A secure network foundation to digitize industrial operations and enable IoT systems. Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) are a set of guidelines used within a system design management solution created for specific IT Service Companies to help small-medium businesses and large-scale corporations to access industry-specific tested system architectures, to design, provision, and implement their wired and wireless network infrastructure, automate the deployment of a secure software-defined network, handle common use cases and engineering system priorities, and define a specific combination of PIN components and subsystem options. Features include technology design guides, solution design guides, third-party tool integration, and a predictable deployment tool. What is a Cisco Validated Design? CVDs provide the foundation for systems design based on common use cases or current engineering system priorities. They incorporate a broad set of technologies, features, and applications to address each customer needs. Each one has been comprehensively tested and documented by Cisco Engineers to ensure faster, more reliable, and fully predictable deployment. Ford Motor Company and Hitachi Vantara are among some of the manufacturers applying CVDs to drive innovation within their traditional manufacturing facilities and operations. Some benefits of using CVDs are: Faster deployments: CVDs, starting from system designs to configuration instructions, simplify and speed up the process of implementing your solutions. Less risk: You can be assured of seamless integration and successful outcomes when using CVDs, which are designed based on shared use cases and engineering system priorities. Predictability: Thanks to rigorous testing, CVDs assist you in establishing performance expectations and guaranteeing quicker, more dependable deployments. Comprehensiveness: CVDs offer a comprehensive package that includes system designs, configuration instructions, and a bill of materials (BOM). End-to-end designs: Cisco Validated Designs begin by considering customer use cases and designing from the edge device to the application, while also verifying the compatibility of Cisco and third-party components. Networking devices specifically designed for industrial environments A.k.a. manufacturing facilities, warehouses, healthcare facilities, utility substations, oil and gas rigs, etc. Within an industrial setting, routers, switches, and firewalls must be able to endure harsh environmental factors such as extreme temperatures, vibration, shock, and humidity, in addition to being highly efficient and available. These devices should also be capable of regulating access, supporting real-time industrial protocols, and allowing essential operational data to travel across cloud-based applications. Furthermore, the operational networks they support must be scalable and extremely robust. At Polestar, we select and implement the best fit-for-purpose industrial routers and switches to meet these requirements. We also choose vendors committed to creating the interoperability our customers need with the highest possible quality. Equally, we adhere to CVDs, which are tested and documented approaches to help you design, deploy, and extend new technologies successfully. These guides document building possible network configurations, how to ensure new solutions fit into existing systems and offer best practices for successful deployments.

Carlsberg is one of the leading brewing groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and soft drinks brands. Its flagship brand, Carlsberg, is one of the fastest growing and best-known beer brands in the world. More than 30,000 people work for Carlsberg at 92 local production sites in 48 countries, and its products are sold in more than 150 markets. This Food and Beverage company produce in average about 83 million bottles of beer a day, or 100 million hectolitres of beer. A Failover Solution for a System Migration Project. During the past five years prior to starting the project Carlsberg's SCADA system failed twice, both times through hardware faults. On each occasion it has taken for the manufacturer's system engineers about two to four hours to replace the hardware and reinstate the system. While their SCADA was inactive, brewing operations grounded to a halt. The downtime loss resulting exclusively from produce not sold during from both faults was calculated at £1'600.000. A resilient system with a secure network design could have prevented this loss. The decision was to upgrade their SCADA and at the same time ensure that the new system would never again suffer from significant interruptions to service. The customer's senior systems engineer at the Leeds brewery initiated a project that would include an external failover solution, as the primary mechanism within the new SCADA system did not match their availability requirements. Failover is the transfer of workload and data from a primary system to a secondary system in the event of a failure. When the workload has been transferred, the secondary system is said to have taken over the workload of the failed primary system, allowing for high availability of information, systems and processes. Carlsberg initially considered a Microsoft cluster. However, the system was complex and the cost prohibitive. Polestar Industrial IT recommended the data replication and failover capabilities of Double-Take. Thanks to this Carbonite solution in addition to a comprehensive network design from Polestar, it was possible to continuously replicate for physical, virtual and cloud workloads with push-button failover for keeping critical systems online all the time, and transmit data across high-speed connectivity bridges. Learn more about the details of this project by downloading the Case Study here: Case Study: High-Availability IT for Food & Beverage Manufacturer Interested in our Services? Get to know more about them in the following links: Digitalisation Consulting for Manufacturers IT & OT Convergence Services in the UK & EU Industrial Networking Services in the UK & EU Network Design Services for Global Manufacturers Data Services in the UK OT Cybersecurity IT Services in the UK

