Become a true IT/OT Insider!
For those who are working where IT meets OT.
For those who want to master the language, the frameworks, the architectures.
By practitioners, for practitioners.
Next cohort starts September 18
Early bird offer ends July 24
Let’s be honest…
We’ve all been talking about Industry 4.0 for over a decade now, but the dirty secret is: we still don’t know how to scale beyond those first two flashy pilots, let alone cooperate between IT and OT.
The IT/OT Academy was created in 2025 for exactly this moment. A live online course. Built by practitioners, for practitioners and already followed by 100 students during our first year.
Our next cohort kicks off on September 18, and we’ve rebuilt the programme based on four rounds of feedback.
The biggest change is what we cut. We used to spend real time on theory in the live sessions. Now that’s handled upfront via recorded videos to review before each session. That means that the live time goes entirely to deep-dives, Q&A, real-world examples, and, importantly, networking and peer knowledge-sharing. We’ve also added a completely new session where we live-map architectural typicals together (more on that below), and because not every question fits into a group setting, every participant now gets a complimentary 1-hour private session with David.
Whether you’re working in a factory, designing a solution, or advising clients: you’ll finally get the frameworks and vocabulary to bridge the gap (and it’s made it the way we wished we were trained: short, to the point and brutally real 😉 )
Your teachers: David and Willem
Trusted by end users from:
Is the IT/OT Academy for me?
I’m in IT
You feel it. That cultural wall. The silence when you propose a new solution. The meetings where “we cant risk shutting down production” get thrown around.
You want to…
- Speak the OT language and earn trust on the plant floor,
- Lead digital projects that actually land,
- Future-proof your career with OT fluency,
- Understand how you can translate OT requests into your IT architecture.
I’m in OT or Operations
You’re drowning in buzzwords but starving for a clear roadmap. You know your systems. But Cloud? Designing a UNS? Building data pipelines? You’re not sure where to begin.
You want to…
- Design a modern data architecture to use data to improve operations, beyond just gut feel,
- Understand when a UNS makes sense (and when it doesn’t),
- Cooperate with IT as a partner
I’m a Technology Vendor
Your team builds great tech. But in the boardroom, the CIO loves your cloud pitch while the plant manager rolls their eyes.
You want to…
- Design products that serve both domains
- Communicate value in the right language
- Be seen as a trusted advisor
- Be able to identify the right champions and decision makers earlier
- Network with peers and end-users
I’m an SI or Consultant
Your clients are navigating the IT/OT maze and they expect you to guide them. But too often, the strategy feels fuzzy and the delivery fragile.
You want to…
- Structure IT/OT projects with confidence.
- Avoid cultural clashes and deliver lasting results.
- Earn credibility with a certificate and real-world tools.
- Extend your network
Next live-online cohort starts September 18
Trusted by technology vendors, consultants and system integrators from:
Top reasons why our first 100 participants joined
Understand the other side
This is the most shared feedback. IT want to understand OT challenges and OT want to understand IT. Our Academy puts both of you in the same room and that results in very interesting discussions.
Learn from peers
People want to know how other companies are solving the same problems, not what a vendor recommends. Peer learning from different industries is a massive driver.
Make better decisions
Many attendees are moving into or already working in architecture and leadership roles. They got our frameworks for buy vs build, data architecture, platform choices, organisational decisions and more.
Understand why projects fail
Ownership issues, governance gaps, IT/OT conflicts, local vs global tensions… these themes come up repeatedly. Participants want to understand and act on the root causes, not just the symptoms.
What participants from previous groups had to say:
Stepping into a new role in the IT/OT space, the IT/OT Academy was a fantastic experience to quickly get into the subject and understand the complexities in this area. It covered both the technological, organisational and human aspects when two different worlds meet. The content was well-structured and practical. The wealth of experience from the instructors, guest speakers, and participants was impressive and provided a great learning opportunity!
The IT/OT Academy is a great resource for people who are trying to solve problems and build solutions in the real world overlap between IT and OT organisations and technologies. Refreshingly free from buzzwords and vendor hype it is by practitioners and for practitioners.
We worked on a real-life use case of a company facing operational inefficiencies, which made the exercise feel relevant and hands-on. I especially valued the opportunity to collaborate with people from different industries and roles — from OT to IT — and to hear their perspectives. It really highlighted how complex OT/IT cooperation can be, with multiple steps and stakeholders involved in driving a successful project.
