Transform OT Automation with IT/OT Convergence in 2025

Software-driven disruption is reshaping OT automation by enabling flexible, hardware-agnostic platforms to handle traditional control functions, while new protocols like OPC UA aim to modernize OT communication through richer, more standardized data exchange. This shift in OT automation is a key aspect of IT/OT convergence, where the integration of IT technologies with operational technologies enhances system flexibility and data interoperability.

Explore OT automation tools and benefits and how IT/ OT convergence helps OT automation.

What is OT automation?

Operational technology (OT) automation refers to the use of technology to control and monitor industrial operations like manufacturing, energy, or utilities. It involves hardware (like sensors and PLCs) and software that execute predefined tasks with minimal human input. OT automation ensures precision, consistency, and safety across physical processes, improving productivity and reducing operational risks.

OT orchestration connects multiple automated systems to work together efficiently. While automation focuses on individual tasks, orchestration manages the flow and coordination across systems, devices, and platforms. It enables centralized control, real-time data exchange, and streamlined workflows in complex OT environments.

The image shows the OT automation tools and IT automation tools that work together.

What is IT / OT convergence?

IT/OT convergence refers to the integration of information technology (IT) systems and operational technology (OT) systems. While IT manages data and communications, OT oversees physical systems such as factory equipment, power grids, and industrial control systems. Their convergence connects devices and processes to unified digital environments, improving visibility, data sharing, and coordination across traditionally siloed functions.

This shift enables centralized monitoring, enhanced decision-making, and optimized industrial operations. However, convergence also introduces challenges—especially for OT security. With more connected devices and cloud integration, the attack surface expands. Security teams face greater complexity in asset tracking, threat detection, and incident response. To manage this scale, many organizations turn to automation, using low-code platforms to enhance visibility, streamline workflows, and reduce manual load.

The image shows IT-OT convergence over time that leads to OT automation — The evolution of IT-OT convergence

Over time IT and OT have merged into an integrated architecture which named as 5- layer architecture. This architecture contains several most popular enterprise tools like ERP, MES and SCADA.

By 2020s, IT/OT convergence has been accelerated by edge-to-cloud architectures and new industrial protocols like OPC UA and MQTT. These developments allow data exchange across layers and reduce reliance on rigid, multi-tiered architectures.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems are essential tools for integrating various business functions like finance, HR, supply chain, and more into a unified platform. ERP bridges the gap between IT and OT by coordinating production planning with enterprise-wide functions, making sure that all systems and processes are aligned and operating efficiently.

As edge-to-cloud architectures grow, ERP systems increasingly rely on direct connectivity to OT assets, bypassing traditional IT layers. This is enabled by rising asset connectivity and adoption of new industrial protocols like OPC UA and MQTT.

Production planning

Production planning in ERP ensures timely material availability and optimized inventory through Material Requirements Planning (MRP). It aligns real-time production data with resource needs, preventing stockouts and overstocking to maintain efficient production processes.

With ~50% of industrial assets now connected, real-time visibility has become central to production planning. This connectivity is further enhanced by SMEs offering software-driven tools that unify control, monitoring, and protocol conversion within a single edge device.

SOAPs

Service orchestration and automation platforms (SOAPs) automate task sequences and data flows between computer systems, reducing manual effort. By integrating with ERP, they synchronize production schedules with maintenance and logistics, ensuring smooth operations and process continuity across both physical and business systems.

The adoption of edge-ready software and lightweight protocols allows SOAPs to extend orchestration directly to OT systems, streamlining cross-domain workflows. These advancements are key in a fragmented vendor landscape where standardized integration remains a challenge.

SOAP tools like RunMyJobs can synchronize production and logistics across SAP and non-SAP systems, optimizing resource usage to reduce costs and meet demand.

SAP is a global software company that provides enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to help organizations manage business operations, including finance, supply chain, and human resources. SAP users in manufacturing and asset-intensive industries face difficulties balancing production to meet customer demand while optimizing costs (materials, labor, equipment) and ensuring quality. Managing thousands of interdependent steps across multiple systems leads to:

Increased failures
Production delays
Higher costs
Poor customer experiences.

RunMyJobs can handle these issues through its integration and features like:

Pre-built connectors for SAP production planning tools (S/4HANA Cloud, IBP, APO, BTP).
Orchestration across SAP, MES, IoT, and planning apps.
AI/ML production and SLA tracking to prevent disruptions.
Event-driven workflows based on real-time events.
End-to-end orchestration across ERP, CRM, BI, and planning systems.
Intelligent job monitoring with AI/ML and predictive analytics.

Explore more on other SOAPs and workload automation tools, like:

Industrial internet of things (IIoT) platforms

IIoT platforms feed ERP systems with real-time production data—temperature, vibration, cycle times—enabling accurate production planning and adaptive scheduling for industrial processes. When integrated with orchestration tools, these platforms support rule-based responses to deviations, such as triggering a maintenance workflow if equipment health drops. This closes the loop between sensor insights and automated business response, especially as more OT devices are brought online and need to interact with enterprise systems.

As connectivity expands and new protocols like IO-Link and MQTT become mainstream, IIoT platforms are better equipped to drive autonomous operations.