Remote access to your Industrial Control Systems works the same as your local setup. Things you usually do locally can be done via a VPN connection so you don’t have to be on-site with the machines. Think of programming the PLC so the machine’s requirements are met, monitoring machine states in detail, and taking control of your desktop. Industrial remote access enables you to access all your equipment, including PLCs, HMIs, robots and devices, from any plant in the world. You can view and control the same remote screen as on site. In the following video we will show you how to connect a cloud-based instance of Siemens TIA Portal v17 located in our Dispel cloud (our preferred Secure Remote Access app), and a PLC located at our office in our Nottingham HQ. Our Remote Access platform will allow you to efficiently manage in one place the remote access to all your industrial equipment by authorised users including PLCs and Cloud Automation Portals. Our colleague will walk you through how this is done, and he will show you how he can make changes to a live production schedule, remotely. You can see the impact of the changes to the programme running on the PLC in real time - all without having to visit a site or having any software tooling running on-site! Goodbye and good riddance to insecure apps like VNC, rogue Windows Remote Desktop installs and unmanaged instances of TeamViewer. Contact us for a demo. ROI of a Remote Access Platform Some of the benefits you can enjoy with our cloud-based TIA Portal service are: Increased speed for production schedule management and decision-making. Faster commissioning and production status check-ups. Cost reduction on Automation licensing (one instance only required for multiple sites). Contact us for a demo. Remote connectivity to your PLC and other Industrial Control Systems To enable remote connectivity for your PLC and other automation equipment installed in your plants, simply link it to a Polestar EdgeBox that has been set up to connect securely to a Cloud Remote Access account. The configuration of the EdgeBox is very straightforward and can be achieved in just a few minutes. Different internet interface options are available, including wireless, to ensure successful connectivity at any location, anytime. After setting up the gateway, you can use our Cloud App on any PC to securely connect to your machine in just a couple clicks. Once the connection is established, you get access to the PLC and other devices behind the EdgeBox, as if they were connected to your PC through a single LAN cable. You can therefore use TIA Portal or any programming tool to work on your PLC, as if you were standing next to your equipment. The gateway can poll data from a wide range of devices, including Siemens PLC, thanks to its support of a large number of protocols such as OPC UA, Modbus and the S7 Protocol. This is how it's done for remote PLC management and production scheduling: Starting a session: Log in to the dispel dashboard Connecting to the Automation Portal Open up the TIA Portal App Open the Simulation Project Look up for the Program Blocks Go Online Connecting to the PLC. Checking the Simulation Program Blocks Changing program values Stablishing new sequences Starting a machine. Starting a process Manipulation of the PLC Logging Off Additional benefits of remote connectivity to ICS Remote access to the PLC is indispensable for manufacturers and machine builders. Quick access to machines is mandatory. Use cases of remote access include remote support, remote programming, remote troubleshooting, remote monitoring and remote commissioning. Other benefits of implementing a Remote Access platform include: Optimising the uptime of your machines through quick troubleshooting Reducing costs and stress by travelling less for support Increasing the productivity of your engineers. Contact us for a demo.

Hosted on Thursday the 22nd of September, 14:00 GMT+1. Learn about the strategic and technical how-to for digitalisation projects in industrial environments of any scale. Polestar wants to contribute to the acceleration of digitalisation projects in industrial companies through the installation of an out-of-the-box digital solution for OT environments, maintaining quality and de-risking tech adoption. Some of the topics discussed: The urgency of digital acceleration in the UK. Basics of a digital infrastructure | Edge Computing & secure IIoT. Agile methods of implementation, testing and scalability. Rental models for testing. Machinery and process analytics. Use cases and ROI of digital projects. The panellists that attended this digital roundtable: Roundtable Wrap Up 1: Strategic PoV on digitalisation • UK manufacturing SMEs are lagging behind their European counterparts in terms of automation and digitalisation. • There are plenty of business opportunities that can be untapped through adequate digitalisation projects to become more competitive. 2: Basics of infrastructure needed for digital projects • Network Design and industrial-grade communications infrastructure are basics for a well planned and future-proof digital project. • Edge-first initiatives are a great way to start the digitalisation of the factory floor and scale up. 3: The Field System & its use cases • It grants access to edge analytics for better decision making and productivity. • Is a first step towards IIoT & Cloud enablement. 4: Benefits of digitalisation for manufacturers • Increased ability to see change in production processes • Increased process stability = better quality, faster produce • Tool life monitoring = downtime optimisation • Machine reliability = downtime optimisation • Reduction of Scrap and Waste = production cost centres reduced Polestar Industrial IT

