Managed Operational Technology (OT) Services

To increase the availability of the monitoring system, a VMware vSphere environment is installed which can host multiple Virtual Machines (VM’s) while providing the layered network separation required for the effective management of a true OT environment.

There are many advantages to a VMware vSphere environment over a physical computer. For example, a snapshot can be taken of the live system in seconds before applying any patches or software updates/upgrades or configurations, and if necessary, the snapshot can usually be reverted in seconds. A live system can also be cloned and put on an isolated vSwitch to test updates while the live system is running. Another advantage is hardware independence.

Patching and updates to the vendor’s software will be coordinated and scheduled. This is especially important for mission critical applications, even more so in cases where the systems are subject to regulatory requirements (i.e. GxP) where updates and patching must be done under change control for compliance. There are other instances where a client has a “server under a desk” (especially beyond its useful life). While there are many reasons this may have been done initially, there are tools available to virtualize the physical server, and add redundancy before the event of hardware failure.

Virtual machines will see the same virtual hardware regardless of the brand of the virtualization host. Therefore, when the virtualization host needs to be upgraded, the VM may be able to migrate onto a newer host without shutting down or rebooting when new hardware is introduced to a multi-host environment. Even in a single host environment, there is a standard format to export VM’s so they can be started up on another host.

The system also introduces a local support model, where users may have full access to their systems. This streamlines the approval process for changes, and even enables the user to grant/revoke admin access to the server for a support vendor.

TIER5 provides leadership and technical backing for all personnel. Revising processes and protocols for efficiency, TIER5 designs and deploys new systems, and expands existing ones. Providing the necessary PM and execution resources.

TIER5 provides leadership and technical backing for all personnel. Revising processes and protocols for efficiency, TIER5 designs and deploys new systems, and expands existing ones. Providing the necessary PM and execution resources.
Coordination: Day to day support activities, Qualifications & User Requests.
Project Management: Risk Remediation's, Lifecycle Management & New Technology.
Service Contract: Guaranteed support for the most Critical OT Infrastructure.