Connected Operations: Architecting What's Next
A Workshop on Operational Connectivity, Industrial Automation, Visibility & Security, hosted at the Future Technologies Living Lab.
What to expect
The next generation of operational technology is already taking shape. Automation, connected workers, intelligent video, edge applications, AI-enabled systems and increasingly mobile operations are creating new opportunities across manufacturing, warehouse and distribution, and large-format retail environments. But enabling those outcomes requires more than adding another network or deploying another technology. It requires an architecture.
Join Future Technologies Venture, LLC, Ericsson, and leading ecosystem partners at Future Tech's headquarters and Living Lab in metro-Atlanta for an interactive executive workshop exploring how organizations can build the connectivity foundation for what comes next. Together, we'll examine how Private & Public Cellular, Neutral Host, Wireless WAN, edge and operational devices, and security can work as complementary layers of a broader Operational Connectivity Architecture. Through live demonstrations, expert perspectives and peer discussion, we'll explore the questions leaders should be asking before their next technology investment, and the market trends and best practices that can help turn individual projects into a scalable operational strategy.
The questions we'll discuss
Rather than spending the day telling you what technology to buy, we're bringing together customers and subject matter experts to discuss three questions:
What should you be thinking about as your operation becomes more connected?
As new automation, devices, cameras, workers and applications come online, what does the underlying architecture need to support? We'll discuss mobility, coverage, reliability, security, scalability and how private and public networks can complement your existing infrastructure.
What are leading organizations doing, and what are we learning in the field?
Future Technologies and our ecosystem partners will share the trends, architecture decisions, deployment practices and lessons we're seeing across operational environments today. The goal is to separate what is simply new from what is proving useful.
Where does security belong in the architecture?
Not as an afterthought. We'll explore device visibility, OT visibility, security monitoring, segmentation, access control, device management and governance, and how organizations can build greater visibility and control as more operational assets become connected.
Don't Just Talk About the Architecture, Experience It.
The Future Technologies Living Lab brings Operational Connectivity Architecture to life. During a guided tour, attendees will explore our NOC, data center, indoor tower training facility and live industrial use case demonstrations to see how individual technologies work together to support operational outcomes. For manufacturing and warehouse & distribution environments specifically, the architecture framework maps Living Lab demonstrations across Private Cellular, Cellular Wireless WAN, LAN/Wi-Fi and OT infrastructure, Edge & Operational Devices, and Operational Visibility & Control.
See live examples of connectivity, operational devices, cameras, edge infrastructure and security working across an integrated environment, including use cases running on our in-house Ericsson Enterprise 5G network.
Because the goal isn't simply to see a technology work, it's to understand where it fits.
The Living Lab is managed by Chief Innovation Officer Gary Hill, who brings more than 35 years of experience designing, integrating, and securing complex industrial networks. Having led transformative technology programs at Georgia-Pacific and now architecting Future Technologies' advanced Living Lab environment, Gary understands both how modern connectivity strategies can unlock significant operational value, and how they can unintentionally introduce risk, cost, or performance bottlenecks if not rigorously validated.
A specialist in private 4G/5G, LAN/FAN/WAN integration, OT/IT convergence, cloud-edge architectures, cybersecurity, and edge AI, Gary helps customers de-risk decisions by recreating real-world network conditions through structured testing, proofs of concept, and field-ready validation. His technical depth and process-first approach empower industrial leaders to confidently navigate rapidly evolving connectivity technologies while protecting uptime and security.
The day, at a glance
Connected Operations Are Not Built On A Single Technology
They require multiple layers working together to connect workers and assets, extend connectivity throughout the operation, support the devices and applications generating operational data, and provide the visibility, security and control needed to manage the environment. Future Technologies organizes this challenge around four interconnected domains:
Operational Communications
Connecting workers, operational assets and workflows through technologies such as Private Cellular and Neutral Host.
Distributed Connectivity & Transport
Extending connectivity across facilities, sites, vehicles and distributed infrastructure through technologies such as Cellular Wireless WAN.
Operational Infrastructure
Providing the networking, edge devices, cameras and physical infrastructure that connected operations depend on.
Operational Visibility & Control
Creating the visibility, cybersecurity, management and orchestration layer needed to operate the environment effectively.
The objective isn't to deploy every technology. It's to determine which layers your operational outcomes require, and design them to work together.
Register Now
Seats are limited for this executive workshop at the Living Lab.
Seats are limited. Your registration must be validated. Please allow 2 business days for validation.
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