What an experience! Packed with inspiring insights and lively interaction with many other participants, we were guided through the topic of bridging the gap between IT and OT in interactive sessions and practical experience reports. I can highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn more about Industry 4.0, digitalization in a production context, and IT/OT integration. I am looking forward to what probably comes next!
P.S.: Now I am well prepared to do more than just start my own cookie factory 🙂
Next live-online cohort starts September 18
What you get
✅ 11 hours remote live instructor-led learning
✅ 1 hour private session with David to discuss your problems
✅ Full session recordings delivered the next day
✅ Slide decks, worksheets and a lot of bonus resources
✅ Network and Interact with us, peers and industry experts
Become a true IT/OT Insider: Our Program
Session 1 (2h)
Understand + Cooperate
Why IT and OT see the world so differently, and what to do about it. We start by getting to know each other and the industries in the room, then move into the divergence trap, the CIO–COO disconnect, and IT/OT cooperation: how do you actually engineer an organisation that can handle this complexity?
Session 2 (2h)
Data Platform Architectures & UNS
Data architectures, data modelling, and the Unified Namespace. Historian vs broker (or do you need both?). Time series vs events (or do you need both?). Plus the technical and organisational blockers that get in the way of scaling.
Session 3 (2h)
Architectural Typicals
A highly interactive session where we live draw architectural typicals for different industries and needs, pull apart diagrams from well-known vendors, and use our capability map to find their strengths and weaknesses.
Session 4 (3h)
Sweet Harmony Treats Case Study
Meet your playground: Sweet Harmony Treats, a large industrial bakery known for dangerously delicious waffles. You’ll step into both IT and OT shoes to digitise their operations without breaking what already works: analysing challenges, mapping opportunities, and co-creating an architecture and digital roadmap with your cohort. The first two hours are group work, the last hour is feedback.
Session 5 (2h)
Practitioner Panel + Q&A
Experienced industry leaders join to share how they’ve actually applied these principles under real pressure: what organisational models look like when it counts, what DataOps really looks like on the factory floor. Space to network, challenge ideas, and connect directly with people shaping this space. And even better, you get access to all previous practitioner panels as well!
Private Session (1h)
Ask David Anything
An on-demand, 1-hour slot with David to work through your specific questions and problems: technical, organizational or just personal career coaching.
Book your seat
Group 4
Kick-off: May 22
🕐 14:00 – 16:00 CET / 08AM – 10AM EST
🗓 Sessions: May 22, 29 – June 5, 12, 19 – July 3
Regular Price: €1390 / $1585
Registration Closed
Group 5
Kick-off: September 18
🕐 14:00 – 16:00 CET / 08AM – 10AM EST
🗓 Sessions: Sept 18, 25 – Oct 2, 9, 16
+ Private session with David
Regular Price: €1390 / $1585
Early Bird Price: €995 / $1160
Offer Ends July 24 !
(early bird pricing only for online payments)
Future Groups
Waiting List 2027
Can’t make it this year? We already have a waiting list for 2027.
What you get:
✅ 11 hours of focused remote live instructor-led learning
✅ 1 hour private session with David to discuss your own architectures, organizational challenges, personal growth and more
✅ Full session recordings delivered the next day in case you had to miss a session or want to review
✅ A network of peers and industry experts to keep leaning on after the cohort ends
✅ + Slide decks, extra masterclasses, worksheets, and a stack of bonus resources
✅ + Complementary access to the recordings of all previous guest sessions
Need more than one seat?
Bulk discounts are available: 3+1, 6+2 or 9+3!
VAT (where applicable) is not included – All dates are subject to change – Our T&C apply
Don’t just take our word for it!
We had the pleasure to welcome 100 students in our 4 public groups and more than 200 self-paced learners in our private Academies.
Their rating: ⭐ 9.0 out of 10 ⭐
We also asked about the most important benefits. Their answer:
Shared mental models,
Better communication across domains,
Better decision making,
Faster career growth,
Networking with likeminded people,
Increased confidence
I recently completed the IT/OT Academy, and it was an incredible experience. Collaborating with engineers and automation experts on real-world challenges game me fresh insights that directly shaped my recent talk on overcoming data silos and driving digital transformation. Big thanks to David and Willem for creating such a valuable space to learn and connect. Highly recommend!
