“This is my eighth ICC, and this is by far the best.” I asked a customer this morning how he was enjoying this year’s edition of the annual Inductive Automation Ignition Community Conference.
I concur completely (although I’ve attended more than eight). The Harris Center in Folsom had long since proved to be too small to house the community’s growth. Executives agreed to move the venue to the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. They planned for doubling the size from 800 to 1,600, but the organizers told me that doing this the first time encompassed so many unknowns that they couldn’t breathe easily until half-way through the first day. This one reminded me of the automation company user groups I once attended.
I’m writing this in the hallway. The energy from conversations certainly keeps my energy up.
Part of the attraction this year emanates from the ability to house more breakout sessions. New also this year are Walker Reynold’s Prove It! Sessions. I sat in one with HighByte where the task is to prove to the audience that their solution really works.
Colby Clegg and Carl Gould ICC 2025
It helps when company executives have something good to say. And CEO Colby Clegg and CTO Carl Gould certainly rocked the conference with the huge advances in the latest Ignition Release—8.3.
The original vision I heard some 23 years ago focused on building an HMI/SCADA using IT-friendly technology from the ground up. Oh, and coming from a background as an integrator for another software company, the second focus concerned the pricing model designed to make the software more affordable and pricing more transparent.
Reading through just the bullet points I have below shows how far “IT-friendly” has come. The foundation for Ignition ties even more deeply into technologies familiar to all IT developers. With the hit of the show saved for previews of coming attractions when Colby and Carl announced coming in a few months—Model Context Protocol (MCP), thought of like an API for Agentic AI. MCP is so new and powerful that Inductive Automation may be beating IT developers to the game.
Inductive Automation Releases Ignition 8.3
Ignition 8.3 is such a comprehensive update that I’m surprised that it isn’t 9.0. Inductive says it provides tools for building solutions in SCADA, IIoT, MES, HMI, and more. It’s so much more that if I were an analyst paid $50,000 to do things like this, I’d give the category a new name.
This update (actually a significant technology foundation update) to Ignition 8.3 delivers major advancements in data processing efficiency, security, management, and development speed in order to elevate operational technology (OT) to modern IT standards and meet the speed and scalability needs of modern enterprises. These updates continue in the vision of the founder I first heard 22 years ago about developing OT software with the latest IT-friendly technology.
“Ignition has disrupted the industry and defined a new paradigm in industrial enterprise integration. With Version 8.3, we have completed our long-standing vision to create the world’s most powerful, most open, and most flexible application development platform,” says Colby Clegg, CEO of Inductive Automation and co-creator of Ignition.
Key Ignition 8.3 features include:
The new Industrial Historian Solution Suite, which includes the Historian Core Module, the SQL Historian Module, and a new Historian API for custom historian implementations.
The new Event Streams Module, which enables mapping and directing of event-driven data by creating a communication pipeline between various sources (such as tag changes or Kafka topics) and handlers (like scripts or database tables).
Perspective Module improvements, including a new Drawing Editor with native vector illustration tools, a form generator, and an offline mode for data entry and storage.
The redesigned Ignition Gateway, featuring a faster, more powerful web interface, integrated search capabilities, enhanced customization and visual organization, and consolidated configuration and diagnostic tools.
Next-level security that aligns with modern IT standards, including a new Secrets Management system, and Google Protobuf for faster, more secure communication between clients and gateways.
Long-Term Support (LTS), receiving regular updates and enhancements through the next five years.
Ignition 8.3 also features enhanced store-and-forward capabilities, improved enterprise deployment management, built-in REST API, new Gateway deployment mode, version control and collaboration with Git, simplified containerization, and much more.
Ignition Solution Suites, which include collections of Ignition modules and optional support plans that provide Upgrade Protection. Ignition Solution Suites simplify the Ignition purchasing process so that users can buy and deploy the precise solution they need more quickly. Five Solution Suites are currently available, and they align Ignition’s capabilities with common industrial use cases: The Application Building Suite, The Industrial Historian Suite, The DataOps Operations Suite, The Alarm Management Suite, and The Enterprise Integration Suite.
Every year the company recognizes significant and unique applications developed with Ignition. This year the company also recognized outstanding efforts in educating students about industrial automation with the Educational Engagement Firebrand Award, and honored contributions to the Ignition user community with the Community Impact Firebrand Award.
