring and controlling critical systems necessary for business. These include facilities like power stations, substations, oil wells, and natural gas extraction plants.
Due to safety concerns and practicability, among other issues, it’s not always possible to have some facilities close to residential or commercial areas. While regulations and circumstances may not allow, everyone and, by extension, businesses need the critical systems that supply utilities like electricity, fuel, or transportation to function optimally.
Effective monitoring and control are key to ensuring all these systems function well. Part of this involves setting up a robust communication infrastructure that performs as expected, even in the face of adverse weather, extreme temperatures, or electromagnetic/ radio interference.
This is why many organizations and businesses are turning to industrial ethernet switches for their critical systems monitoring and control needs. With features like humidity resistance, EMI/RFI protection, a wide range of operating temperatures, and redundant power inputs, industrial ethernet switches are the best for
2. Preventive and Predictive Infrastructure Maintenance
Preventive and protective maintenance is a well-established practice that always ensures system continuity. Preventive and predictive maintenance has proved to be critical in identifying issues and dealing with them in their infancy.
This translates to an easier time resolving problems since they’ve not evolved to their more complex forms. It also means minimal or zero disruptions to the business since you can forestall disruptive errors before they occur.
However, effective preventive and predictive infrastructure maintenance is dependent upon an adequate supply of the necessary information in a timely manner. The systems in place must also be durable enough to last long term. This is because some of the indicators only show up after a long time, and in some cases, it’s necessary to monitor several events to get a pattern.
3. Precision Agriculture and Manufacturing
At a time when the effects of climate change are becoming apparent, there’s an urgent need to adapt to agricultural practices that maximize yield. One area that has shown much promise to this end is precision agriculture.
One of the defining characteristics of precision agriculture is constant monitoring and prompt response to events as they occur. This requires infrastructure that supports seamless transfer of information at any given time. This is where industrial ethernet switches come in.
Boasting advanced features like enhanced networking tools, advanced management options, and high port density capacity, industrial ethernet switches offer a dependable infrastructure to support the massive flow of data in a timely manner.
4. Enables Fast and Effective Decision Making
Decision-making is a constant feature in any business, and it can make or break it. But decision-making is more challenging than it sounds. You must first gather the facts, rationalize the option with the most ideal outcome, and then implement your decision.
Given how time-sensitive most business decisions are, all of this must happen fast. However, a growing body of research supports collaboration and teamwork in decision-making, arguing it’s better than decision-making by one person.
One of the reasons touted to be behind this is cognitive bias, which can easily water down or dismiss what was initially a great idea. It’s also necessary to involve the team in business decisions so that they can own the decision, which makes implementation easier and more effective.
Unfortunately, group decisions and collaboration can consume precious time under normal circumstances. In a bid to take advantage of the many merits of collaboration and teamwork in decision-making without losing out on time, businesses are using industrial ethernet switches to enable real-time team collaboration and decision-making.
5. Better Infrastructure Protection
If there’s anything events of the past few years have taught everyone, it’s not enough to only have preventative measures. Another disturbing trend that has gone largely unnoticed is one where cybercriminals see businesses as easy pickings.
The result has been an ever-increasing number of cyber-attacks, which has caused considerable losses to businesses that have fallen prey to cybercriminals. In line with this, business leaders and owners are increasingly developing incident response strategies for such cases.
Incident response refers to a raft of tools, processes, and procedures that are aimed at preventing cyber attacks and limiting the damage stemming from attacks that slip through the cracks. Any incident response requires near-instant transfer of information to enable businesses to prevent, stop, or contain the damage from cyber attacks, and this is what industrial ethernet switches provide.
Bottom Line
Industrial ethernet switches are quietly laying the ground and shaping tomorrow’s business.
Owing to their advanced features like a wide range of operating temperature, rugged build quality, EMI/RFI protection and advanced management options, industrial ethernet switches are the best for a wide array of industrial and business applications.