We all have seen how after the 2019 outbreak, communication among coworkers has demonstrated to be tricky, especially with the uprise of virtual sessions. Having a team that doesn't work together well could slow down production and reduce your company's profitability. Hence, improving communication and collaboration with and within your teams is vital. You can follow some simple steps to improve collaboration in your factory. Encourage Feedback In terms of feedback, having an open-door policy has its share of pros and cons. Say, when an employee rises an issue to management about a peer, it may cause teamwork tension. However, an open-door policy facilitates and encourages feedback, so you can easily locate problems, bottlenecks or new opportunities within your business. Leverage workloads with IT & Tech Collaborative Cloud Apps have become intuitive, fun and efficient tools to make remote work and communications a lot easier. In industrial settings, nothing beats an industrial-grade platform when trying to get remote access to industrial control systems. With the right tool, you can create team workstations to bring in several expert eyes to solve commissioning problems, diagnose process status, and organise/start/stop productive schedules. You only need a platform that allows remote screen controls and a good communication app. Talking about communications, you need to choose an app that has got all the flexibility to work when, where and how it’s best for you. One that lets you easily chat, send audio and video clips, or join a huddle to talk things through live. The right communications app will connect your people, tools, customers and partners in a digital HQ, break down communication silos and bring teams together around common goals, projects and processes. Finally, you need to consider working with shared files. You may have noticed that PDFs are like silver coins these days, so working efficiently with them has become a necessity. For instance, you can choose some apps to allow your staff to edit and share these files instantly. Converting PPTs to PDF should also be something to consider. Bring recognition to your teams People appreciate positive feedback from their employers. In fact, one study showed that 80% of individuals appreciated it, and 65% want more of it. It can be challenging when two people with different views and who may be in different departments with different tastes come together for the greater good. Show your team you're thankful they came together for the company. Tell them how wonderful it is to see everyone get along. You could even go as far as to order them pizza or have a catered meal to celebrate their achievement. -Article co-created with Gloria Martinez from WomenLed.Org

Nottingham, UK (Hybrid & Flexible Work) What's the opportunity? Go prospect searching, bring legitimate sales qualified leads to sales meetings and develop those leads into quotable opportunities. Apply Here What will I be doing? Cold outreach to targets. Lead qualification, scheduling and attending lead development meetings. Feedback questions and requirements from prospects. Collate RFI/RFP requirements by clients for completion with the rest of the Polestar team. Attend conferences and networking and social events in various cities to build awareness with prospective clients and develop relationships with vendors. What are we looking for in you? Growth mindset: You will be driven to grow the business and your career within it. We expect you to be self-driven and to be eager to be out there winning new business. Outgoing: You're the one who makes friends with the person next to you in line for coffee. Curious: We're working with new technologies that solve age-old problems. You'll want to learn how it was done before, what we're doing that's different, and question why (and if!) the way we do it is better. Ability to convey complex cybersecurity and engineering topics in plain English. Caretaking spirit for the leads you generate- going all the way to being closed deals. Strong listening: Most of sales is not pushing a product. It's listening to what problems a client says they have, and coming up with a tailored, clear way to solve their personal problem. Optimistic: Selling can be hard but you will be able to bounce back and go into each opportunity fresh. Willingness to travel: You’ll be travelling to customer sites, conferences and expos. Work well with small teams: As with all tech companies, there's a flat organisation here. Be prepared to get stuck in. What can we offer you? Hybrid/flexible working: WFH or hot desk and collaborate in our purpose designed office. Career progression: We’re growing and we want you grow with us; we have a proven track record of nurturing and growing new talent Be a big part of a small team: Work collaboratively but also stand out and get noticed. Be heard and make an impact: you can influence what we do and how we do it. Variety, flexibility and creativity: We’re working at the cutting edge of technological change, so we’re agile, innovative and open to different ways of doing things. About Polestar Industrial IT We are Polestar Interactive Ltd., an UK-based IT Services company located in Nottingham, and specialising in Industrial Networking Environments, Cybersecurity & IoT. Established in 1997, we help companies to securely connect their machines, industrial systems and workforce, so that they can realise the business benefits of digitalisation. Apply for this Job Click on the link above to apply and send your submission. *Proof of eligibility to work in the United Kingdom is required. Polestar values diversity and is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity. Once the form has been completed, more details might be required regarding the application process.

Although gaming is something women, in general, tend not to enjoy or enrol in, this activity has become a massive industry with plenty of opportunities for anyone. The gaming industry is larger than films and music combined, getting close to advertising and marketing, yet few of us are likely to put our Fortnite playing achievements on our CVs. But why not? Businesses are waking up to the skills gamers can bring to the workplace. -Article co-created with NYMY Marketing & Growth Studio Even the military is hiring gamers. "The ability to assimilate information, react swiftly and coordinate actions whilst remaining calm under pressure are often attributes of people that are good at gaming", a Royal Air Force spokesperson tells the BBC. If you're playing EVE Online you basically already have an MBA. Often made fun of in gaming circles as a "spreadsheet simulator", the economy of the fictional Eve universe is driven by real market principles. If you want to build a new spaceship, the raw material has to be mined by another