The Gateway

Volume 1, Number 5

Software Services and System Solutions for the Enterprise

Welcome to The Gateway, a monthly newsletter highlighting products, services, customers, and partners of The S4 Group, Inc. The purpose of this monthly newsletter is to provide information on Enterprise Management technology and the integration of non-It systems into enterprise environments.

seamlessly integrates any OPC-enabled system with your existing Network Management System

OPC-SNMP Agent 3.0 Available in July

 You are already managing your IT systems, databases, and applications with a centralized Network Management System (e.g. HP OpenView, IBM Tivoli, CA Unicenter TNG); however your buildings, your plant floor machinery and your remote facilities still aren't integrated?  Version 3.0 of the Obermeier software OPC-SNMP Agent seamlessly integrates any OPC-enabled system with your existing Network Management System resulting in a central point of administration for your entire enterprise.

Key Benefits of the OPC-SNMP Enterprise Agent 

• The SNMP OPC Gateway- OPC SNMP Agent 3.0 enables the integration of any OPC-based HMI, like Johnson Controls, Inc. Metasys^® BAS, to SNMP network and system managers. A typical application would be integrating Metasys^® Alarms and Events to the customer’s enterprise SNMP manager like Aprisma Spectrum, CA Unicenter, HP OpenView, IBM Tivoli, IpSwitch WhatsUp Gold, or Micromuse Netcool.
• The Enterprise Agent can monitor OPC Items and trigger a SNMP trap to an enterprise manager when defined thresholds are crossed.
• The Enterprise Agent can provide a key data gathering and system monitoring component of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and data warehousing applications.

Head to our Downloads section to view the Agent’s product sheet and try out the demo version.

... customer comfort and confidence levels with the technology have improved to the point that major projects are being deployed.

Interview with Steven Jones, Managing Partner of The S4 Group, Inc.

By Nancy S. Jones, The Gateway Editor

N: Steve, Could you tell your readers what you see on the horizon in the industrial process controls market?

S: There are several major things happening in the marketplace, which are driven by the early successes of Industrial Ethernet. First, Industrial Ethernet switches are becoming more sophisticated. Most early adopter vendors are now offering second generation products that offer full management capability and compatibility with IT networks. Second, a number of new vendors have entered the marketplace, including Cisco with their Catalyst 2955 offering. Lastly, the customer comfort and confidence levels with the technology have improved to the point that major projects are being deployed.

N: Steve, What, in your opinion, is the critical element that your partners look for in The S 4 Group’s solution to a process control opportunity? 

S: There is a convergence happening in the automation industry in which automation systems are adopting traditional IT systems and network technologies instead of developing custom systems. Our customers find it unique that we deliver expertise in networking technologies, automation systems, and IT systems and can guide them through this transitional period. In many cases we find that we add significant value to a customer project by being able to translate the dissimilar terminology used by different groups within the same organization.

Click here to read the rest of the interview.

Please send comments or submissions to:

The S4 Group, Inc.

585 - 24th Street, Suite 106

Ogden, UT

84401

Phone:

(801) 621 1970

E-mail:

nsjones@thes4group.com

www.thes4group.com

About The Gateway

The Gateway will be distributed on a monthly basis. You can view previous issues, news items and press releases at S4 Group News.

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