Communication infrastructure: the foundation of operational reliability.
In modern industrial installations, PLCs, SCADA systems, sensors, actuators, drives and safety systems all communicate via networks. A poorly designed, unsecured or inadequately sized communication infrastructure is a major source of operational incidents, production losses and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Network architecture is no longer an afterthought — it is a core engineering subject from project inception.
AUTOM Technologies designs, deploys and qualifies industrial communication networks for demanding applications: process industries, nuclear facilities, shipboard systems, critical infrastructure. We master both field-level protocols (PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, AS-i) and Ethernet-level protocols (PROFINET, Modbus TCP/IP, EtherNet/IP, OPC-UA), as well as high-availability redundancy technologies (MRP, HSR, PRP).
Our network design approach
Architecture design and network planning
We design multi-level industrial network architectures: field level (sensors/actuators), control level (PLCs, drives), supervision level (SCADA, historians) and enterprise level (ERP, IT). Each level is clearly separated by demilitarised zones (DMZ) and firewalls, in compliance with the IEC 62443 defence-in-depth principle. Network planning includes bandwidth calculation, latency analysis, redundancy sizing and switch/router selection.
High-availability redundancy (MRP / HSR / PRP)
Critical applications (nuclear, Oil & Gas, naval) require network architectures guaranteeing continuity of service in the event of a link or switch failure. We design and implement high-availability ring networks using MRP (Media Redundancy Protocol, switchover <200ms), and HSR (High-Availability Seamless Redundancy) or PRP (Parallel Redundancy Protocol) topologies for zero-switchover-time applications. These technologies are deployed on equipment from Siemens SCALANCE, Hirschmann and Moxa.
Network security and cybersecurity (OT)
OT (Operational Technology) network security is a discipline in its own right, governed by the IEC 62443 standard. We carry out OT network security audits, implement segmentation between IT and OT domains, deploy industrial firewalls (Fortinet FortiGate, Cisco) and configure network monitoring solutions (Claroty, Nozomi). Our interventions include the drafting of a network security policy adapted to industrial constraints.
Protocols and technologies mastered
- PROFINET / PROFIBUS — Siemens industrial Ethernet and field bus
- Modbus TCP/IP / RTU — Universal industrial communication protocol
- EtherNet/IP — Industrial Ethernet for Rockwell / Allen-Bradley systems
- OPC-UA (IEC 62541) — Standardised, secure machine-to-machine communication
- MRP / HSR / PRP — High-availability Ethernet redundancy protocols
- IEC 62443 — Cybersecurity standard for industrial automation and control systems
Representative project
HSR/PRP high-availability network — Nuclear installation
Design and deployment of an HSR high-availability communication network for a nuclear research installation: dual-ring topology with zero switchover time, Siemens SCALANCE X-series switches, OPC-UA server for SCADA integration, RCC-E qualification documentation and cybersecurity configuration in compliance with ANSSI recommendations.
Do you have an industrial networks project?
Whether you need to design a new network architecture, upgrade an existing infrastructure, improve its reliability or secure it against cyber threats, our specialists bring the expertise to make your communications infrastructure a strength, not a vulnerability.
Why choose AUTOM Technologies for your industrial network project?
Industrial network design is a discipline that sits at the intersection of OT engineering, IT security and operational reliability. AUTOM Technologies brings all three together. Our network engineers are certified on the leading industrial platforms — Siemens SCALANCE, Hirschmann and Moxa — and trained in IEC 62443 security-by-design principles. We architect networks for the most demanding availability requirements, using HSR and PRP redundancy protocols to achieve sub-millisecond failover with no perceptible interruption to production. For IT/OT convergence projects, we implement DMZ architectures with deep packet inspection firewalls and unidirectional gateways, protecting your process from cyber threats without compromising data accessibility. Every network we design is fully documented, including physical topology diagrams, IP address plans, VLAN tables and security policy definitions.