Credit:
Rockwell Automation
Introduction to IT and OT Control Systems
Containerization is a powerful virtualization technique that has been transforming software deployment since the mid-2000s. Unlike traditional software installation methods, containerization bundles an application and all its dependencies into a single, self-contained package—ensuring it can run consistently across different environments.
While the technology first gained traction in IT environments, its benefits are now making a significant impact in Operational Technology (OT), especially within Industrial Control Systems (ICS). Modern containerization, popularized by Docker® in 2013, offers a lightweight, portable, and efficient way to deploy applications from development to production. Industry standards, defined by the Open Container Initiative (OCI), ensure containerization remains consistent and user-friendly across platforms.
For ICS, containerization opens the door to new efficiencies, enabling rapid deployment, scalability, and adaptability across both IT and OT infrastructures.
Containers vs. Virtual Machines: What’s the Difference?
To understand containerization’s value, it helps to compare it with virtual machines (VMs)—another virtualization method commonly used in industrial environments.
Infrastructure: The physical hardware (servers, storage, networking) forms the foundation for virtualization.
Host OS: The main operating system that manages hardware resources and runs virtualization layers.
Hypervisor: A software layer that creates and manages VMs, allocating resources between host and guest OS environments.
Guest OS: Each VM requires its own operating system, which adds overhead in terms of CPU, memory, and storage use.
Containers differ by sharing the host OS kernel, eliminating the need for a separate guest OS. This makes them lightweight, fast to deploy (seconds instead of minutes), and resource-efficient—ideal for Industrial IoT (IIoT) and edge devices with limited processing power.
The Benefits of Containerization for Industrial Control Systems
In ICS, containers bring significant operational advantages:
- Lightweight Performance: Perfect for IIoT devices that have limited memory and processing capabilities.
- Edge Computing Capability: Run real-time analytics for SCADA monitoring, sensor data processing, and predictive maintenance directly on edge devices.
- Scalability: Deploy lightweight services on small devices or orchestrate complex setups across server clusters.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: Since containers package all dependencies, applications run consistently without version conflicts.
- Improved Security: Containers can be built with strict best practices, requiring authentication for deployment and minimizing admin-level access.
- Rapid Recovery & Migration: Applications can be redeployed quickly after failures, upgrades, or migrations with minimal downtime.
These benefits directly support OT-IT convergence, allowing industrial systems to evolve alongside modern IT trends while remaining efficient and secure.
Real-World Examples: Rockwell Automation and Containerization
Rockwell Automation has adopted containerization in its FactoryTalk® product line.
FactoryTalk Analytics GuardianAI – Delivered exclusively as a container, this solution enables predictive maintenance on factory-floor edge devices without requiring coding expertise.
FactoryTalk Optix™ with ThinManager® – Recent updates allow deployment of FactoryTalk Optix Application Containers with ThinManager (v1.6 and v14.1). Thin clients reduce hardware needs for HMIs, while centralized management streamlines deployment, security, and updates.
This approach minimizes infrastructure requirements, lowers hardware costs, and enhances ICS performance.
Why Containers Are Here to Stay in ICS
As IT and OT continue to converge, containerization will remain a cornerstone technology for industrial automation. Its ability to deliver consistency, security, and scalability ensures that ICS environments stay adaptable to evolving technologies—without the heavy resource requirements of virtual machines.
For industrial businesses, adopting containerization means better efficiency, reduced costs, and the flexibility to integrate future solutions seamlessly
Read more about Integrated Architecture
Keep Chemical Processes in Control with an Integrated Architecture
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Read more about OT Endpoint Security Myths
https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/company/news/blogs/top-5-ot-security-myths.html
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