Augmenting an MES

This pharmaceutical customer has a large amount of data that needs to be contextualized and brought into their MES, but that’s not what an MES does best. Our project entails bringing that data into a Unified Namespace (UNS) ecosystem and then back into the MES, once contextualized. If you want to use your data outside of the MES, for instance in an ERP or other business systems, then the number of links in and out can grow exponentially. Our eventual goal is to get away from proprietary software solutions that sit in the middle of your stack. When you move to a UNS, you can use any software and it’s easy to upgrade or switch, as well as much more flexible. Contrary to what many people may think, security is better too. Each layer has a firewall and the data is well-protected; if you open more ports, there’s inherently more risk. By the nature of the way a UNS works, getting IOT data out is less risky because you’re publishing out with no need to open inbound ports. In fact, Gartner is now recommending this architecture in lieu of the traditional Purdue model.