In this episode of the Industrial Data Podcast, I interview Lonnie Bowling about the evolution of operational technology (OT) data integration from the 1990s to present day (2025). Lonnie, who runs Diemus consulting, shares insights from his extensive career in industrial automation and data integration. The discussion traces how manufacturing and utility companies moved from focusing purely on automation to recognizing the value of operational data, the rise of historian systems like OSIsoft PI, challenges with proprietary formats and data quality, and the industry's current shift toward cloud computing and AI-powered analytics. Both of us acknowledge that while new technologies will transform the landscape, legacy systems will remain an essential part of industrial operations for decades to come.

Key Ideas:

• Historians evolved from simple trend-viewing tools within SCADA systems to specialized products like OSIsoft PI that could connect multiple systems. 
• The industry is experiencing consolidation, with AVEVA (now part of Schneider) acquiring OSIsoft PI and other players to build integrated stacks. 
• Despite technological advances, legacy systems will remain for decades, especially in control functions. 
• Problems include proprietary formats, inconsistent naming conventions, connectivity issues with distributed systems, and poor data quality. 
• Companies are increasingly moving data to cloud platforms like Databricks for better analytics capabilities and computing power, though often without clear objectives.

Reach out to Lonnie Bowling:

• Email: lonnie@diemus.com
• Diemus website: https://diemus.com/