Industry 4.0 Key Components – Part 4

Industry 4.0 Key Components

In today’s Industry 4.0 post, let’s look at some of the Industry 4.0 key components. Whether these components fit into your scenarios, or you need to consider others is dependent on your business case. For example, you may want to include cloud computing in your solution, but if your factory needs to be able to run in full isolation in the event of a network or power grid failure, then you can’t be dependent on cloud solutions, you need to use edge computing or local cloud instead. We’ve selected 5 components you should evaluate for your Industry 4.0 solution.  Industrial IoT as an Industry 4.0 Key Component Industrial IoT is a … Read more

Industry 4.0 Challenges – Part 3

Industry 4.0 Challenges

In today’s post we’ll look at some of the Industry 4.0 challenges and risks presented by adopting it, to contrast with the benefits that we looked at in part two. Before adopting any strategy in this area, you should understand these challenges and see how they apply to your own business.  Cost of Industry 4.0 Adoption In part two we made the case that Industry 4.0 adoption will lead to lower costs over time and observed that the return on investment time for adopters was decreasing. Neither of these points eliminate the very real cost impact of adoption. There are significant costs, from replacing equipment with modern IoT connected options, … Read more

Industry 4.0 Benefits – Part 2

Industry 4.0 Benefits

In part two of the Industry 4.0 blog series let’s look at a few of the great benefits of adoption. More and more companies are increasingly adopting strategic approaches around digital transformation. The benefits of leaning in to new digital tools build on each other to yield undeniable outcomes for companies that successfully execute these strategies.  Industry 4.0 – Visibility  With highly connected devices and a vast amount of data within arm’s reach, the modern factory becomes visible in ways it never could before. Real time monitoring and big data analysis puts this all front and center for everyone from top level executive to factory floor worker, at any time.  … Read more

Industry 4.0 – Part 1 – The History 

Industry 4.0

What is Industry 4.0 Industry 4.0 is a term that has been around for about a decade already. Also known as the fourth industrial revolution, it’s a term that’s quietly slipped by a lot of people’s radars. A quick recap is required. The first industrial revolution occurred in the late 1700’s with the advent of steam and coal power and genesis of the manufacturing industry taking over from agriculture as the backbone of the global economy.   The second industrial revolution took place in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s with the onset of new energy sources, electricity, oil, and gas, along with process refinements in the factory such as the … Read more

SharePoint Look Book: A Hidden Design Gem 

SharePoint Look Book

SharePoint Look Book: A Hidden Design Gem In the world of digital collaboration, SharePoint stands tall in helping organizations enhance collaboration and empower teams to create, share, and manage content seamlessly. One of its impressive features is the SharePoint Look Book, which showcases a vast array of design ideas and solutions of modern workplaces.  SharePoint Look Book is a hidden gem – a treasure that offers design ideas and solutions, showing the endless possibilities of leveraging SharePoint for the modern workplace.  SharePoint Look Book serves as a gallery of modern, visually stunning templates and designs built on SharePoint. It offers a collection of site designs, layouts, and components that demonstrate the … Read more

DevSecOps: Modern DevOps Practices – Conclusion   

DevSecOps

DevSecOps: Modern DevOps Practices – Conclusion  DevSecOps rounds out our 3-part blog series on Modern DevOps practices. As a quick recap, Modern DevOps combines and automates the work of software development teams (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to increase collaboration, communication, and integration. Security plays a large role in Modern DevOps practices. We briefly touched on DevSecOps in the first part of this series, but due to its importance, it warrants a spotlight.   What is DevSecOps?  DevSecOps (Development, Security, and Operations) integrates security into all phases of the software development lifecycle. It reduces the risk of releasing code with security vulnerabilities by incorporating security practices from the start of development.  … Read more

Modern DevOps Practices – Part 2: Transitioning to a Modern DevOps Culture  

Modern DevOps Culture

Modern DevOps Practices – Part 2: Transitioning to a Modern DevOps Culture   Last week, we published a blog about engaging in modern DevOps practices. Modern DevOps combines and automates the work of software development teams (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to increase collaboration, communication, and integration. But what if you aren’t currently engaging in Modern DevOps practices? What does transitioning to a Modern DevOps culture entail?  The Benefits of a Modern DevOps Culture   By fostering collaboration between development and operations teams, DevOps allows for faster software development cycles and quicker releases. Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) processes improve responses to changing requirements and the release of updates.  DevOps practices … Read more

Modern DevOps Practices – Part 1: An Intro 

Modern DevOps

Modern DevOps Practices – Part 1: An Intro  The landscape of work is shifting. Technology plays a significant role in every organization’s day-to-day operation. Finding ways to leverage technology to support your team and give them the space to work together is essential to your organization’s success. For application developers, modern DevOps practices is one of the best ways to improve and streamline the app dev process.    What Is Modern DevOps?  Modern DevOps aims to increase collaboration, communication, and integration between software development teams (Dev) and IT Operations (Ops). It works by combining and automating the work of these two teams. By allowing the Dev and Ops teams to work … Read more

Power Automate Desktop: Best Practices & More 

Power Automate Desktop

Power Automate Desktop: Best Practices & More  Recently, we attended the Power Platform Community Conference, where we were able to learn more about the Power Platform and what it can do for those using Microsoft Windows. Power Automate Desktop was a hot topic of conversation because of it’s enablement of robotic process automation for Microsoft Windows.   Power Automate Desktop allows users to automate repetitive tasks by creating desktop flows, which can be built using prebuilt drag-and-drop actions or by recording your own desktop flows to run later.   Microsoft designed this powerful new tool with everyone in mind – it can be used in your home or within large organizations. Power … Read more

Power Apps vs Traditional Coding: Which is Right for You?

Power Apps vs Traditional Coding

Power Apps vs Traditional Coding: Which is Right for You? The surge in demand for digital services is undeniable, fueled partly by the continued need for goods and services during the pandemic. Now, more than ever, businesses are eager to adopt digital transformation initiatives, recognizing the crucial role technology plays in modern operations. One of those transformations includes Power Apps vs traditional coding. Digital transformation can mean different things to different stakeholders, but most can agree it entails leveraging technology to increase business output relative to its input. Usually that means increased profitability or productivity while maintaining or reducing the cost of doing business.       In the not-too-distant past, hiring professional developers … Read more