Discover what you can learn in Paessler's OT monitoring training

In April 2024 we completed our first OT training. All 6 out of 6 students said they would recommend the training to their friends and colleagues. This is a strong motivation for us to continue to improve. We have learned that OT is a topic not only of interest to OT professionals, but also to IT professionals who are either inheriting OT infrastructure or who will be working on OT projects. In this blog article, I would like to walk you through the learning objectives we cover in our newly released Paessler OT training. 

Who is this training for? 

The OT training we offer is designed for IT and OT professionals with previous PRTG experience. This includes understanding the core server, probes, creating groups, devices and sensors, as well as understanding notifications and data visualizations (libraries, reports, maps). 

If you lack this experience, we highly recommend attending our 1-day training to get you up to speed:
👉 Introduction to monitoring with Paessler PRTG

Upcoming Introduction to monitoring with Paessler PRTG training events

The training infrastructure

At Paessler Training Operations, our goal is to provide students with hands-on experience that they can then implement in their own or a customer's infrastructure. To achieve this, we use various target OT devices in our cloud-based training platform. Each student is assigned two virtual machines, one running PRTG and PRTG OPC UA Server, and the other running a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system powered by Ignition.

In addition, we use devices such as Ignition OPC UA Server, Beckhoff IPC, Mosquito Broker, Rittal CMC, Moxa Switch and Moxa Controller, and Orchestra to demonstrate monitoring using OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT, Orchestra, Rittal CMC, SNMP, and Rest API. 

The training agenda

We've organized the training into modules (some vendors call them chapters). We cover four modules, each packed with different OT topics to explore.

Training modules

Module 01: Introduction to OT network monitoring

In the first module, we briefly talk about network monitoring in the OT network, OT target devices and protocols, OT architecture, and we cover various OT terminologies such as OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus, and others.

Throughout the modules, we'll share Paessler success stories that demonstrate how we've helped companies monitor their OT infrastructure, minimize downtime, and reduce costs.

Module 02: OT Sensors

In the second module, we will unpack native PRTG sensors to monitor different OT targets. We start with OPC UA sensors and show how to monitor the health state of an OPC UA Server, how to monitor OPC UA certificates, and how to monitor custom values in the dairy industry. We wrap up OPC UA sensors by showing how to monitor a Beckhoff PLC machine using an OPC UA sensor.

Then we use Mosquito Broker to demonstrate three native MQTT sensors including MQTT Round Trip, MQTT Statistics, and MQTT Subscribe Custom sensors. We also use PowerShell scripts to generate MQTT messages and send them to Mosquito Broker. 

To demonstrate Modbus and Rittal CMC sensor, we use Rittal PDU and Rittal CMC alarm system, which are commonly found in IT/OT racks. We demonstrate how to monitor power sockets using Modbus registers and how to monitor the health of hardware components using Rittal CMC III Hardware Status sensor. 

Orchestra acts as a data hub or middleware in OT. In this module, we briefly cover two native Orchestra sensors for monitoring channel calls and processes.

We conclude the module by demonstrating how to monitor Moxa controllers and switches using SNMP and the Rest API. We will use the MIB file to monitor over five different values on the Moxa switch and the Rest API to monitor the license status on the Moxa controller.

Module 03: Notifications

Paessler PRTG has 14 different notification templates that can be used in both IT and OT environments. However, there are two notification templates dedicated to OT. These are "Send MQTT Publish Notification" and "Send OPC UA Notification". 

In this module, you will learn how to set up and test MQTT and OPC UA notifications.

Module 04: Integration with Paessler PRTG UA Server

In early 2024, Paessler PRTG OPC UA Server won a NED Innovation Award. For environments with OPC UA-based SCADA systems, tools like our Paessler PRTG OPC UA Server provide the bridge between network devices and OT.

We use PRTG OPC UA Server, PRTG and Ignition SCADA system to show how to stay on top of your OT alarms. According to the students, this was one of the most interesting topics of the training.

Who are the OT trainers?

Our OT trainers are OT professionals with extensive experience in both SMB and enterprise sectors.  They not only bring their expertise from the field, but have also contributed to the development of OT sensors and PRTG OPC UA Server. 

When is the next OT Training?

We plan to conduct four more scheduled OT training events. The next online OT training for the Americas is scheduled for June 11 (Eastern Standard Time) and July 9 (Central European Time) for EMEA. In addition, we will offer another online OT training event in the Americas on September 5 and in EMEA on December 4.

All scheduled training sessions will be conducted in English. 

If none of these dates work for you, or if you are looking for exclusive training for your IT/OT team, please reach out to us at training@paessler.com. 

I can't wait to see you at one of our exciting OT training sessions! 😊