2025 Ignition Firebrand Award Winners:
Concera (End user: Sibanye-Stillwater)
Insight Engineering (End user: Haymes Paint)
SAGE Group (End user: Sydney Airport Corporation)
ASE Global
National Renewable Energy Lab
2025 Community Impact Firebrand Award Winner: Nick Minchin, Senior System Engineer at SAGE Automation, who dedicated much time to answering questions and helping people on the Ignition Forums.
2025 Educational Engagement Firebrand Award Winner: HebronSoft / Hebron IT Academy. These students from the Ukraine developed a process of custom fabricating prosthetic hands for soldiers who lost limbs in the war.
Emerson sends few news items these days. I’m not even invited to events. This news item intrigued me partly because I’ve heard almost nothing about safety controllers for years. I’m no longer familiar with the PACSystems product line that Emerson acquired several years ago. I imagine this upgrade will benefit their users specifying for a new project.
News in brief:
PACSystems Safety Controller enables SIL2 designs with pre-built templates for reliable performance in demanding, safety-critical applications
A few more details:
Emerson has announced the new PACSystems RX3i CPS400 Safety Controller, designed to enable Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL2) strategies for infrastructure, fire and gas, burner management systems, and other emergency shutdown systems. The PACSystems Safety Controller is a compact, high-performance solution with robust security measures and a scalable architecture with 2,000 available I/O points, ideal for complex projects with evolving requirements.
A large 64-megabyte memory capacity and scalable digital architecture enables the PACSystems Safety Controller to support a diverse range of mission-critical applications. Using built-in industrial communications protocols, including OPC UA, Ethernet Global Data (EGD), and Modbus TCP, the RX3i CPS400 controller is ready to connect peer-to-peer and with higher level hosts, providing complete operational visibility.
Data integrity.
As a secure-by-design solution incorporating Secure Boot® and the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) standard, the new controller delivers rigorous data integrity and protection against potential threats. Safety-certified function blocks and pre-configured templates simplify overall system certification in accordance with the IEC 61511 standard.
Available in simplex or redundant controller configurations, the RX3i CPS400 controller can perform all safety data messaging with duplex communications using the black channel principle over EGD, allowing standardized and reliable connectivity with Emerson´s PACSystems VersaMax SafetyNet I/O system. The platform is IEC 61508 safety-certified, providing a capable SIL2 simplified solution to help designers build appropriate protection schemes.
I’ve given this topic a lot of thought. An eclectic reader, I read wisdom literature wherever I can uncover it. I found this teaching from the Christian New Testament. The intersection of technology and ethics (or lack thereof) concerns me. Everyone I’ve met working within manufacturing/industrial technology has presented as reasonably ethical. But some technologists are so competitively pragmatic as to be amoral.
Wisdom from my friend James (the Apostle) who writes words of wisdom.
“You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;”
And again,
“How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
I have read much and thought long about the event and aftermath of the shooting of political influencer Charley Kirk. I had no idea who he was having decided not to follow these political influencers of any ideology. I understand what happens inside me when my emotions are stirred. I prefer a broad and reasoned approach to learning.
Two people whose works I read published blurbs about a side of Kirk not aligned with his public persona. But it’s the public persona that counts. I have learned through study of history and through observation that people who exist by inciting base emotions in followers seldom end well.
But today we have something previous decades, centuries, and indeed millennia didn’t—the ability to spread opinions and videos widely and almost instantaneously.
Cal New port earned a PhD in computer science, has written several best selling books found on my bookcase (Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, Slow Productivity), and is faculty co-founder of the Georgetown University Center for Digital Ethics. He’s been writing on this topic for several years.
His recently released a newsletter addressed many concerns that many have (including me).
Many of you have been asking me about the assassination of the conservative commentator Charlie Kirk earlier this week during a campus event at Utah Valley University. At the time of this writing, little is yet known about the shooter’s motives, but there have been enough cases of political violence over the past year that I think I can say what I’m about to with conviction…
This isn’t a one-off. It’s a situation encompassing some time.
Those of us who study online culture like to use the phrase, “Twitter is not real life.” But as we saw yet again this week, when the digital discourses fostered on services like Twitter (and Bluesky, and TikTok) do intersect with the real world, whether they originate from the left or the right, the results are often horrific.
He’s not pulling his punches here. And what do we learn?