player. Manufacturing costs come into effect, and commodities fluctuate in price based on demand and haulage distance. According to Nielsen, gaming has taken over different media types, including Youtube, Twitch and Hitbox, and you're bound to see numerous live streamers playing video games live. These days, you can even build a career out of your love for video games -- and that’s just as true for women as it is for men. Here are some of the most exciting new options you have. Professional Gamer Most people do not understand how serious video game tournaments these days are. SteelSeries notes that professional gaming is perhaps one of the most complex career paths you can take, as being good enough in a game to enter international competitions doesn't happen overnight --it takes years of persistent practice. You will also need to invest in the necessary gear and put in time and effort to reach your professional goals. But once you manage to participate in an international competition, you'll find it incredibly fun and rewarding. Games Designer If you are a highly innovative person and keep coming up with new ideas to improve old games, constantly think of new characters, or of adventurous stories that can be applied to a video game plot, then the perfect career for you may be game designing. This job is ideal for anyone who understands the intricate aspects behind various video game genres and those who love to build up new characters and challenges. You'll likely need to take design courses or university lectures. That way, you get the basic knowledge and learn fundamental skills to develop new games. However, if you already have a fantastic video game idea, you can consider working with a game developer to create your title together right away. Don’t miss the chance! Video Editor Whether it is about editing the cutscenes of a forthcoming game or putting together promotional videos, every developer needs a good video editor. The good thing is you can also find plenty of work available in other industries! In fact, various online job platforms like Upwork are bursting at the seams with video editing services. Programmer Video games are frequently a gateway to an interest in computers and, more importantly, coding. For example, that's the theory behind University of Colorado Boulder computer science professor Alexander Repenning's easy-to-use, accessible Scalable Game Design curriculum, which encourages students to build a Frogger-like game and simultaneously learn coding fundamentals. Some gamers also call video games a "stepping stone" toward their coding career. Some start by looking up cheat codes online. When they find a webpage that contained those codes, they realise that computers are like libraries where you could get anything you wanted. This innate curiosity led people to wonder how computer programs worked. If you're good at video game programming, you might as well enjoy web development, coding computers, software, different electronic devices and hardware. This job implies working with a design team to understand and figure out the nuts and bolts of the overall project, ensuring that the game plays well and is smooth for consumers. Careers in IT From Basement to Boardroom, gamers are poised to become the next generation of tech leaders. A desire to constantly improve, for instance, optimising gameplay "to be more efficient"—is a trait found invaluable when coding. There are always new techniques and software that can be learned to improve your coding ability. Those who play video or computer games are amassing valuable skills with real-world applications. The Federation of American Scientists touted video games as a way to help people develop sophisticated skills needed in the workforce. The success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem-solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change. As a gamer, your brain has these imaginary skill-lines and abilities to absorb knowledge and adapt to new situations, which makes you a highly valuable IT employee. On the other end of the scale, games can teach us (among other things) other languages and mathematical skills, very much needed in the IT industry. Having been trained to make quick decisions on the fly, you are no stranger to taking charge of the situation when needed or backing off when it is more than you can chew. Gamers will know how to strategize better, be able to make sound judgments quicker, and react accordingly to varying circumstances. Streamer If you'd love to become a renowned personality just by playing video games you enjoy, then streaming and streaming marketing is probably the ideal career path for you. You'll need to get top-notch streaming devices and learn how to create high-quality videos. In a Nutshell Games are now more popular than ever, so it's only given that gaming career options have become more numerous and credible for women too. In 2020, women accounted for nearly 41% of all gamers in the United States. And in Asia, which accounts for 48% of the world’s total gaming revenue, women now make up 40-45% of the Asian gaming population, according to Google and Niko Partners. Female gamers are on the rise, and numerous studies have sought to understand if female gamers have specific motivations and gameplay behaviours. Some country-based studies reveal that gaming motivations do differ cross-culturally across genders. In addition to escapism, French female gamers look for competition or to challenge themselves, while French males look to games for coping with stress and for achieving success through competition. A study of Taiwanese gamers reveals females play for achievement and social reasons, while males play to pass the time. In America, it seems female gamers play for achievement and social reasons, to engage socially and maintain relationships. Regarding game playing, a recent study shows that female gamers play all types of game genres (especially popular online games) using different devices and platforms. So don’t miss out on this trend. Find your passion and apply your skills to develop a career! Whether you plan to compete, stream, develop, or program, you can make a name for yourself and become incredibly good at your job with continual practice and patience.

