Share2Act – Interlocking Services, Secure in the Cloud

In my last article I introduced you to the Syskron solutions Share2Act and ReadyKit and described how they cooperate and complement each other. Now I would like to briefly discuss the individual Share2Act services and also take a closer look at the topic of data security on the cloud platform.

All services mutually harmonised

The IIoT platform Share2Act creates a common basis on which all applications, the so-called services, are based. The individual services complement each other in terms of their functionalities, intermesh seamlessly, and provide each other with information. This avoids multiple display of the same information.

A detailed overview of the available services that the customer can choose from can be found on the Syskron website. However, I would like to introduce them briefly in the following:

• Connect
  The Connect Module serves as a central node and a digital twin for all information relevant to production.
• Watchdog
  As the name implies, this module serves to keep an eye on particular data points. In the event of a possible limit value violation, a message will immediately go to the employees responsible, who can then react at an early stage, and initiate the requisite action on the basis of action recommendations on file.
• Assistance
  This application enables all maintenance jobs to be managed, monitored and documented. Assistance is subdivided into two other modules: Maintenance, for setting up and managing maintenance and repair orders, and Components, for managing and ordering maintenance-relevant spare parts.
• Performance
  Performance is used to visualise all KPIs in realtime. Here, the user receives an overview of the units produced, or also status information on production and downtimes. This information is additionally outputted in a machine report, which also contains standstill classifications within the shift, and an accumulated loss display using a waterfall diagram.
• Incidents
  Incidents records machine standstills occurring, and arranges them in different categories. As soon as the same malfunction is being documented rather often, the records can be used to identify the causes involved, to remedy malfunctions, and to avoid downtimes.

The various services provide the client with a complete overview of his production operation. He receives complete transparency, enabling him to identify optimisation potentials, so as to upgrade quality and productivity, and reduce his costs. Thanks to centralised data storage in the Cloud, this information can be viewed at any time and from any location only by himself and his employees.

Data sovereignty versus digitalisation

For many companies, however, digitalisation poses a definite challenge, particularly in regard to protecting their own data. The fact that valuable, crucial knowledge is not being stored on the firms’ own servers creates quite a bit of scepticism. The decision-makers feel themselves to be facing a dilemma: data sovereignty versus production of the future. “Many customers are wondering why ever they should want to store their data in a Cloud. But there are some very good reasons for this. Firstly, it renders the information accessible at any time and at any location, and thus secures a higher level of data availability through a fail-safe hosting network, and in addition they can save substantial capital investment and maintenance costs. Within the existing IT landscape, it’s true, fast computing operations can indeed be performed, but complex data science models, by contrast, require very substantial computing power and central processing units. These are often unavailable locally,” explains Severin Diepold, Managing Director of Syskron X and responsible for the Syskron Cloud Solutions. “And not least, the Cloud meets more stringent, more contemporary security standards, through redundant backups and updates, for instance, than a company can itself guarantee.”

This is why the choice of a suitable Cloud computing provider had to meet maximally stringent security stipulations. The firm ultimately selected proved to be Amazon Web Services (AWS), who scored highly with a strict compliance programme, security audits and certifications (including ISO 27017, SOC 2 or C5 [Germany]). “Data security and digitalisation are not mutually exclusive. With Share2Act, the client is putting in place an IIoT platform that requires no compromises whatsoever,” explains Severin Diepold, adding: “Here we were able to tap into the experience of the Krones Group. Because we, too, have extremely stringent rules, stipulations and processes concerning data protection and security.”