IoTConnect connects industrial plant data to Azure IoT Operations through FTOptix, OPC UA and MQTT, enabling operations monitoring. - [Implementation time: 120 Minutes]
The application enables industrial plant data to be securely, standardizedly, and scalably transferred to the cloud, making it possible to leverage analytics, artificial intelligence, and enterprise applications without relying on proprietary integrations. Azure IoT Operations acts as an edge data platform that connects industrial assets through OPC UA and MQTT, while FactoryTalk Optix provides visualization, monitoring, and access to operational data.
Open and Standards-Based Architecture - Uses industry-standard protocols such as OPC UA and MQTT, reducing dependency on proprietary integrations. Facilitates interoperability between equipment from multiple vendors and existing automation systems.
Secure OT-to-Cloud Connectivity - Provides a secure framework for transferring operational data from industrial assets to Azure. Supports modern cybersecurity strategies by implementing standardized communication and centralized data governance.
Scalability and Flexibility - Architecture can scale from a single production line to multiple plants across the enterprise.Edge and cloud components can be expanded as operational requirements grow.
Accelerated Digital Transformation - Creates a foundation for advanced use cases including: Predictive maintenance, Energy optimization, AI-driven recommendations, Operational anomaly detection and Digital twins.
OT and IT Convergence - Aligns with the ISA-95 framework, enabling structured integration between industrial operations and enterprise systems. Improves visibility across production, maintenance, quality, and business functions.
Real-Time Operational Intelligence - FactoryTalk Optix enables real-time visualization and monitoring. Azure services provide advanced analytics and AI capabilities using operational data collected from the plant floor.
Reduced Integration Complexity - Eliminates the need for multiple custom point-to-point integrations. Provides a more maintainable and future-ready data architecture.
Azure-Centric Ecosystem - The architecture delivers maximum value when organizations adopt Microsoft Azure services. Companies with significant investments in other cloud providers may require additional integration efforts.
Dependence on Network Infrastructure - Reliable connectivity between OT, Edge, and Cloud environments is required. Network latency, bandwidth limitations, or connectivity interruptions may affect cloud-based use cases.
Data Readiness Requirements - Successful analytics and AI initiatives require high-quality, contextualized operational data. Organizations with inconsistent tag structures, poor data governance, or outdated instrumentation may need preparatory work.
Skills and Organizational Readiness - Requires expertise across OT, networking, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, and data analytics. Change management and workforce enablement may be necessary to maximize benefits.
Initial Deployment Complexity - Integration across automation systems, historians, enterprise applications, and cloud services may require detailed architecture planning and phased implementation.
Additional Cloud Operational Costs - Ongoing expenses may include cloud storage, data processing, AI services, and network bandwidth. Costs increase as data volume and analytics workloads grow.
Higher Cybersecurity Responsibility - While the platform enables secure architectures, organizations must actively manage identities, certificates, access control, monitoring, and compliance requirements.
Potential Return-on-Investment Timeline - Benefits from AI, predictive analytics, and optimization initiatives may take time to materialize, particularly when large-scale data preparation is required.
Increased Architectural Complexity - Compared with traditional on-premise architectures, the introduction of Edge, Cloud, AI, and enterprise integration layers creates more components to manage.
Dependence on Digital Maturity - Organizations with limited OT/IT integration maturity may not immediately realize the full value of the platform until processes, governance, and data management practices are improved.
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Is this application relevant to me?
This version provides a foundation for accelerating the development of a software solution that will centralize production data, capture process information, and enable its consumption by enterprise applications in Azure. The captured data can be used for:
Energy optimization
Failure prediction
Operational anomaly detection
AI-driven operational recommendations
The adaptive cloud architecture from Rockwell Automation and Microsoft connects industrial equipment and OT systems with edge technologies such as Azure IoT Operations and FactoryTalk Optix, enabling operational data to be securely collected, contextualized, and transferred to the cloud. This facilitates advanced analytics, real-time intelligence, and AI-powered applications, creating a more secure, scalable, and integrated operation. The objective is to evolve from traditional siloed architectures toward a unified ecosystem where OT, IT, Edge, Cloud, and AI converge to drive digital transformation and operational excellence.
The architecture integrates industrial automation systems with IT platforms using the ISA-95 model as a reference framework. Through FactoryTalk Optix, Azure IoT Operations, and cloud services, data flows from field devices and PLCs to enterprise applications and AI tools.
This approach enables a more connected, scalable, and intelligent operation, supporting use cases such as real-time monitoring, advanced analytics, digital twins, and enterprise-wide process optimization. By bridging OT and IT environments, organizations can unlock greater operational visibility, faster decision-making, and enhanced business outcomes.
connect-processes-with-azure-iot-operations_Factorytalk Optix + Microsoft Adaptive Cloud Approach Architecture_2
How can I make it work?
Requirements: products, tools, prior knowledge.
Hardware
ASEM 6300B-JB1 Compact Box PC 6300B-JB1AAB-CCCAN-BNNN
Allen-Bradley ControlLogix L8 Controller
Software
FactoryTalk Optix Studio Version 1.7.4
FactoryTalk Optix Runtime Version 1.7.4
Azure IoT Operations Version 1.4
Prior Knowledge
Basic knowledge of installation, configuration and integration in:
The sample FactoryTalk Optix Application in this repository contains the key components required to publish data from a control system to Azure IoT Operations. The sample application contains:
A sample PLC program for Allen-Bradley L8 ControlLogix
Ethernet/IP Communication Driver
Application certificate
OPC UA Server
Graphical User Interface
Read data from PLC
Manual tag write (for when no PLC is connected)
Note: The application certificate used by the application will need to be regenerated to match your computer name.
Alternatively, follow the steps outlined below to manually create a FactoryTalk Optix application that contains OPC UA data and make it available as an OPC UA Server for use with Azure IoT Operations.
Use FactoryTalk Optix Studio to create a FactoryTalk Optix application.
Add Communication Driver(s) to read control system data.
Use the RAEtherNet/IP Driver to connect to a Rockwell Automation controller.
Use the Settings → Create certificate menu to create an application certificate for the FactoryTalk Optix server. This certificate will be used to authenticate the Optix OPC UA Server with Azure IoT Operations.
Set the Server certificate file and Server private key file properties to use the FactortyTalk Optix certificate.
Use the Nodes to publish property to create a Configuration to publish a subset of nodes or leave blank to publish all nodes.
Set the Endpoint URL property to use computer name or IP address so that it is accessible from the AIO box.
Set the Use node path in NodeIds property to True to use fully qualified tag names when configuring tags in AIO. Setting this to true will ensure the OPC UA tag names use the user-friendly format of ns=<namespace>;s=Path.To.Node instead of having to specify the node id guid.
Tip: The node address for OPC UA tags can be seen in FactoryTalk Optix Studio.
Alternatively, you can use an OPC UA client such as UAExpert to browse the FactoryTalk Optix OPC UA Server to get the address configuration for the tags.
A tag's node id should use the format: nsu=<Optix_Application_Name>;s=Path.To.Node e.g. where the Optix application is named aio_optix1 and a tag named Variable1 has been created in folder named AIOTags, which is a child of the Model folder: nsu=AIO_optix2;s=AIO_optix2.Model.AIOTags.Variable2
Connect Processes with Azure IoT Operations
Version 1.0 - August 2026
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