IT/OT integration is the technical and organizational process of connecting information technology (IT) systems with operational technology (OT) systems so they can exchange data, coordinate activities, and operate according to shared models and interfaces.
In industrial and manufacturing contexts, IT/OT integration typically involves linking enterprise and business applications—such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), and data warehouses—with production and control systems such as MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), DCS (Distributed Control Systems), and PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers).
Operationally, IT/OT integration includes:
- Defining common data models, tags, and naming conventions across IT and OT systems.
- Establishing interfaces, APIs, or messaging layers to transfer production, asset, and quality data.
- Mapping business processes (orders, schedules, inventory) to manufacturing and control activities (production runs, recipes, setpoints).
- Coordinating security, access control, and network segmentation across IT and OT environments.
- Aligning event handling, time synchronization, and logging between enterprise and plant-floor systems.
Standards such as ISA‑95 are often used to structure IT/OT integration by defining levels of systems and a consistent terminology for the data and interactions between enterprise and manufacturing operations.