Over the last several years, it has become a beloved tradition to start the new blog year with a review of the most popular content the team at Software Toolbox put together to build your automation software skills and empower your success. This is the 8th installment of this blog summary covering a wide variety of topics. But first things first: make sure you are subscribed to our blog. We publish new content at least once a week, and you have full control over the frequency of when you are notified.
Happy New Year and Happy Continued Learning!
Let's Talk!
Before we begin, let's hear it for our Software Toolbox colleagues who've been on the road to come talk with you! Not only within the US but we also travelled to multiple countries in Europe and Africa to find out more about your customers interests and issues and to talk about solutions to help achieve your goals. We also attended various university events to help educate the next generations of automation professionals. At 20+ Summits, Conferences, Open Houses, Webinars and Events we had conversations with over 1000 people!
Your Favorite Blogs
These are the top 5 most popular blogs of 2024. If another blog is your favorite, let us know!
The Blog Series of 2024
In addition to our regular technical and product updates, in 2024 we delivered to you - our readers - three separate themed blog series! And according to the stats, they were a big hit with you so we will continue these in 2025 and / or be adding new series.
Environmental Sustainability
This series looked at how you can incorporate aspects of a circular economy to positively impact your work environment.
The Summer of IoT
This series explored how our IoT solutions can help you achieve even greater success with your Industry 4.0 and Digital Transformation initiatives.
The Data Storage Deep Dive
This series explored the crucial role of data storage solutions and Historians in industrial automation. Over several weeks we looked into the Software Toolbox Solutions that can be utilized with Historians including DataHub, TOP Server, OmniServer, and OPC Router.
New Solutions and Product Improvements
In the last year, we regularly added product updates and new product releases to our Solutions Portfolio. Review what you might have missed here:
- DataHub V11- Version 11 of Cogent DataHub has a better security model, provides an enhanced WebView HMI experience, and connects to a wider range of data historians, along with updates and enhancements for MQTT and the Cogent DataHub service for Microsoft Azure. Learn More about DataHub V11.
- OPC Server Remote Configuration Client - This new Software Toolbox solution allows you to manage all your TOP Server and KEPServerEX instances remotely, making configuration changes with ease via a secure and easy-to-use implementation. With the audit trail feature, enabled optionally by administrators, the OPC Server Remote Config will track and log all edits, providing a comprehensive record of user actions and modification history. Explore the benefits of the OPC Server Remote Config and how to use it.
- OPC Router - Web management capabilities were introduced to OPC Router with the release of version 5. OPC Router also added PostgreSQL support, JSON transformation, and advanced features like MQTT topic browsing, cloud file access, and OpenTelemetry monitoring. Enhanced security, performance improvements for InfluxDB, and user role management further streamlined its scalability and interoperability. Learn More about OPC Router.
Popular Product Training Resources
Need to know more about Software Toolbox products in general? Here are some useful links!
New White Papers
Throughout the year we create White Papers in which we examine selected topics to provide you with background information and expert knowledge. If there is a topic you require more information about, let
me know!
Product Specific Resources
TOP Server
DataHub
OPC Router
OmniServer
Developer's Corner
Security First
I hope you found this summary useful. If you do and want to keep informed about what is happening with and around software Toolbox in the future, make sure to subscribe to our blog. If you have questions, please let me know.