The IT-to-OT
Glossary

A network physically isolated from the internet and office networks — the strongest OT security boundary.

The standard communication protocol for building automation and control networks.

A Microsoft framework for building web applications using C# instead of JavaScript.

Building Management System

One platform that controls lighting, climate, access, security and energy across a building.

The infrastructure that moves real-time floor data to dashboards, analytics, and AI models.

A live virtual replica of a physical machine, line, or entire facility.

Container technology that packages software with all its dependencies for consistent deployment.

Processing data at the source — on the factory floor — rather than in the cloud.

Enterprise Resource Planning

The central business system that manages finance, procurement, inventory, and orders.

An industrial network protocol that brings standard Ethernet to the factory floor.

Our in-house Rust-based engine that connects IT and OT without fragile custom middleware.

Human-Machine Interface

The touchscreen or dashboard an operator uses to monitor and control a machine.

The international standard for cybersecurity in industrial automation and control systems.

Bridging information technology (business systems) with operational technology (factory floor systems).

A worldwide standard for home and building control — lighting, shading, HVAC, and audio.

Model Context Protocol

A standardised way to connect AI models to your data sources, tools, and APIs.

Manufacturing Execution System

The system that tracks every product, recipe, and quality check across the production line.

A simple, widely-supported serial protocol for reading and writing register values in industrial devices.

A lightweight messaging protocol ideal for sending sensor data over unreliable networks.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness

The gold-standard metric for measuring how well a manufacturing operation is utilised.

OPC Unified Architecture

The universal language that lets machines, PLCs, and software from different vendors talk to each other.

Programmable Logic Controller

The ruggedised computer that controls machinery on the factory floor.

A systems programming language that eliminates memory bugs — the right choice for safety-critical code.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

The software that gives operators a live view of every process, alarm and metric on one screen.

Warehouse Management System

Software that controls every movement of stock in and out of a warehouse.

A security model where no device or user is trusted by default — every connection is verified.