TechHub: Smart Drinking Fountains, Malware Threatening U.S. Power Grid, Manufacturing Profiting from IoT & More

Innovative fountains debut at nationwide water technology summit

A live demo of a new innovative smart sensor water fountain made its debut at ACE 2017, the American Water Works Association’s annual conference and exposition, in Philadelphia, PA.

GrayMatter and DC Water have created a drinking fountain that monitors water quality and flow in real time – giving users more confidence in the water they are drinking and saving money spent on maintenance and testing. The groundbreaking co-innovation project addresses lead levels – one of the most pressing issues in water.

“This project redefines public water consumption, putting people and clean water first,” Jim Gillespie, GrayMatter CEO.

The new smart sensor drinking fountain by GrayMatter & DC Water.

The new tech fountains have sensors that use real-time data and analytics to monitor both water quality and flow levels, sending that information to the cloud and back, alerting when water quality measurements begin to deteriorate.

Built with a special emphasis on lead in mind, the fountain will be used initially in schools, hospitals, day-cares and other similar institutions, according to George Hawkins, DC Water CEO and General Manager.

The co-innovation project is just the beginning of many ways private sector innovation and independent operations are joining forces to make water operations more efficient, at a lower cost. The fountains are set to be used in public places this fall, including schools.

Learn more about GrayMatter and DC Water innovations at GrayMatter’s annual conference, Transform 2017 held August 1-3 in Put-in-Bay, Ohio.

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Cyber experts identify malware that could disrupt U.S. power grid

The world was awaken to the dangerous potential of utility hacks in December when one-fifth of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was without power due to a malicious malware that infiltrated their power grid.

Now dubbed CrashOverride, the same malware that left 225,000 without power in Ukraine, is said to have the ability to be modified and corrupt U.S. power grids as well, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“U.S. utilities have been enhancing their cybersecurity, but attacker tools like this one pose a very real risk to reliable operation of power systems,” said Michael Assante, who worked at Idaho National Labs and is former chief security officer of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, where he oversaw the rollout of industry cybersecurity standards.

The most concerning — and dangerous — components of CrashOverride are the ability to manipulate the settings on electric power control systems, as well as a “wiper” component that erases the software on the computer system that controls the circuit breakers.

This lets the malware scan for critical components that operate and open circuit breakers, creating a sustained power outage, and then lock the operator out of their system.

Although it has yet to demonstrate the level of complexity needed, according to the Tribune, the malware can theoretically be modified to target other industrial control utilities such as water and gas.

To get a better understanding of your operational technology control network, download our cyber guide, which walks you through the first steps in knowing what’s on your network and has specific advice about the assessment process from our top cyber security consultants.

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GE Digital urges partners to seek opportunities in the Industrial Internet of Things

GE has been one of the largest brands in selling appliances, aviation systems, energy controls, and industrial solutions for years, it’s no secret.

But in 2015, the company announced a new business – GE Digital – marking an effort to bring together its software and IT capabilities, according to CRN.

“Our goal is to co-innovate with the ecosystem,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, executive vice president of global ecosystem and channels and corporate officer at GE Digital.

As GE continues to reinvent itself, according to CRN, strong partnerships are a key element in order to innovate the industrial IoT.

“I think there’s a ton of opportunities around digital transformation overall,” said Jim Gillespie, CEO of GrayMatter. “But inside of that GE has many more opportunities around Brilliant Manufacturing, asset performance managements, field service transformation and cyber security. There’s just a lot of great areas for partners.”

Read more…

Study finds manufacturers are profiting from the IoT

MPI just released its 2017 study results on the Internet of Things with terrific news for the manufacturing industry, according to Industry Week.

The push to jump on the train to digitization or get left behind has been dramatic in recent years, and there’s been a sharp increase in awareness and investment in IoT technology as a result.

Now the numbers are in to prove how switching to IoT enabled products and applications are positively affecting the manufacturing industry for the better:

• 72% report increased productivity
• 69% report increased profitability
• 65% report increased profitability from sales of IoT-enabled products (e.g., embedded intelligence)

GrayMatter co-founders Jim Gillespie & Carson Drake at the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs with top industry thought leaders.

Transforming operations is about connecting your equipment in the right way to eventually create a digital twin to mirror your physical operation and improve productivity. 

The biggest problem as to why manufacturers still aren’t jumping onboard is not knowing where to start.

Download our eBook to see how we’ve helped some of the biggest companies in the world overcome these obstacles and learn how to work smarter as a result:

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