This should tell us all we need to know about these platforms: they are toxic and dehumanizing. They are responsible, as much as any other force, for the unravelling of civil society that seems to be accelerating.
Since we know the evils of these platforms, why do they remain popular?
They tell a compelling story: that all of your frantic tapping and swiping makes you a key part of a political revolution, or a fearless investigator, or a righteous protestor – that when you’re online, you’re someone important, doing important things during an important time.
But the reality is…
But this, for the most part, is an illusion. In reality, you’re toiling anonymously in an attention factory, while billionaire overseers mock your efforts and celebrate their growing net worths.
What can we do?
After troubling national events, there’s often a public conversation about the appropriate way to respond. Here’s one option to consider: Quit using these social platforms. Find other ways to keep up with the news, or spread ideas, or be entertained. Be a responsible grown-up who does useful things; someone who serves real people in the real world.
To save civil society, we need to end our decade-long experiment with global social platforms. We tried them. They became dark and awful. It’s time to move on.
One of my sources for fitness and nutrition coaching comes from a team Arnold Schwarzenegger has assembled following his term as California’s governor. They publish the Pump Club newsletter and have an app. I use the app to track resistance training and nutrition.
Germane to this topic of social media is the carrier of said media—the smartphone.
They head one of the articles on this newsletter:
Having your smartphone nearby—even if you’re not using it—can reduce your brainpower.
Think that evil little thing is innocuous just lying on your desk?
Researchers examined if our phones drain more than just our attention when they buzz or light up. To test this, they conducted two experiments with nearly 800 smartphone users. Participants were asked to complete tests that required full attention and cognitive capacity—like problem-solving and memory tasks. The twist? Some participants had their phones placed on the desk, some had them in their pocket or bag, and others had them in another room.
I like the newsletter and app partly due to their reliance on real science.
Scientists found that the closer the phone was, the worse the performance. Those with their phones on the desk showed significantly reduced cognitive capacity compared to those whose phones were in another room. Even having the phone turned off and face down was not enough to prevent the drop.
It’s time for all of us, one-by-one, to leave the (un)social media behind. I deleted my Facebook and X (Twitter) apps a few years ago. I visit Facebook one time per day on my computer to wish friends a happy birthday and to see what’s happening in my community. I deleted the LinkedIn app. It’s getting almost as bad. I visit it once a day just to check in briefly—also on my computer.
We can all also be aware of the consequences of what we say—perhaps being a little kinder, more understanding, less vicious in our remarks.
I recently reviewed Adam Grant’s latest book, Think Again, about the value of taking a second (or third) look at what you’ve thought before. This book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, takes a look at achievement. Grant’s talent consists of looking at research bringing its relevance into our lives. Read this book and pass it on.
From the blurb on Bookshop.org, Admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
He shows that progress depends less on how hard you work than how well you learn. Growth is not about the genius you possess—it’s about the character you develop. Grant explores how to build the character skills and motivational structures to realize our own potential, and how to design systems that create opportunities for those who have been underrated and overlooked.
Curious about Grant’s thoughts about character? I should add in this context that Barry Diller in his podcast interview with Guy Kawasaki that I referenced recently observed that tech leaders tended to be so pragmatic as to be amoral, perhaps even lacking character. Check out this list:
Build Character Skills
1. Unleash hidden potential through character skills. They strive to make themselves and others smarter.
2. Don’t be afraid to try a new style.
3. Seek discomfort.
4. Increase your absorptive capacity.
5. Seek advice, not feedback.
6. Strive for excellence, not perfection.
7. Turn practice into play.
8. Turn the daily grind into a source for daily joy.
9. Teach what you want to learn.
10. Build confidence by coaching others.
11. Open doors for people who are underrated and overlooked.
12. Choose leaders based on prosocial skills.
I also offer some of the highlighted notes from my reading:
That motivation wasn’t innate, it tended to begin with a coach or teacher who made learning fun.
What look like differences in natural ability are often differences in opportunity and motivation.
This book is not about ambition. It’s about aspiration. Aspiration is the person you hope to become.
Proactive: How often did they take initiative to ask questions, volunteer answers, seek information from… Think about how surprising that is if you want to project the earning potential of fourth graders. And although many people see those behaviors as innate, they were taught in kindergarten.
Character is more than just having principles. It’s a learned capacity to live by your principles.
