Roy Hill to back IT-OT integration

Roy Hill has become the latest large Australian miner to look at bridging its information technology and operational technology (IT-OT) domains.

The Gina Rinehart-owned miner joins the likes of BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, and Gold Fields Australia in its adoption of IT-OT integration.

The miner will bring on an IT-OT engineer whose role will be to “manage and ensure optimal operation and availability of related IT/OT infrastructure across the technology infrastructure group’s supported services".

They will act as a “single point of ownership … for all site related IT/OT infrastructure issues” and “negotiate with vendors, outsourcers and support teams to implement and support IT-OT systems and services".

Earlier this year, Roy Hill revealed how IT and OT was beginning to interact at its mine; the company is the first user of a data science platform analysing sensor data from heavy mobile equipment (HME) and locomotives used to haul ore from pit to port.

BHP Billiton was the first of the big iron ore miners to set up a team to bridge IT and OT. It has since brought IT-OT to its coal operations on the east coast.

Rio Tinto was quick to follow with an initial recruitment drive aimed at security professionals for its IT-OT environment.

Gold Fields Australia in January became the first known miner to bring IT-OT into the gold domain.