To answer some of the most common questions regarding automation in UK manufacturing, FANUC hosted its second Manufacturing, Automation, and Digital Transformation Open House. Taking place at its state-of-the-art UK headquarters between the 01st and the 05th of November 2021, the event was open to the UK industry to understand how automation improves productivity across manufacturing. At the Open House, FANUC displayed a number of demonstrations and hosted different industry debates for manufacturers to attend. One of these was our IoT Edge in a Box system demo. Have you ever thought of getting all of your machinery and field devices data in a single place? Don’t you want to try to also plug them onto an IIoT service to access advanced analytics and management apps? With our IoT Edge in a Box solution, you can secure all your machinery and field device data in one place. See below a brief video of what the IoT Edge in a Box consists of and a display of some of FANUC's Apps available through the FIELD System platform. FIELD System With this system and the apps, you can target improvements in productivity, quality and efficiency. Also, through our Industrial Networking Services, we can help you to securely and efficiently connect entire production lines to the FIELD System, stream data in real-time, and collaborate in improving plant performance. FIELD system allows users to connect any production machine or device, regardless of brand or generation - in a single, unified and powerful system. It grants manufacturers secure Edge access to their production data, and Cloud access to hundreds of third-party apps, tailored to every management need. Learn more at https://www.polestarinteractive.com/field-system-fanuc-iiot Recent figures suggest that UK automation is falling behind other leading manufacturing countries, impacting the industry's ability to keep pace in terms of productivity. To illustrate the point: there are just 71 industrial robots per 10,000 workers in the UK, positioning it behind 14 other European countries. In contrast, Germany has 309 units, contributing to a production rate that is 30% higher per hour than the UK's. Tom Bouchier comments: “Many in UK manufacturing remain suspicious of automation, with a common misconception being that it equates to a high up-front cost. However, automation solutions are accessible to everyone – from family-run subcontracting businesses to multi-national organisations. FANUC’s inaugural Open House showcase a range of technologies, seeking to address this misunderstanding within the UK industry, and highlight how turning to automation can drive significant and tangible productivity.” One area of automation which was demonstrated at the event was collaborative robotics (cobots). With built-in sensors and vision systems, cobots are capable of working alongside human operators in a variety of different operations. Check out in the video below some of the most impressive robots and industrial apps that we found at FANUC's Open House 2021. Cobots Cobots are already in use in a number of processes in the UK, across a range of industries. Three distinct models were exhibited at the Open House, including the CR-35iA, which is the only cobot in the world with a 35kg payload. FANUC’s production equipment series: the ROBODRILL, ROBOSHOT, and ROBOCUT, were also displayed, offering visitors the chance to see these state-of-the-art machines in action. The ROBODRILL – a compact yet powerful 5-axis drilling machine – was represented by the α-D21MiA with Mechatronic iTend machine-tending solution, alongside the α-D21LiB5 complete with DDR Tl-iB additional axis control. To highlight how automating injection moulding can drive further productivity gains, FANUC displayed α-S50iA injection moulding ROBOSHOT as part of a Hi-Tech Automation pick-and-place-to-conveyor application. The ROBOCUT wire-cutting machine exhibits will be an aerospace application for precision machining on the C-400iB. The C -600iB and C -800iB will also be showcased. FANUC’s & Partners' software offering was also exhibited, including the ROBOGUIDE software, Zero Downtime (ZDT) technology, and the newly launched (in the UK) FIELD (FANUC Intelligent Edge Link & Drive) system, which is being implemented by Polestar Industrial IT. There was also a team of experts on hand that talk visitors through how these various pieces of technology can improve factory productivity, highlighting how the manufacturing process can be optimised. Open House Event Agenda Monday and Friday provided guests with open opportunities to explore the facility and engage with those exhibiting. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday featured a series of themed talks, panel discussions and interviews tackling UK manufacturing’s most pressing challenges, with some of the leading lights in British Industry: Tuesday –The automation outlook for UK manufacturers Wednesday – Training & Education Thursday – Digital transformation & IIoT Watch below Polestar's Panel Discussion on Automation and Connectivity, and our Presentation on Industrial IT, Industrial IoT and how they drive efficiency gains in manufacturing. Panel Discussion VIDEO Presentation VIDEO #ManufacturingHour #ukmfg #manufacturing #robots #industrialautomation #automation

Nottingham, UK (Hybrid & Flexible Work) What's the opportunity? Not available yet, but we are thinking about it. As a growing company, we regularly have new openings,. We encourage interested job-seekers to check our careers page frequently to ensure you don’t miss an opportunity to join our fantastic team. What will I be doing? We have some ideas, but we are not 100% sure yet. Check our careers site to find out more about our most recent openings. What are we looking for in you? Curious: We're working with new technologies that solve age-old problems. You'll want to learn how it was done before, what we're doing that's different, and question why (and if!) the way we do it is better. Ability to convey complex cybersecurity and engineering topics in plain English. Strong listening: Most of sales is not pushing a product. It's listening to what problems a client says they have, and coming up with a tailored, clear way to solve their personal problem. Optimistic: Selling can be hard but you will be able to bounce back and go into each opportunity fresh. Work well with small teams: As with all tech companies, there's a flat organisation here. Be prepared to get stuck in. What can we offer you? Hybrid/flexible working: WFH or hot desk and collaborate in our purpose designed office. Career progression: We’re growing and we want you grow with us; we have a proven track record of nurturing and growing new talent. Be a big part of a small team: Work collaboratively but also stand out and get noticed. Be heard and make an impact: You can influence what we do and how we do it. Variety, flexibility and creativity: We’re working at the cutting edge of technological change, so we’re agile, innovative and open to different ways of doing things. About Polestar Industrial IT We are Polestar Interactive Ltd., an UK-based IT Services company located in Nottingham, and specialising in Industrial Networking Environments, Cybersecurity & IoT. Established in 1997, we help companies to securely connect their machines, industrial systems and workforce, so that they can realise the business benefits of digitalisation. Apply *Proof of eligibility to work in the United Kingdom is required. Polestar values diversity and is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity. Once the form has been completed, more details might be required regarding the application process.

