Paessler tailors network monitoring for OT environments

Paessler has strengthened its network monitoring solution with new capabilities that provide oversight or IT infrastructure and operational technology (OT) data insights.

The PRTG Network Monitor can now support industrial IT protocols that can be used to collate data from the factory floor to be monitored through sensors for Modbus TCP, MQTT, and OPC UA.

Users can also monitor the health status of Soffico Orchestra and the implementation of the MQTT messaging protocol (including the ability to monitor MQTT Broker and MQTT Statistics, and to send out MQTT-based notifications), which provides insights into machine-to-machine communication within the IoT and industrial IT space.

Paessler has also forged its way with new partnerships in the industrial IT sector. One of those partners is INSYS icom, a smart machinery gateway provider. Another partner is Soffico, a vendor of the integration engine Orchestra.

Paessler has also joined the OPC Foundation, an industrial consortium that creates and maintains standards for open connectivity of industrial automation devices and systems.

"With a strong customer base in IT monitoring, it's a natural move for us to extend our capabilities into the world of industrial IT. The roll-out of these new market-driven features in PRTG, which are tailored to industrial environments, marks the beginning of our journey to build a more comprehensive offering for the evolving monitoring needs of our customers," says Paessler CEO Helmut Binder in a statement.

The company has made several new hires this year, including Paessler IoT and industry product manager Markus Mediger.

Mediger has experience in business and technology fields at Siemens and Ericsson, joins Paessler to lead product innovation within the IoT and industrial IT space.

Speaking about PRTG Network Monitor further, Mediger explains, "By being able to collect data from the most widely adopted cross-vendor protocols such as OPC UA, MQTT and Modbus TCP directly in PRTG, Paessler can combine the worlds of IT and industrial IT.

PRTG Network Monitor can:

• Monitor Modbus TCP devices on the factory floor without the need for protocol converters
• Support the industrial interoperability standard OPC UA
• Provide the ability to monitor the health status of Soffico Orchestra
• Implement the MQTT messaging protocol (including the ability to monitor MQTT Broker and MQTT Statistics, and to send out MQTT-based notifications), providing insights into machine-to-machine communication within the IoT and industrial IT space. 

"This brings enormous possibilities to customers looking to have a more holistic approach to their entire technology infrastructures."