Challenge:To provide the advanced flexibility in production envisioned for future automation systems, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), as one of their main building blocks, also need to become more flexible. Support the application development with a technology platform to enable them deploying a set of core micro-services augmented with other customer-specific micro-services to support specific implementations.
 
Obstacles to overcome:Develop an architecture for a multi-purpose controller that is inspired by the virtualization trend in cloud systems which moves from heavyweight virtual machines to lightweight containers solutions such as LXC or Docker.
 
Solution:Docker containers are a natural fit when deploying to the cloud. Major service providers have platforms targeted at running applications deployed in this manner in a controlled and definable fashion. They provide services to define and deploy application stacks through declarative code.
 
Advantages: 
Flexible deployment of software technologies
Increasing the degree of equipment standardization
Driving differentiation through software