Although we recognise the influential work of women like Hedy Lamarr, Annie Easley, Susan Kare and many others and the ways it has helped to improve our lives through technology, we acknowledge that there is still a significant gap to fill with more women playing key roles in the technology and IT industries. At Polestar we want to promote the fascinating opportunities that are available to women and young girls in the technology sector, and what better way of doing so than launching this mini-series on #WomenInTech. ALD (Ada Lovelace Day, the second Tuesday of October each year) is an international celebration of the achievements of women in technology, engineering, science and maths (STEM). Its goal is to create new role models to encourage more girls into STEM careers, and support women already working in these fields. Today, we want to talk about how we can get more women working in the tech industry, especially given the current skills shortage in IT. The current stats aren’t particularly optimistic, suggesting that only 1 in 6 tech specialists in the UK are women and only 1 in 10 are IT leaders. So why don’t women work in tech and how can we change this? Where does the challenge start for girls? The challenges start in education: women tend not to choose STEM subjects or aren’t encouraged to. In many ways, these choices could be seen as the natural consequence of stereotypes and cultural representations of the IT working environment, which is depicted as a male-dominated space where women only occupy marginal roles. Not only is there a lack of positive cultural representations of women in tech, but there’s also a real shortage of contemporary, real-life female role models for women to aspire to. Perhaps the most famous female in tech – Ada Lovelace – was born over 200 years ago. And the rest? We usually do not hear about them. What needs to change in the industry? Firstly, we need to increase awareness about what working in technology involves and the myriad of opportunities it affords. Jobs in IT can be in design, implementation, sales, project management, data analysis, user experience, programming, security and many others. Secondly, we need to increase access to technology careers by offering alternative entry routes or by removing barriers for entry. At Polestar we’re really keen on growing our own talent through apprenticeships, we rarely require candidates to have an IT degree and are happy to consider candidates who are self-taught. We’re also committed to creating environments that attract women and allow them to progress such as offering flexible working. Thirdly, we need to increase visible role models and break down stereotypes – women who work in tech DO NEED to shout a bit louder. That’s the sole reason we’re producing this series of short videos about our own experience as Women in Tech. Finally, we need to help women reach their full potential in the industry – half the senior management positions at Polestar are held by women; and as we grow, we’d love to continue to attract and nurture female talent. We recognize that our business won’t flourish if half the population is under-represented and that encouraging diversity can only be good for business. Watch the video where our CFO and HR Manager, Dr. Jacinda Read, speaks about the challenges faced by women in the technology sector. Learn more about some of our favourite women in tech of all times! Ada Lovelace. 1815 – 1852. An English writer and mathematician, known for her work on Charles Babbage's mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to acknowledge the machine's applications beyond pure calculation, and to publish the first algorithm to be used by such machine. She is often regarded as the first programmer. Hedy Lamarr. 1914 – 2000. An Austrian inventor, film producer and actress. Hedy co-invented the first version of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication, originally intended for torpedo navigation, and used today at the core of many communications systems, including the GSM, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth systems. Annie Easley. 1933 – 2011. An US computer scientist, rocket scientist and mathematician. She worked for the Lewis Research Center of NASA. A leading member of the team that developed software for the Centaur rocket stage. A crater on the moon was named after Easley by the IAU. She is also well known for encouraging women to enter STEM fields. Susan Kare. 1954 - Today. An US artist and graphic designer. Building on the UI inspired by Adele Goldberg's team, Susan is developed some of Apple's signature graphics with the idea that these should be easily readable symbols, correlating to real-world objects. This resulted in the Apple clock, the pointer finger, the trash can, and more. Other more-recent women we also admire: Jasmine Anteunis | Chief Product Officer at SAP | Artist, self-taught UX Designer and coder. Susan Wojcicki | CEO of YouTube | MBA & BA in History/Literature. Kate Crawford | Senior Principal Researcher at USC & Research Professor | Ex-Microsoft Reseacher | Journalist and co-founder of the AI Now Institute (NYU). Dr. Fei-Fei Li | Co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute | BA in Physics and PhD in Computer Science. Aishwarya Srinivasan | AI & ML Innovation Leader at IBM | LinkedIn Top Voice 2020 | Data and Computer Scientist. Kerensa Jennings | BT Group Senior Adviser, Digital Impact | Masters in Literature & Theatre. Some interesting links: Women in tech statistics and hard truths. On the impostor syndrome and why you deserve to be where you are. More advice for women in tech.