Integration platforms as a service (iPaaS)

iPaaS facilitates real-time communication between ERP and production systems. It enables service orchestration by coordinating data from various sources—MES, WMS, CRM—and routing it into ERP to inform planning. With APIs and workflow engines, iPaaS automates interactions between production plans and execution systems, increasing responsiveness and reducing dependency on manual touchpoints. It also helps unify network infrastructure, allowing secure data flow across both IT and OT domains.

As the vendor landscape remains highly fragmented, iPaaS plays a key role in stitching together systems from diverse providers. The platform’s flexibility supports rapid adaptation to evolving protocols and architectures driven by software-defined infrastructure.

Machine data integration solutions

By capturing machine-level data and delivering it into ERP, these solutions ensure that production planning is informed by real-time shop floor conditions. They connect programmable logic controllers and sensors to enterprise platforms, giving planners direct visibility into asset health and process status. When paired with orchestration tools, they can trigger automated responses across the OT network while communicating results back to the IT network, helping maintain uptime and protect critical infrastructure from disruption.

The growing adoption of hardware-agnostic platforms like CODESYS and tools like Node-RED simplifies machine data integration. These software-driven approaches support the shift toward edge-centric architectures, ensuring data moves seamlessly from machines to ERP.

How IT/OT convergence supports OT automation

1. Unified data flow for automation

Convergence allows real-time data from sensors, machines, and control systems (OT) to be integrated with enterprise applications (IT).
This unified data flow enables automated decisions such as triggering maintenance, adjusting production rates, or rerouting workflows.

2. Advanced analytics and AI

With IT/OT integration, historical IT data (e.g., maintenance logs, inventory, ERP) and real-time OT data (e.g., temperature, pressure) can be analyzed together.
This enables predictive and prescriptive automation in OT—like automatic shutdowns, alerts, or adjustments based on AI insights.

3. Remote monitoring and control

IT/OT convergence makes it possible to remotely monitor and automate OT systems via centralized dashboards.
Operators can automate control sequences without being physically on-site, improving safety and efficiency.

4. Scalable and flexible automation

Integration with cloud and edge computing (from the IT side) allows scalable automation strategies in OT.
Automation logic can be updated over-the-air, and data processing can shift between edge and cloud dynamically.

5. Cybersecurity and governance

Unified IT/OT systems enable consistent access control and cybersecurity policies, allowing secure automation.
Role-based access can automate who can do what in OT systems, reducing human intervention errors.

Example:

A smart factory with converged IT/OT can automate its production line based on supply chain data. If the ERP system detects low demand, it can automatically trigger OT systems to reduce production output—without human intervention.

1. Industrial control systems (ICS):

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) manage industrial processes by receiving data from sensors, comparing it to setpoints, and controlling processes through devices like valves. They range from small modular controllers to large distributed control systems (DCSs) and are essential in industries such as chemical processing, power generation, and manufacturing.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs): Specialized devices used to automate control processes in industrial settings by receiving inputs and triggering outputs based on programmed logic.
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems: Software applications that provide real-time data collection, monitoring, and control of industrial processes across multiple locations.
Distributed control systems (DCS): Systems that control production processes within a single facility by distributing control elements throughout the system.

2. Human-machine interfaces (HMIs): Interfaces that allow operators to interact with the control system, providing visualizations of process data and controls for machinery.

3. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platforms: Solutions that connect industrial devices to the internet, enabling data collection, analysis, and remote monitoring to optimize operations.

4. Manufacturing execution systems (MES): Software systems that monitor and manage production operations on the factory floor, ensuring effective execution of manufacturing processes.

5. Building management systems (BMS): Integrated systems that control and monitor building services such as lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to improve energy efficiency and comfort.

6. Industrial cybersecurity solutions: Tools designed to protect industrial networks and control systems from cyber threats, ensuring the integrity and availability of critical operations.

7. Edge computing devices: Hardware that processes data near the source of data generation, reducing latency and bandwidth use by performing computations locally.

8. Remote I/O modules and gateways: Devices that facilitate the connection of various sensors and actuators to central control systems, enabling data acquisition and control over distributed processes.

Top OT automation benefits

Increased efficiency: OT automation speeds up production lines, energy distribution, or logistics operations by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Machines work 24/7 without fatigue, optimizing throughput.
Reduced human error: By relying on programmable logic controllers (PLCs), sensors, and control systems, OT automation eliminates variability introduced by manual intervention, especially in precision-critical tasks like dosage control or temperature regulation.
Cost savings: While initial setup can be costly, automation reduces long-term labor expenses, maintenance due to predictive systems, and material waste, which leads to substantial cost savings in manufacturing or utility sectors.
Improved safety: In hazardous environments like oil rigs, chemical plants, or high-voltage substations, OT automation handles dangerous tasks, keeping workers out of harm’s way and reducing incident rates.
Consistency and quality: Automated systems follow the exact same instructions every cycle. This ensures consistent product quality, which is crucial in sectors like pharmaceuticals, automotive, and food processing.
Real-time monitoring and control: Automation systems collect operational data via SCADA or DCS platforms, allowing operators to monitor performance, detect faults instantly, and make data-driven adjustments.
Scalability and flexibility: As demand increases, automated systems can scale with minimal reconfiguration. Modular OT setups can be adapted quickly for new production lines, energy grids, or logistics paths.