November 18, 2015 – Bedrock Automation Introduces SIO4.E Ethernet I/O module that is cyber secure, software configurable for multiple protocols, and has EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, and OPC UA on TCP IP communications.
The SIO4.E Ethernet I/O module plugs into the Bedrock pinless electromagnetic backplane to receive Bedrock’s Black Fabric cyber security protection. Each of the module’s five I/O channels is independently software configurable. All channels also deliver Power over Ethernet (PoE).
Tightly coupling Ethernet into the process control and I/O network enables deployment of a wide range of edge device and enterprise data into real-time control logic, much in the same way an engineer incorporates more typical process sensor and actuator data. This results in real-time communication channels for the exchange of data between OT production and IT enterprise systems.
Ethernet is becoming widely adopted for open industrial control system (ICS) applications because it builds on proven, high-speed stacks that have been enhanced for use on industrial devices such as robots, PLCs, sensors, CNCs and other industrial machines. Bedrock secures Ethernet I/O in many ways, including by connecting the FIPS compliant anti-tamper SIO4.E I/O module on a pinless electromagnetic backplane, embedding authentication logic, true random number generation (TRNG) and cryptographic keys into the semiconductor hardware and by isolating information flow within each channel by way of separation kernel functionality in a secure real-time operating system (RTOS).
The SIO4.E Ethernet I/O module is available at a price of $2000.
