Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise adds PROFINET to boost IT-OT unity
PROFINET is recognised as a widely adopted industrial protocol, enabling real-time and deterministic communication between components such as sensors, controllers, and central systems within factories and critical infrastructure. The protocol is a key enabler in sectors such as factory automation, transportation, energy, and utilities, where low latency and high reliability are essential.
The introduction of PROFINET support allows native operation over industrial Ethernet, eliminating the need for external gateways. According to the company, this reduces the complexity often seen in managing hybrid IT and operational technology (OT) networks. Customers are expected to benefit from a unified and converged infrastructure, with centralised policy enforcement and management via the OmniVista platform.
The new capabilities also offer high availability, which is necessary for always-on, mission-critical operations. Furthermore, the update facilitates a smoother progression to Industry 4.0, allowing for simultaneous support of both industrial and enterprise protocols within the same network infrastructure.
IT-OT convergence
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has described this update as being in line with its ongoing vision for IT-OT convergence, aiming to deliver an architecture—supported by OmniFabric—that reliably and securely links people, applications, objects, and business processes. "With PROFINET support now available on the OmniSwitch 6465 Industrial Ethernet Switch, ALE enables industrial networks to benefit from enterprise-class switches with centralized management, advanced segmentation, security and real-time visibility," Henrique Amaro, Business Line Manager Network - Transportation, Energy & Utilities at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, stated.
The company stated that the addition of PROFINET into its industrial switch range is intended to strengthen its position in serving industrial and critical infrastructure sectors. Such sectors include smart manufacturing, automated railways, intelligent energy grids, and urban mobility systems, all of which are increasingly looking to combine IT and OT assets for enhanced operational efficiency.
Sector needs
The announcement highlights a broader trend among industrial operators towards greater integration of IT and OT. The new software aims to provide ALE customers with the ability to manage complex, mixed environments through a single management interface, enabling adherence to both enterprise and operational requirements.
Customers should be able to implement policy controls centrally, ensuring compliance and improving both oversight and standardisation across different systems and processes. In sectors where downtime or data loss can lead to significant disruptions, the high-availability features of the AOS 8.10R3 update are expected to be particularly relevant.
Positioning for modernization
By bringing PROFINET support to its portfolio and aligning with industry standards, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise continues its emphasis on providing secure networking and communication solutions to organisations that are pursuing greater digitalisation and operational efficiency in demanding environments.
All ALE solutions are designed with built-in security, minimal environmental impact, and full compliance with national data sovereignty regulations and international industry standards for data protection. Guided by its three core pillars—environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance—ALE delivers technology that benefits the environment, people, and businesses alike.
With over a century of innovation, ALE has earned the trust of more than one million customers globally. Headquartered in France and supported by a network of 3,400 business partners, the company combines worldwide reach with strong local presence.
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