Welcome to Episode 4 of our special podcast series on Industrial DataOps. Today, we’re joined by Aron Semle, CTO at HighByte, to discuss how contextualized industrial data, Unified Namespace (UNS), and Edge AI are transforming IT/OT collaboration.
Aron has spent over 15 years working in industrial connectivity, starting his career at Kepware (later acquired by PTC) before joining HighByte in 2020. With a deep understanding of industrial data integration, he shares insights on why DataOps matters, what makes or breaks a data strategy, and how organizations can scale their industrial data initiatives.
Who is HighByte?
HighByte is focused on Industrial DataOps—helping companies connect, contextualize, and share industrial data at scale. The platform bridges the gap between OT and IT, ensuring that manufacturing data is structured, clean, and ready for enterprise systems.
Aron sums it up perfectly:
"We solved connectivity years ago, but we never put context around data. Industrial DataOps is about fixing that—so IT teams actually understand the data coming from OT systems."
This contextualization challenge is at the heart of Industrial DataOps, and it’s why companies are moving beyond simple connectivity toward structured, enterprise-ready industrial data.
What is Industrial DataOps?
Many organizations struggle with fragmented, unstructured data in manufacturing. Aron defines Industrial DataOps as:
An IT-driven discipline applied to OT
The process of structuring, transforming, and sharing industrial data
A bridge between factory systems and enterprise applications
Unlike traditional IT DataOps tools, Industrial DataOps must handle:
Unstructured, time-series data from OT systems
Multiple industrial protocols (OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus, etc.)
On-prem, edge, and cloud data architectures
In short, Industrial DataOps is not just about moving data—it’s about making it usable.
Mapping HighByte to the Industrial Data Platform Capability Model
In our podcast series, we’ve introduced the Industrial Data Platform Capability Map—a framework that helps organizations understand the building blocks of industrial data platforms.
Where Does HighByte Fit?
Connectivity → HighByte ingests data from PLC, SCADA, MES, historians, databases, and files.
Contextualization → HighByte’s core strength. It structures data into reusable models before sending it to IT.
Data Sharing → The platform delivers industrial data in IT-ready formats for BI tools, data lakes, and analytics platforms.
Storage, Analytics & Visualization → HighByte does not store data or provide analytics. Instead, it feeds high-quality data to existing enterprise tools.
Aron explains the reasoning behind this approach:
"If we started adding storage and visualization, we’d just compete with existing factory systems. Instead, we make sure they work better."
A Real-World Use Case: Detecting Stuck AGVs in Warehouses
One of HighByte’s customers—a global manufacturer with hundreds of warehouses—used Industrial DataOps to optimize autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs).
The Challenge:
The company used multiple AGV vendors, each with different protocols (Modbus, OPC UA, MQTT).
Some AGVs would get stuck in corners, causing downtime and inefficiencies.
Operators had no way to detect when an AGV was stuck across multiple sites.
The Solution:
HighByte created a standardized data model for AGVs across all sites.
The platform unified AGV data from different vendors and protocols.
AWS Lambda functions processed AGV data in real-time to detect and alert operators.
The Results:
Operators received real-time alerts when AGVs got stuck.
Downtime was minimized, improving warehouse efficiency.
The solution was scalable across all sites, reducing integration costs.
Below is another example of the power of Industrial DataOps, in this case at their customer Gousto:
Unified Namespace (UNS): Buzzword or Game-Changer?
The concept of Unified Namespace (UNS) has exploded in popularity, but what does it actually mean?
According to Aron:
"A lot of people think of UNS as just MQTT and a broker, but it’s more than that. It’s a logical way to structure and contextualize industrial data—making it accessible across IT and OT."
Aron warns against over-engineering UNS:
"If you spend six months defining the perfect UNS model, but no one uses it, what did you actually achieve?"
Instead, he recommends a use-case-driven approach, where UNS evolves organically as new applications require structured data.
Scaling DataOps: What Makes or Breaks a Data Strategy?
Aron has seen countless industrial data projects, and he knows what works—and what doesn’t.
Signs of a Failing Data Strategy:
🚩 IT wants to push all factory data to the cloud without defining use cases.
🚩 OT ignores IT and builds custom, local integrations that don’t scale.
🚩 No executive sponsorship to drive alignment across teams.
What Works?
✅ IT and OT collaboration—creating a DataOps team that manages data models and flows.
✅ Use-case-driven approach—focusing on practical business outcomes rather than just moving data.
✅ Scalable architecture—ensuring that data pipelines can expand over time without major rework.
Aron summarizes:
"If IT and OT aren’t working together, your data strategy is doomed. The best companies build cross-functional teams that manage data, not just technology."
Edge AI: The Next Big Thing?
While most AI in manufacturing has focused on cloud-based analytics, Aron believes Edge AI will change the game—especially for real-time operator assistance.
What is Edge AI?
AI models run locally on edge devices, rather than in the cloud.
Reduces latency, data transfer costs, and security risks.
Ideal for operator support, real-time recommendations, and process optimization.
Early Use Cases:
Operator guidance—Providing real-time suggestions to improve efficiency.
Process optimization—AI-driven adjustments to production settings.
Fault detection—Identifying anomalies at the edge before failures occur.
While AI isn’t ready for fully closed-loop automation yet, Aron sees huge potential for AI-driven insights to help human operators make better decisions.
Final Thoughts & What’s Next?
We had an amazing discussion with Aron Semle, who shared insights on Industrial DataOps, UNS, Edge AI, and scaling industrial data strategies.
If you’re interested in learning more about HighByte, check out their website: www.highbyte.com.
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🚀 See you in the next episode!
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The IT/OT Insider. This content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be seen as an endorsement by The IT/OT Insider of any products, services, or strategies discussed. We encourage our readers and listeners to consider the information presented and make their own informed decisions.
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