I recently attended the ITOT.Academy cohort with David Ariens and Willem van Lammeren. I can highly recommend this to anyone wanting learn more about better collaboration between IT and OT teams in the Manufacturing space. Thank you for a great course and looking forward to new courses hopefully in the near future.
The Industrial Platform Capability Map referenced in the blog and put together by David Ariens and the team at The IT/OT Insider is a great framework for thinking about deploying an enterprise ready solution. [..] Trying to solve these one at a time may seen intuitive but leads to an unmanageable mess of software applications and custom code piecing together what should be an enterprise platform that scales.
What sets the ITOT.Academy apart is the way professionals from different industries and varying levels of maturity openly share their experiences, creating practical insights I can use in my own journey to drive IT/OT convergence.
FAQ
Do I get a certificate?
Yes, you get a certificate of completion at the end of the program if you followed a minimum of 4 sessions live.
(and we have planned for something really cool to send in your direction – this is not going to be your average certificate…)
Do I need to have your book?
The Academy and The IT/OT Handbook go hand in hand, but you don’t need to have bought (or read) the book before the Academy starts. In the Academy we take time to go deeper in topics around architectures and cooperation, things we can’t do in the book. There are multiple exercises and ample time for networking amongst peers.
How can I attend the sessions?
You will receive a link to the video conferencing system before each session.
We use Zoom for the sessions (which we also record so you can replay it) and Miro for the interactive parts
Do we get bulk discounts?
Yes!
Buy 3, 4 or 5 seats and get 1 seat for free
Buy 6, 7 or 8 seats and get 2 seats for free
Buy 9 or 10 seats and get 3 seats for free
Need more than 13 seats?
Get a custom quote or book a private cohort!
Why should my company sponsor this training?
Because the return is bigger than just one employee learning new buzzwords.
When someone goes through the IT/OT Academy, your organization gains:
-
Fewer failed pilots – we help your people see beyond proof-of-concepts and actually land projects that scale.
-
Stronger collaboration across silos – your IT and OT teams stop talking past each other and start pulling in the same direction.
-
In-house expertise you can trust – instead of leaning endlessly on consultants, you build lasting capabilities inside your own team.
In short, sponsoring this training means your next Industry 4.0/Digital Manufacturing/Innovation… initiative has a far better shot at delivering real business value.
What are the dates and times of the previous groups?
Group 1 (fully booked)
Kick-off: August 29
Ideal for Europe/Asian time zones
🕐 13:00 – 15:00 CET / 16:30 – 18:30 IST
🗓 29 Aug · 5 Sep · 12 Sep · 19 Sep · 3 Oct · 10 Oct
Group 2 (fully booked)
Kick-off: September 5
Ideal for North and South American time zones
🕐 2PM – 4PM EST / 11AM – 1PM PDT
🗓 Sept 5 · Sept 12 · Sept 19 · Oct 3 · Oct 10 · Oct 17
What happens if I cannot make it to one of the sessions?
Every session is recorded and you will receive the recording and the courseware afterwards.
Do I get an invoice?
Yes, you will get a VAT invoice or a normal receipt after payment.
I need to go through purchasing first, can I get a quote?
Yes, you can request a quote via the order page or reach out directly to us via academy@itotinsider.com
Can I book this training on behalf of someone else?
Yes, you can book the training using your own name, drop us a mail at academy@itotinsider.com with the name and email address of the person who is actually following the academy
Are refunds possible?
If you have read our small print, you’ll notice that we don’t do refunds.
Why? Because once the training has started, you have access to all materials.
However, if you would be unexpectedly unavailable at the time of your cohort, we can move you into another cohort taking place now or in the future.
Do you also offer an e-learning?
No. The value is really in the interaction, the networking, the questions, the groupwork.
If you want to learn by yourself, we recommend you to take a look to our IT/OT Handbook first!
However, all sessions are recorded and are sent to you in case you can’t make it.
Meet Your Instructors: David and Willem
David Ariens – Data scientist turned digital transformation architect. Expert in industrial cybersecurity, MES/MOM, and OT data platforms. Loves the human factor, but is passionate about tech.
Willem van Lammeren – Chemical engineer with a love for IT. Experienced across OT, ERP, and infrastructure. Passionate about bridging strategy and execution.
Together, they host The IT/OT Insider: a podcast and blog, they also wrote The IT/OT Handbook. Now, they’re bringing their insights live to your screen.