-Article co-created with Gloria Martinez from WomenLed.Org When it comes to industrial operations, you can always be more careful. As an Operations Manager, you’ve put in the work right from the start: creating an operations strategy, aligning teams, develop, implement, and maintain quality assurance protocols, measure efficiency and create strategies to improve it, optimise your budget... the list goes on. You may even be planning to move closer to your main plant, or create camping sites in each facility you manage to keep track of everything! Now you’ve got to get through one more hurdle: handling data security and system resilience. Why? Because manufacturing businesses are, unfortunately, especially susceptible to cyberattacks, and they’re also the ones most likely to suffer setbacks. In a Deloitte study, titled Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, 40% of manufacturing firms experienced a cyberattack in the last year. Out of those, 38% lost over US$1 million in damages. Another interesting fact... according to Cybercrime Magazine, 60% of small businesses that experience an attack of this nature close their doors for good within six months of the incident. You’ve gotten this far down the operations management journey, so don’t let this become a reality for your business! Read on for some words of comfort from Polestar Industrial IT in your journey towards a more secure data environment for your manufacturing business. 4 Recommendations to Prevent and Manage Data Breaches and Cyberattacks 1. People: The weakest link It’s an accepted truth in Cybersecurity that people are the most vulnerable link of an organisation. People are gullible, and this means one of two things: either you need to invest in training all people in your organisation who are at risk of exposing your network, or you automate your network security. A combination of both is most recommended. Invest in Cybersecurity training and phishing awareness so that even your most internet-disconnected employees will know how to spot a phishing scam. You may also be susceptible to an attack from a former (disgruntled) employee. You quickly need to determine how to lock down your systems to outside attackers, including investing in identity and access management tools so you can remove unauthorised access from all systems. 2. Invest in networking and endpoint protection tools Even if your people are the best at reporting phishing attempts and are skilled at spotting social engineering, hackers may still get into your system through brute-force style attacks on the network. You should make sure your security posture is as robust as possible; invest in technology that can keep you safe (like Secure-by-Design Networks, NGFW firewalls, Secure Remote Access Platforms, and Antivirus Software). 3. Have a Disaster Recovery Plan in place One of the biggest and most important ways to ensure the continuity of your operations after a data breach is to have a disaster recovery (DR) strategy in place. If you’re hit with a cyberattack, you will want to recover your data and return to full operational capacity as quickly as possible, so before it happens, creating (and testing!) a plan is critical. Just make sure it’s affordable, secure, flexible, and easy to implement (and that you test it on a regular basis - if you don’t test the emergency plan, it’s useless). 4. In the event of an attack… If you have Cybersecurity Policies and Training in place, a Secure-by-Design Network, Cybersecurity systems in place, and a Disaster Recovery strategy, the fallout from any potential data breach will be exponentially lessened. But you will still have a small percentage of probability of being subject to a cyberattack. Intruders are in constant evolution. In the event of an actual incident in which your information is accessed or stolen, Security Magazine suggests proceeding as it follows: ● Assess the impact of the attack and what is affected ● Don’t act immediately. Think before you react ● Don’t shut off the impacted computers ● Disclose the attack to your users Another suggestion from Polestar... contact experts on cyberattack Management and Remediation, even before you access your data backups. Post-event steps include also the promulgation within the organisation of all learned lessons. Management’s response can either contain or escalate an incident. In fact, a poor response can create a larger crisis. Active and coordinated responses to incidents limit lost time, resources, customers, damage to reputation and the costs of recovery. Operation Managers, IT Directors and Security Architects must be prepared to communicate, across all channels, including social media, assuring stakeholders that the organisation’s response is of equal impact to the attack. The Conclusion The most important thing to remember is that your business can recover, but it’s going to take time. Investing in establishing policies and implementing tools that can stop-mitigate cyberattacks before they happen is the best way to reduce risks and prevent such situations. A resilient organisation aims to minimise the impact of an incident while quickly restoring operations, credibility, and security. Rapid detection of cyber incidents and well-structured recovery plans can usually limit the damage. Recovery plans should designate clear roles, responsibilities, and actions to mitigate damage and reduce future risk, remediate the situation, and return to normal operations. #Cybersecurity #BusinessResilience #ManufacturingResilience

FANUC UK has announced Polestar Interactive as the first strategic network and systems integration partner for its IIoT platform, FIELD system. Since October 2021, FANUC’s FIELD system Industrial IoT (IIoT) platform will be made available through Polestar's IIoT services in the UK and Europe. The Manufacturer recently highlighted how Polestar will be crucial for the FIELD system to operate on high availability and resilience. FIELD system implementation in the UK will be a matter of a few hours, and that is possible thanks to Polestar's specialisation in bridging the gap between enterprise IT and OT teams and systems through the design and implementation of secure network architectures. Read The Manufacturer's article about Polestar IIoT & FANUC's partnership here: UK Manufacturers can soon access the best-in-class Edge IIoT System. Secure Industrial Networking: The Core of IIoT & Digital Transformation Julian Smith, CEO of Polestar IIT, mentions that the partnership between FANUC and Polestar will empower industrial organisations in the UK and Europe using the FIELD system IIoT platform to improve the effectiveness and security of their operations and attain excellence in their manufacturing processes. "Picture manual tasks like data collection and machinery inspection in your factory being automated, centralised and made available to virtually anyone you want. Can you see the possibilities for Manufacturers? " Julian