ComBrio Inc., a provider of remote product services software geared toward data center applications, has entered the manufacturing automation arena with an offering devoted to remote industrial automation network access and security.
A new version of the company’s Virtual Service Infrastructure (VSI) suite, released this week, adds features that address the needs of the automation market. VSI Automation and Control gives remotely located service personnel the ability to securely access discrete and process control devices on an industrial Ethernet network behind a company’s firewall.
The product, consisting of a hardware appliance and administrative software, can be used by global manufacturers that rely on a central IT department to manage multiple sites, or by equipment providers — including control automation vendors — that are adding remote diagnostics and management to their service offerings.
More control networks are moving toward industrial Ethernet, as are the devices that enable them. According to ARC Advisory Group, the industrial Ethernet infrastructure market grew to more than $260 million in 2006. ARC forecasts that the market will continue to grow at a 29% annual clip and will reach $955 million in 2011. In addition, the worldwide market for Ethernet-based devices and I/O is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27.5% over the next five years. The market comprised more than 1 million nodes in 2007 and is forecast to grow to more than 3 million nodes by 2012, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.