Software Toolbox Technical Blog

Oil and gas is a complex, high-risk, high-reward industry affected by factors like operational challenges, frequent system configuration change, buying/selling of field assets, environmental risks, technological integration, highly variable demand and market-based pricing, and safety concerns. It involves high capital investment, complex distribution networks, and diverse regulatory requirements. With the ongoing shift towards digital transformation strategies and smart manufacturing revolving around Industry 4.0, companies must adapt while ensuring efficiency, profitability, and compliance.

In this blog I’ll talk about the challenges our clients in this space tell us they face, how our solutions address them, and share resources including success stories to learn more.

Each year, National Napping Day recognizes our need for rest the day following the return of daylight saving time, when many of us shift our clocks forward one hour. If you are one of the many who "sprang forward" this past Sunday, we hope you have been able to catch up on your rest over the past several days. Today, however, we’re going to talk about a different kind of "REST" and how it can help you spring forward in your OT/IT integration goals and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

From Canary to AVEVA CONNECT, many technologies include a RESTful interface that can be leveraged when other avenues are unavailable. In this blog, you’ll learn how you can take advantage of RESTful APIs to easily integrate systems that do not have a native way to interact with each other, resulting in a standardized, scalable, and secure way to exchange data between enterprise IT systems and industrial OT environments.

Now that we’ve proved it at the recent ProveIt! 2025 Conference, I want to give our technical teams a break from providing our usual deep technical content. They will be back next week for sure, but this week, I want to share what we are planning as 2025 moves forward in solutions, blog, services, events, and an important tech tip to wrap things up. 

First, don’t forget the valuable resources in one of the first blogs of this year “2025 Automation & Control Software Learning Resources” that delivered a summary of learning resources, recent product releases, and more.

Because we strive to keep this blog technical, we suggest you subscribe to blog notifications using the form at the right and follow us on LinkedIn to keep up to date with news around Software Toolbox all year round.

You can make more confident and informed decisions when you have accurate and relevant data to base those decisions on. Operational data is crucial because it enables you to track performance, quickly identify issues, and make decisions based on up-to-date information, resulting in enhanced efficiency and effectiveness.

With the Industry 4.0 hot topics of AI, Big Data, IoT, and countless others, many of the long-standing technologies that power many industries are left out of the limelight. For many users, OPC and SQL databases are well known and have been the basis for many simplified data collection projects for years. For others, there are still new and growing requirements to digitize data and interconnect a variety of sources into an easily accessible and manageable location. With Software Toolbox’s large variety of solutions we help both big and small companies alike meet their needs.

Last week Software Toolbox was one of the 39 vendors exhibiting and presenting at the ProveIt! Conference in Dallas (check out the other ones we'll be at). We hardly noticed the freezing cold Texas weather (yes, that's right, it was less than 10 degrees) as we had heated (constructive) discussions on and off the stage and exhibition floor. In this blog you'll learn what we proved, and get to see it in action in video!  Don't want to wait? Jump straight to the video!

A global beverage manufacturer sought to modernize its data workflows by integrating operational technology (OT) with enterprise systems. Specifically, they needed to transfer real-time data from their Rockwell Automation PLCs to their SAP system to automate workflows, enhance traceability, and streamline processes. The legacy setup relied on outdated communication methods, introducing inefficiencies and potential failure points. To overcome these challenges, the company required a robust, scalable, and future-ready solution.

This blog will give you an insight into how that solution became a reality and how they got there. Also, if you have not done so, please subscribe to our blogs to not miss out on similar topics.

There is nothing like talking to each other in person and establishing that individual connection

Do you get tons of invitations to various events and wonder “Why should I go? Is this worth my time? What’s in it for me?” Industry events are more than just get togethers of a bunch of salespeople; they’re opportunities to explore innovation, solve challenges, and connect with experts who understand the challenges you are facing. We bring actual technical experts who understand you and want to help you find the right solutions. Meet and engage with our team that you may have already emailed or had virtual meetings with – but this time in person! 

Although Cogent DataHub is best known for its wide range of connectivity interfaces, its intuitive design for configuring and using its features—both locally and remotely—is equally important for users like you.

Remote configuration has been a standout feature of Cogent DataHub since Version 9, enabling you to interact with a local DataHub instance running as a Windows service or remotely manage and configure any DataHub instance across your enterprise. And with security top of mind, the DataHub installs with Remote Configuration disabled by default, making it secure out-of-the-box. 

In this blog, you'll learn how to use DataHub's remote configuration tool so you can:

• Simplify configuration management across your organization by accessing multiple DataHub instances from one location.
• Avoid interruptions and enhance efficiency with the ability to make changes while the Windows service is running.
• Prevent unauthorized changes with a digitally signed one-click install over a secure TCP connection with flexible, user-configurable roles and permission sets.
• Speed up configuration with CSV Import support for OPC UA, OPC DA, Bridging, MQTT Client, Modbus and Local & External Historian.

Continue reading to learn how you can enable and set up DataHub Remote Configuration.