Industrial Automation & Sensors Blog





Claroty, Competitors Continue OT Cybersecurity Arms Race

by Jared Weiner | 3/12/2024

Last week, Claroty announced it had raised $100 million in strategic growth financing. Building on $635 million in previously-raised funding, Claroty will use this new round―led by investments from Delta-v Capital, SE Ventures, and Rockwell Automation, among others―to scale the company’s solution offerings, expand in emerging regions, develop core and adjacent technologies, and strengthen its partnership ecosystem. Learn more

Scalability Will Enable Next Wave of IIoT Platforms Market Growth

by Jared Weiner | 3/11/2024

In recent years, growth within the market for Industrial IoT Platforms has been driven in large part by the increasing availability of affordable processors, sensors, and other hardware components. This, in turn, has lowered IIoT adoption barriers for small to midsize industrial organizations. Initiatives driven by economic- and labor-related factors have contributed to a growing interest in automating various operational processes―such as those for quality assurance and remote monitoring―further fueling market growth. Learn more

Reactions from Honeywell Connect 2023

by Jared Weiner | 10/23/2023

Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) welcomed more than 200 customers, partners, industry analysts, and media members to this year’s Honeywell Connect conference, a software- and digital transformation-focused event held last week in Dallas, Texas. The event featured a wide range of executive presentations, customer success stories, roundtable discussions, expert-led breakout sessions, and technology demonstrations in which Honeywell Connected Enterprise (HCE) emphasized its identity as a software company by highlighting its quickly-maturing capabilities in the areas of industrial cybersecurity, industrial IoT, and sustainability. Learn more

Emerson (Finally) Acquires NI

by Jared Weiner | 4/23/2023

Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced last week that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NI (NASDAQ: NATI) for approximately $8.2 billion, reportedly outbidding Fortive and Keysight Technologies, among others. Emerson expects the acqusition to close during the first half of its 2024 fiscal year, which begins in October 2023. Learn more

Organizations Challenged by Increasingly Complex DAQ Environments

by Jared Weiner | 3/18/2022

The global market for data acquisition (DAQ) solutions—technologies used to convert physically or electrically measured signals such as temperature or pressure into digital output suitable for computer processing—will continue to expand as business leaders worldwide increasingly emphasize the importance of data-driven decision making. Learn more

Claroty (Re-)Raises Stakes in Hypercompetitive OT/IIoT Cybersecurity Market with Acquisition, New Round of Funding

by Jared Weiner | 12/13/2021

Claroty made a pair of significant announcements on Wednesday, sharing news of a new $400 million round of Series E funding, while also disclosing an agreement to acquire Medigate, an IoT security company serving the healthcare industry. This round of funding―which brought Claroty’s total to $635 million―was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Schneider Electric, and SoftBank, among others; financial terms of the Medigate acquisition were not disclosed. Learn more

Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack Highlights Unpreparedness of Critical Infrastructure Operators

by Jared Weiner | 05/14/2021

Colonial Pipeline, which operates the largest fuel pipeline in the country, shut down its operations on Friday following a ransomware attack. The attack ― which the FBI has attributed to a Russian criminal group known as DarkSide. Learn more

AMETEK Bolsters Presence in Process Instrumentation Market with Acquisition of Magnetrol

by Jared Weiner | 03/30/2021

AMETEK announced on Monday that it had acquired Magnetrol International and two other companies―Crank Software and EGS Automation―for a total of approximately $270 million. Both Magnetrol and Crank will join AMETEK’s Electronic Instruments Group, while EGS will become part of the company’s Electromechanical Group. Learn more

Industrial Modernization Projects Drive Industrial Networking Market in Growing Economies

by Jared Weiner | 01/26/2021

Industry 4.0 makes it possible for industrial organizations to dramatically increase profitability by realizing unprecedented levels of production efficiency and flexibility, supply chain control, and worker safety. Learn more

Microsoft Acquisition of CyberX Reinforces IoT Commitment

by Jared Weiner | 06/24/2020

Following months of speculation, Microsoft, announced on Monday its acquisition of CyberX, a cybersecurity startup that provides a continuous monitoring and vulnerability management platform built for OT networks. Terms of the deal were not officially disclosed, though several media outlets, including TechCrunch, reported the acquisition will cost Microsoft approximately $165 million. Learn more

Covid-19 Pandemic Reveals Next-Generation Manufacturing Risks, Benefits

by Jared Weiner | 3/17/2020

The global economic turbulence and uncertainty incited by the coronavirus pandemic has affected businesses of all shapes and sizes. In the manufacturing sector, organizations have struggled to balance their business and operational needs with the health and safety of their workers, most of whom are unable to work remotely due to the inherently physical nature of their positions on the factory floor. Learn more

New Research Available Now: The Global Market for Process Level Measurement

by Jared Weiner | 10/31/2019

The global market for process level measurement instrumentation is well-established, yet diverse and still evolving. While many of the older, mechanical-style devices maintain extensive installed bases, newer technologies such as laser and radar have been the target of continued innovation from some of the world’s largest industrial automation suppliers. Learn more

Reactions from Siemens Automation Summit 2019

by Jared Weiner | 06/24/2019

Siemens welcomed more than 700 attendees to this year’s Automation Summit, an annual event held last week at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. Siemens’ objective for the conference is to inspire, enable, and support its customers’ automation initiatives by fostering collaboration among users, third-party solution partners, and Siemens experts. Learn more