Obermeier Interview

Klaus Obermeier is President of Obermeier Software located in Verl, Germany. Mr. Obermeier is the lead developer of the SNMP-OPC Gateway suite of products. Klaus set some time aside today to discuss his relationship with the S4 Group as well as the future of enterprise wide integration.

Brian Jones: Klaus, would you mind telling our readers a little bit about your personal background and provide a brief profile of Obermeier Software? How did you get into the computer software development business?

Klaus Obermeier: Obermeier Software is a team of highly motivated and educated individuals who are very experienced in software and system development, with a focus industrial automation and the information technology market. We specialize in delivering custom tailored solutions to our clients. When a customer asks us to assist them with a certain problem we analyze the situation, learn about where the customer wants to go, and then develop the ideal solution. Our range of customers encompasses large multinationals to highly specialized mid-sized companies active in very specific market segments.

B: Describe your working relationship with the S4 Group and what factors led you to become a strategic partner with The S4 Group?

K: We have a long and very good relationship with the S4 Group, streamlining our efforts and complementing each other’s abilities. The S4 Group has turned out to be one of our strategic partners with a deep knowledge of the various markets, especially the Building Automation, networking, and telecommunications industries. This knowledge and expertise helps us to further improve our products and services and tailor them precisely to a customer’s requirements.

B: How did you get involved with SNMP-OPC technology?

K: SNMP-OPC technology is not just a concatenation of two protocols. Each of these protocols stands for a different world, OPC stands for the non-IT world (industrial automation, process control, building automation, SCADA, etc.) , where as SNMP is the classical IT world. So this technology is a synonym for closing the gap between those two worlds. Ideally, customers would like to see a homogenous IT landscape, and there is no reason to separate these two worlds. This is where our products will help out, they simply close the bridge. The IT world just models the non-IT world.

B: Our customers and partners have heard a lot of information about release 3.0 of the SNMP OPC Gateway family of products. One of the newest features is the ability to add support for new protocols. Could you talk about this?

K: As already mentioned the SNMP-OPC Gateway is a system focused on closing the gap between the “Non-IT World” and the classical IT world. Each of these worlds are rubrics requiring different methods of communication. With support for different protocols our Gateway is an universal translator, the “glue” between the different systems in an enterprise.

We have put a lot of effort into the latest version of our product, making it extremely flexible. We have Protocol Adaptors, just like the famous LEGO system for children that can satisfy virtually any customer’s requirements. Beyond the major mainstream protocols we can also rapidly provide customers with special adaptors for their home-grown protocols. So the Gateway is a universal glue to interface all of the different systems giving our customers a truly connected enterprise.

B: What protocols are planned to be added in the near future?

K: Describing the future is simple: The gateway will support all major mainstream protocols, such as BACnet, MODBUS, DeviceNet, etc. Additionally we are able to rapidly deliver customer specific solutions. This is necessary because a lot of customers, especially the larger organizations have proprietary protocols that must be supported. For example Air Traffic Systems often require special protocol adaptors, also certain Enterprise Management Systems such as those from SAP require special protocol adaptors.

B: SNMP version 3 is gaining in popularity. When will you be incorporating this into your products?

K: SNMP is a living protocol that permanently undergoes revision. This fact also helped make it so successful. The latest version 3, released recently, is gaining more and more momentum and we already have customers asking for us to support it. We currently have a lab version featuring this latest version and we are very planning on releasing this feature in the very near future as a point release.

B: What is your opinion of more open protocol based automation networks?

K: Today the majority of automation systems are still old fashioned parallel connected ones. We are all currently seeing TCP/IP networks entering the automation world. This is the very first but most important step into the open protocol world. Open Protocols are the key to success.

B: Do you feel that industrial Ethernet will have longevity in the process control and building automation world?

K: Ethernet and TCP/IP will certainly dramatically effect the automation world, no matter if we are talking about the Building Automation, the Manufacturing Industry, Process industry or any other related industry. It will have the same success as in the classical IT world. At this time we are just at the beginning of this process. There are different market analysis of renowned organizations underlining this trend, the growth rates at around 50% each year are talking for themselves.

B: What can we look forward to from Obermeier Software?

K: The next major step in the near future is to migrate our systems to an embedded out of the box solution. These embedded gateway devices are very interesting for larger enterprises to use it as “connectivity glue” wherever necessary.

Building Automation

Non-IT System Integration

Enterprise Integration

S4 Open Appliance Applications

SNMP OPC Gateway Applications

For questions about this site contact webmaster@thes4group.com