Character skills do more than help you perform at your peak—They propel you to higher peaks. As the Nobel laureate economist James Heckman concluded in a review of the research, character skills predict and produce success in life.
They weren’t worried about being the smartest player in the room—they were aiming to make the room smarter.
Character is the capacity to prioritize your values over instincts.
There is just one small problem with learning styles—they’re a myth.
Procrastination is a common problem whenever you are pushing yourself past your comfort zone.
Writing is more that a tool for communication—it is a tool for learning.
In the words of the great psychologist, Ted Lasso, “If you’re comfortable, you’re doin’ it wrong.”
Becker and Woessmann argued that the engine for the Protestant Reformation wasn’t work ethic as much as literacy.
Absorptive capacity is the ability to recognize, value, assimilate, and apply new information. It hinges on two key habits. The first is how you acquire information: do you react to what enters your field of vision, or are you proactive in seeking new knowledge, skills, and perspectives? The second is the goal you’re pursuing when you filter information: do you focus on feeding your ego or fueling your growth?
Being polite is withholding feedback in order to make someone feel good today. Being kind is being candid about how they can get better tomorrow.
It’s easy to get people to be cheerleaders or critics. It’s harder to get them to be coaches.
Instead of seeking feedback, you’re better off asking for advice.
When speaking—Open with a personal story, it humanizes you.
In a meta-analysis, the correlation between perfectionism and performance at work was zero.
The people who go on to become masters of their fields often start out with imperfect transcripts at school.
Perfectionists tend to get three things wrong: 1. They obsess about details that don’t matter; 2. They avoid unfamiliar situations and difficult tasks that might lead to failure; 3. They berate themselves for making mistakes, which makes it harder to learn from them.
According to legend, a young man sought out a master to teach him the Japanese tea ceremony. The master tested him by asking him to clean up a garden. The young man removed weeds and raked leaves until the garden was pristine. As he reviewed his flawless work, he realized that something was missing. He walked over to a cherry tree and shook it until a few flower petals fell to the ground. By finding beauty in imperfection, he proved that he was ready to become a master.
Wabi-sabi is the art of honoring beauty in imperfection. It’s about accepting that flaws are inevitable—and recognizing they don’t stop something from being sublime.
Extensive evidence shows that it’s having high personal standards and not pursuing perfection that fuels growth.
Elite musicians are rarely driven by obsessive compulsion. They’re usually fueled by what psychologists call harmonious passion. Harmonious passion is taking joy in a process rather than feeling pressure to achieve an outcome.
Chetty’s team discovered that one of the advantages kids got in wealthy families was more exposure to innovators in their homes and neighborhoods. They had more guides available to provide a compass and drop pins. They got to dream bigger, aim higher, and travel farther.
Students who did better didn’t have better teachers, they just had the same teacher for two years in a row.
A culture of opportunity only succeeds when students are motivated to take advantage of those opportunities.
Teams—collective intelligence depends less on people’s cognitive skills and more on their prosocial skills.
When they have prosocial skills, team members are able to bring out the best in one another.
Twice yesterday I was introduced to the idea of curiosity as the guiding principle. Curiosity has certainly been my constant companion for as long as memory goes.
Then I found this gem of advice from the remarkable essayist, Paul Graham. If you’ve not come across his writing, click the link and then bask your intellect in his well-thought-out essays.
Graham focused this essay on choosing work.
When in doubt, follow your curiosity. It never lies, and it knows more than you do about what’s worth paying attention to.
I couldn’t agree with this thought more.
I found most of his other insights either something I’ve experienced and agree with or something where the opposite happened much to my chagrin. Check them out and ponder each as you think about your career—or for wisdom to pass along to the next generation.
Choose work you have a natural aptitude for and a deep interest in.
Develop a habit of working on your own projects; it doesn’t matter what they are so long as you find them excitingly ambitious.
Work as hard as you can without burning out, and this will eventually bring you to one of the frontiers of knowledge.
These look smooth from a distance, but up close they’re full of gaps. Notice and explore such gaps, and if you’re lucky one will expand into a whole new field.
Take as much risk as you can afford; if you’re not failing occasionally you’re probably being too conservative.
Seek out the best colleagues.
Develop good taste and learn from the best examples.
Be honest, especially with yourself.
Exercise and eat and sleep well and avoid the more dangerous drugs.
