Why can’t you “move fast and break things” in a factory? Because a small software bug doesn’t just crash an app, it can shut down a plant the size of a small city. David and Willem explain the hidden world of operational technology, where safety always comes before speed.
In this episode, David Ariens and Willem van Lammeren, co-authors of “The IT/OT Handbook” and hosts of the IT/OT Insider podcast, break down the divide between IT and OT, information technology and operational technology, and why closing it matters more than ever as manufacturing digitalizes. They explain why OT prioritizes safety and integrity over confidentiality and share a war story where a single form change in China left hundreds of trucks stranded outside a factory. David and Willem walk through the seven cooperation patterns from their book, from “good shadow IT” to facilitation, project teams, and full product teams, and explain why breaking down silos too early can backfire. They also discuss why factories still run Windows XP decades past the end of life, why generative AI’s impact on manufacturing will be slower and different from software, and why the real shortage in this industry isn’t AI, it’s automation engineers.
Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Trailer & Intro
(00:02:42) What Is the Story Behind the Book and the Podcast?
(00:06:31) What Is the Main Difference Between IT and OT?
(00:11:58) Are Software Developer Skill Sets Interchangeable Between IT and Operations?
(00:15:23) How Did The Phoenix Project and Team Topologies Inspire IT/OT Cooperation Patterns?
(00:22:41) What Are Some Industry War Stories That Highlight the Challenges Between IT and OT?
(00:30:57) What Collaboration Patterns Can Help Resolve Tension Between IT and OT?
(00:39:43) Is Tesla the Ultimate Reference Model for Modern Product Teams?
(00:42:41) How Can OT Teams Adopt CI/CD Through a Data Platform Abstraction Layer?
(00:44:37) What Will Be the Real Impact of AI on Operational Technology?
(00:51:54) What Is Driving the Shortage of Automation Engineers in Operations?
(00:54:51) Are Humanoid Robots Overhyped for Manufacturing?
(01:01:52) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom
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David Ariens’s Bio David Ariens is a mathematical engineer, co-founder of The IT/OT Insider and The IT/OT Handbook. Previously the Industrial Digitalization Director at BASF Antwerp and former manager of Analytics For Industry, David focuses on industrial cybersecurity, data platforms, and bridging IT and OT through human-centric digital transformation.
Willem van Lammeren’s Bio Willem van Lammeren is a chemical engineer, co-founder of The IT/OT Insider and The IT/OT Handbook. He serves as Tech Lead for Industrial IT at Syensqo (formerly Solvay) with extensive experience spanning Barry Callebaut and BASF, focusing on industrial digitalization and operational data architectures.
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