Ep. 231 - Travis Cox on Ignition 8.3 | ICC 2025 Highlights and the Future of Industrial Software

ICC 2025 was a clear level up for the Ignition community. In this conversation Vlad and Dave share on the ground insights from a week of packed sessions, vendor showcases, and ProveIt demonstrations that brought working integrations to life. They unpack why the move to a larger venue created more chances for deep technical conversations, how the community benefited from hands on demos that connected to a shared data backbone, and what record attendance means for the growth of modern SCADA and manufacturing data platforms. The episode then shifts into a focused discussion with Travis Cox from Inductive Automation on the launch of Ignition 8.3 and what it unlocks for builders who care about reliability, scale, and speed.

We discuss how 8.3’s configuration in the file system and the expanded REST API enable real version control and DevOps workflows in day to day projects. We explore practical AI opportunities through MCP servers that can safely expose context and operational data to large language models, with an emphasis on operator augmentation, faster troubleshooting, and responsible guardrails. We connect the dots between OT networking fundamentals and secure architectures by highlighting the growing need for segmentation, deterministic traffic, and resilient data movement. Throughout the episode we keep the focus on what matters in plants today clear outcomes for uptime, quality, and delivery rather than hype.

Whether you are an engineer, integrator, or an operations leader, this episode gives you an actionable snapshot of where Ignition and the broader ecosystem are heading. You will hear what the community is building, which 8.3 features are worth testing first, how ProveIt style showcases help end users evaluate technologies, and why investing in networking skills remains one of the highest ROI moves for manufacturers.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and ICC traditions with stickers and community shoutouts
01:25 What to expect today and why this episode includes a sit down with Travis
02:30 First impressions of ICC 2025 tracks vendor hall and ProveIt showcases
05:55 New Sacramento venue experience and why more space improved conversations
07:25 Walk up tickets record attendance and what that signals about growth
08:45 Why hands on ProveIt demos mattered for real integrations and learning
12:05 Ignition 8.3 launch and what we will cover in more depth later this month
13:25 AI themes across sessions and realistic use cases for builders and operators
16:20 Why OT networking education is now a must have skill set
18:05 DataOps and DevOps directions in Ignition 8.3 and what to trial first
23:10 Travis Cox joins with ICC takeaways and how community scale changes the game
28:35 Ignition 8.3 highlights configuration in files REST API and version control workflows

About the hosts
Vlad Romanov manufacturing modernization and data strategy consultant co host of Manufacturing Hub and founder of Joltek
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladromanov
Joltek https://www.joltek.com
Dave Griffith operations and digital transformation consultant co host of Manufacturing Hub
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegriffith23
Website https://dave-griffith.com

Guest
Travis Cox Chief Evangelist at Inductive Automation
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/traviscox-automation
Inductive Automation https://inductiveautomation.com

Episode references and resources
Ignition 8.3 What is new https://inductiveautomation.com/ignition/whatsnew
Ignition User Manual 8.3 docs and upgrade guidance https://www.docs.inductiveautomation.com
Download Ignition free trial https://inductiveautomation.com/downloads
Inductive University free Ignition training https://inductiveuniversity.com
ICC 2025 recap https://inductiveautomation.com/blog/icc-2025-recap-we-really-did-level-up-this-year

Control Global highlights from ICC 2025 https://www.controlglobal.com/industry-news/news/55321625/highlights-from-inductive-automations-2025-icc-build-a-thon-and-award-winners

ProveIt Conference official site https://www.proveitconference.com

ProveIt at ICC background https://inductiveautomation.com/blog/proveit-showcases-are-coming-to-icc-2025

Books and learning mentioned or implied in the discussion
Networking and cybersecurity training via Inductive University https://inductiveuniversity.com

Ignition 8.3 videos and feature overviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qds7RI9-hxg

Connect with Manufacturing Hub
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/manufacturing-hub/id1546805573

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1gE6glbxdYIfG6KUeOCz22

Call to action
If you attended ICC this year or tested Ignition 8.3 in your environment, share your lessons in the comments. Tell us which features you want us to deep dive next and what ProveIt demonstrations helped you make decisions in your own stack. Subscribe for weekly conversations with practitioners who build real systems in real factories.