01
Implicit contracts
Issue
Interfaces between field and business systems exist but are neither explicit nor versioned.
Solution
Defines payload, semantics, retry and versioning for each critical flow.
service.ot_it_integration()
OT/IT Integration
When flows exist but nobody governs them
OT ↔ IT integration is needed when data flows but nobody really knows who produces what, with what latency, semantics and correctness guarantees.
02
Heterogeneous protocols
Issue
OPC-UA, MQTT, REST, file-based: each flow uses a different channel, no unified bridging model.
Solution
Introduces an application layer that normalizes and decouples producers and consumers.
03
Observability
Issue
When a flow breaks, nobody notices until business calls the plant.
Solution
Adds logging, metrics and alarms on critical flows.
operating method
How we work: 4 phases in sequence
01
Integration mapping
Census of all IT-OT data flows: sources, destinations, protocols, frequencies, formats.
02
Integration architecture
Design of a standardised integration layer: OPC-UA gateway, MQTT broker, API gateway.
03
Connector implementation
Development and configuration of connectors for each source-destination pair.
04
Testing and validation
End-to-end flow testing, data validation, monitoring and alerting on integration errors.
expected output
The elements that bring order to integration
We start from use cases and arrive at clear integration contracts without reducing everything to a single technology choice.
Payloads, semantics, error handling, retry logic, ownership and versioning of critical flows.
Segregation, logging, monitoring and fallback mechanisms to keep flows under control.
tech spec
Technical spec
explorer
architecture/ 2
operations/ 2
// integration.interfaces
Interface map
analisi: Producers, consumers, frequencies and dependencies of existing flows.
criticità: Untracked flows, duplicated interfaces, ambiguous ownership.
output: Readable interface map with ownership.
// integration.contracts
Integration contracts
analisi: Payload, semantics, error handling, retry policy, versioning.
criticità: Implicit contracts, silent changes that break consumers.
output: Explicit contracts for critical flows.
// integration.bridge
Bridging layer
analisi: Application component that decouples protocols and cadences.
criticità: Tight coupling, direct dependencies, missing retries.
output: Versioned, monitored bridging layer.
// integration.observability
Flow observability
analisi: Structured logging, metrics, alarms and SLOs for critical flows.
criticità: Silent breakages, disconnected dashboards, slow escalation.
output: Single operational view on flows.
next_step.initialize
Bring order to OT ↔ IT integration
Clear contracts, versioned flows, operational monitoring over time.