Paul Viorel

Paul Viorel
Why Factory Connectivity Is the Weak Link in IIoT Scalability
· Connected Industry

Why Factory Connectivity Is the Weak Link in IIoT Scalability

Industrial IoT platforms can’t deliver full value if networks lag behind. Real-time insight depends on infrastructure that most manufacturers are still underinvesting in.As manufacturers invest in AI, automation, and real-time analytics, one critical enabler is often overlooked: factory network infrastructure. During the session “The Current State and Capabilities of Real-Time IIoT Platforms” at IIoT World’s Manufacturing & […]

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AI as a Skill Multiplier in Manufacturing, Not a Replacement
· Artificial Intelligence

AI as a Skill Multiplier in Manufacturing, Not a Replacement

As AI tools and automation platforms race ahead, manufacturers face a critical question: is technology helping the workforce, or quietly pushing it aside? In the world of smart manufacturing, the answer is increasingly clear—AI works best not as a substitute for people, but as a multiplier of human skill. This shift marks a departure from […]

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From Static to Synchronized: The Emerging Role of Time-Aligned Data in Grid Innovation
· Renewable Energy

From Static to Synchronized: The Emerging Role of Time-Aligned Data in Grid Innovation

As energy systems evolve into hyperconnected, data-driven ecosystems, a less talked-about—but rapidly growing—challenge is surfacing: temporal data alignment. In modern energy operations, it’s no longer just about having data; it’s about having the right data at the exact right time.Why Synchronized Data Is Becoming Mission-CriticalHistorically, energy operations relied on fixed-interval data—15-minute SCADA readings, hourly forecasts, and daily load […]

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Starting Smart: The First 90 Days of an OT Cybersecurity Program
· Cybersecurity

Starting Smart: The First 90 Days of an OT Cybersecurity Program

Cyber threats targeting manufacturing environments are becoming more sophisticated—and more relentless. But for many industrial organizations, the biggest challenge isn’t dealing with ransomware. It’s knowing where to start. In the session “From the Concrete to the Carpet: Assessing and Navigating OT Risk” at IIoT World Manufacturing Day 2025, cybersecurity leaders from Armis, Olin, and Fortinet […]

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Why Brownfield Digitalization Holds the Key to Cost-Effective Innovation in Oil & Gas
· Renewable Energy

Why Brownfield Digitalization Holds the Key to Cost-Effective Innovation in Oil & Gas

Modernizing Legacy Infrastructure Without Breaking the Bank As digital transformation sweeps across the energy sector, oil and gas operators face a critical question: how can legacy infrastructure catch up with today’s smart technologies? The answer lies not in replacing the old, but in rethinking how to connect, integrate, and extract value from what’s already in […]

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Why AI Success in Manufacturing Starts with Leadership, Not Code
· Artificial Intelligence

Why AI Success in Manufacturing Starts with Leadership, Not Code

Manufacturers don’t lack AI tools. They lack the readiness to use them well. That was one of the clearest undercurrents at IIoT World’s Manufacturing Day session on generative AI. While the panelists from Siemens, Databricks, and Retrocausal brought technical insights, they repeatedly circled back to something more fundamental: leadership mindset, data literacy, and cultural readiness […]

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Why OT Cybersecurity Is Moving to the CISO’s Desk—and What That Means for Manufacturers
· Cybersecurity

Why OT Cybersecurity Is Moving to the CISO’s Desk—and What That Means for Manufacturers

For decades, cybersecurity in manufacturing was someone else’s problem—usually the plant manager’s. That’s changing fast. As industrial organizations digitize more of their operations and face increasingly aggressive cyber threats, responsibility for securing operational technology (OT) is shifting up the chain of command. More and more, CISOs are becoming the de facto owners of OT cyber […]

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The Hidden Advantage of Generative AI in Manufacturing: Speed, Not Just Smarts
· Discrete Manufacturing

The Hidden Advantage of Generative AI in Manufacturing: Speed, Not Just Smarts

For manufacturers, generative AI isn’t just about prediction—it’s about eliminating bottlenecks in model creation and deployment.While predictive maintenance and quality optimization often dominate the conversation around AI in manufacturing, a more transformative shift is quietly underway: AI is finally fast enough to scale.At IIoT World’s 2024 session on Revolutionizing Asset Management, experts from IBM and Prometheus Group […]

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Energy’s Silent Challenge: The Operational Bottlenecks of Data Volume, Not Data Access
· Renewable Energy

Energy’s Silent Challenge: The Operational Bottlenecks of Data Volume, Not Data Access

As the energy sector doubles down on digital transformation, a quiet but critical issue is becoming more visible: data overload without operational context. Unlike cybersecurity or grid reliability, this problem rarely makes headlines, yet it’s increasingly responsible for slower decisions, missed anomalies, and underutilized assets. The challenge isn’t collecting more data—it’s processing less, more intelligently.The […]

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How Virtual PLCs Are Changing the Way Factories Operate
· Discrete Manufacturing

How Virtual PLCs Are Changing the Way Factories Operate

Manufacturers are moving control systems off physical hardware and into virtual environments to reduce downtime, lower costs, and respond faster to production needs.As industrial automation evolves, more manufacturers are looking to virtualization—not just for analytics and dashboards, but for the control systems at the heart of production. A key shift underway is the migration from […]

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How Oil & Gas Operators Are Enabling Remote-First, Low-Touch Operations
· Process Manufacturing

How Oil & Gas Operators Are Enabling Remote-First, Low-Touch Operations

A Practical Shift Toward Remote OperationsOil and gas operators are increasingly transitioning to remote-first infrastructures. With mature IIoT platforms, edge AI, and automation, facilities are now being managed with minimal on-site personnel—especially offshore. This isn’t a future-state vision; it’s already happening in regions like Norway, where onshore control rooms are fully running offshore platforms.Reducing the […]

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The AI Gap: Can Manufacturing Keep Up With the Pace of Innovation?
· Artificial Intelligence

The AI Gap: Can Manufacturing Keep Up With the Pace of Innovation?

AI is moving faster than most industries can digest. According to data cited during a recent IIoT World session, AI capability is now doubling every 3.5 months—a 100x improvement in a single year. That’s not evolution; that’s exponential transformation. For industries like manufacturing and energy, the real question isn’t whether AI will shape the future, but […]

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