further adds that, although the FIELD system is a powerful platform by itself, manufacturers first need to prepare the connectivity in their plants, so communications between systems are performed properly and securely. There is where an IIoT Network Integrator like Polestar enter to play a key role. And that key role is not only about connecting things to each other. Is also helping manufacturers realise that operational efficiencies through traditional cost-cutting strategies provide only marginal returns. Digital Transformation is about the significant change taking place in the way things are manufactured and delivered, is about moving towards Industrial Automation and Smart Factories. To stay competitive, manufacturers must leverage their digitalisation through IIoT and Resilient Industrial Networks to take full advantage of their production and customer data, and become exponentially agile and efficient. As an example, one of Ericsson’s factories in Tallinn implemented an augmented reality troubleshooting model to reduce the average time of fault detection, improve workers ergonomics, and promote faster information sharing, boosting productivity by up to 50%. While some industries have embraced digital transformation by automating many processes using CNC, robotics, and other software-based automation, secure network connectivity empowers production by making industrial automation possible on a much larger scale. Secure and Resilient Industrial Networks create indeed a digital foundation through IIoT and Industrial IT. Digital transformation at any company will depend on the successful adoption of new technologies. To accelerate smart manufacturing, create digital twins of machines and operations, or improve factory automation and real-time control of equipment and tasks, proper data highways (Industrial Networks) are needed. IIoT and Industrial IT help make processes less wasteful, production lines more flexible, smart machines have better data access, managers better informed, factories more efficient, and productivity higher. IIoT World mentions how the convergence of IT and OT systems and teams through the formulation of comprehensive IIoT, IT and Operational Strategies could help any factory, regardless of its size and production volume, to begin its digital transformation journey. They continue: "IIoT it’s about connecting people and processes, and bringing together digital and physical systems to achieve better business results. It blurs the line between vendor and customer roles and across systems and silos, of both database and human varieties." Many industrial companies have recently cited a lack of interest in IoT as a blocker for funding digital transformation initiatives. This is related to a lack of knowledge in facility operators on what “IoT”, or in this case IIoT, means. Deep down, they are looking for ways to reduce unplanned downtime and increase productivity. To IIoT or not to IIoT? Why is that still a Question? Not all factories that are transforming their operations digitally are using IIoT yet. Most companies start with a traditional Operational Technology (OT) solution, such as a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software, to simply connect machinery, PLCs, and HMIs; control industrial processes locally; and monitor, gather, and analyse real-time data. For this, you do need a basic networking system, but it is not necessary to connect to the Internet. Industrial IoT (IIoT) is the part of Digital Transformation focused on performance monitoring in processes, equipment and machines across the Internet. If there are no proper Networks creating safe, fast and resilient connections to the Internet and other systems, there is no IIoT, and digital transformation and its efficiency benefits get restricted to a few manual tasks being eliminated by the favours of simple/isolated CNC machinery. An IIoT solution for monitoring the performance and condition of equipment can use the same data backhaul infrastructure as an existing SCADA system, but many more sensors must be fitted on the equipment through Fieldbus or wireless transmitters and a more resilient and secure networking infrastructure. To achieve exponential efficiencies, it is not enough to control machinery through a simple connection to OT. Nowadays it is key to use Edge, Cloud, and Internet-based technologies to connect machinery and OT to Enterprise and IT systems (OT/IT Convergence). These currently operate through the Internet along with thousands of Apps that help manufacturers to access advanced analytics and improve their processes, automation, data sharing, and, above all, their productivity and Cyber Security. This is where the Industrial Internet of Things comes to play. Plants that do implement IIoT-based solutions have additional advantages over their competitors. To name just a few, companies with reduced numbers of certain experts at their plants (E.g. valve experts, category III or IV vibration experts, analysers, or steam trap experts) can optimise their access to these professionals through IIoT solutions of the likes of a Secure Remote Access system. Other companies can instrument equipment in their plants (E.g. Compressors, fans, blowers, pumps, cooling towers, heat exchangers, or steam traps) with sensors sending data into Cloud systems or Apps, using virtual machines to monitoring equipment 24/7. The possibilities are endless. Oliver Selby – Business Development Manager at FANUC UK, adds: "The FIELD system provides industrial organisations with a fast, powerful environment in which to store and analyse their production data. We are pleased that Polestar has joined us as the first Network Integration partner in the UK to support our platform users in the UK and EMEA, helping them to reach optimal manufacturing operations". Read The Manufacturer's article about Polestar IIoT & FANUC's partnership here: UK Manufacturers can soon access the best-in-class Edge IIoT System. FIELD System FIELD system (FANUC Intelligent Edge Link & Drive System) is an IIoT platform that improves efficiency and productivity across all manufacturing processes. From numerical control processing to preventive maintenance, all your production data can be accessed and analysed both locally and in the cloud for agile decision making. Besides connecting all manufacturing devices & systems, the FIELD System also allows third-party applications and converters for devices, enhancing centralised management of equipment, vendors and data, as well as data sharing on the factory floor and across geographically dispersed plants. Watch this Case Study: FIELD system applied in 3 metal manufacturing plants dispersed in Europe: Through developer apps, users of the FIELD system will quickly add advanced analytics, prognostic capabilities, and new operational functions to their existing production data and processes. #IndustrialIT #IIoT #Press #FIELDSystem #IIoTPlatform #IoTService