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Find answers to common questions about HighByte Intelligence Hub.
Industrial DataOps is a category of software that addresses the evolving data architecture requirements of industrial companies as they digitally transform. Industrial DataOps solutions perform data contextualization, standardization, and provide secure data flow to consuming applications at the Edge, on-premises, or in the Cloud. HighByte helped establish this category in 2019 and continues to evangelize it as a foundational building block for digital transformation and Industrial AI. Unlike general-purpose ETL tools or integration platforms, Industrial DataOps software is purpose-built for the complexity of operational technology (OT) data sources, volumes, and structures.
HighByte Intelligence Hub provides more than 40 native connectors for comprehensive industrial data integration. These connection types include the following:
Most connectors offer bi-directional data flow, supporting edge-to-edge, edge-to-cloud, cloud-to-edge, and cloud-to-cloud use cases. The platform ingests 100% of data from external sources—HighByte does not generate the source data. Visit the Connections webpage for more information and a complete list.
No. HighByte Intelligence Hub intentionally does not store or analyze data. HighByte is focused on agnostic data operations—collecting, modeling, and streaming data to third-party applications that your organization already has in place—or plans to deploy—to analyze, consume, visualize, and generate insights.
The Intelligence Hub includes built-in data quality management features such as model validation, filters, data lineage tracking, Pipeline Replay, Pipeline Debug, store-and-forward capabilities, redundancy, and High Availability options.
Yes. The Intelligence Hub enables users to group, transform, and standardize data into use-case-driven payloads and standardize these datasets across the enterprise from unique site systems. You can homogenize data from various hardware vendors and standardize data organization across multiple sites.
Central Hub allows a single Intelligence Hub instance to serve as a unified interface for configuring and managing data across multiple distributed hubs — particularly useful in multi-facility environments. Administrators can log into the central hub and easily switch between hubs to configure and monitor individual hub activity, compare configurations for differences, and synchronize models, connections, or complete projects between hubs.
These are three core product components that work together in the Intelligence Hub.
HighByte Intelligence Hub provides the foundational data infrastructure for Industrial AI by contextualizing and preparing data for AI agents and ML models. The Intelligence Hub makes data actionable for AI use cases through embedded MCP Services. This includes both an MCP Server and an MCP Client. The MCP Server makes it possible to expose pipelines as 'tools' that AI agents can invoke. An AI agent can request real-time or historical data from connected industrial systems, execute pipelines to perform operations such as creating a maintenance work order or changing a setpoint, and access summarized context across multiple sites. The MCP Client allows the Intelligence Hub to connect to third-party MCP Servers in other applications present in a user’s data infrastructure, affording visibility over the data that AI systems are accessing.
Yes. The Intelligence Hub leverages Generative AI to accelerate data operations processes. AI capabilities include auto-mapping of Instances from pre-existing namespaces and an in-app Pipeline AI Agent that can summarize, build, and edit pipelines in the Intelligence Hub. These features significantly reduce the manual work and learning curve required to make progress in data contextualization projects.
A Unified Namespace is a consolidated, abstracted structure by which all business applications can consume real-time industrial data in a consistent manner. While UNS is not a software or technology, HighByte Intelligence Hub includes several capabilities that make it an excellent solution to support UNS architectures. The UNS Client in the Intelligence Hub provides visualization of the UNS, allowing users to view the contents of any MQTT broker. The embedded MQTT Broker allows users to publish and subscribe from connections within the hub, as well as external MQTT clients. Namespaces in the Intelligence Hub allow users to organize datasets and their relationships, providing a design and governance approach to UNS implementations.
No. MQTT is a common transport for UNS implementations, but it is not a prerequisite. The Intelligence Hub’s Namespaces component provides a hierarchical, design-driven approach to UNS that supports any combination of transports, including MQTT, REST, OPC UA, and direct Cloud connectors. The Intelligence Hub also includes an embedded MQTT Broker and a UNS Client for visualizing data on any third-party broker, so customers can choose the architecture that fits their needs.
Both. HighByte Intelligence Hub is designed to serve both Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) personas through a single, codeless interface. OT engineers benefit from native connectivity to industrial protocols and configuration that requires no scripting. IT professionals, data engineers, and solution architects benefit from data modeling, governance, security features, REST APIs, and observability that align with enterprise standards. Role-based access control in the product allows organizations to delegate responsibilities appropriately between teams.
The Intelligence Hub is typically an on-premises application deployed at the edge. It can run on lightweight hardware platforms, including single-board computers, industrial switches, IoT gateways, and industrial data servers. It can be deployed as an individual software installation or Docker image. Containerization has become an increasingly popular approach in the last five years. Some customers choose to deploy the Intelligence Hub in their own cloud tenant.
Implementation time varies on the use case(s), complexity of connected systems, security requirements, and number of sites involved in the original rollout. On average, an initial implementation takes 3 months to go live in production.
No. The Intelligence Hub provides a code-free configuration experience designed for both OT and IT users, offering a simple UI for managing and troubleshooting connections, building data models, and creating pipelines. For users who want to use code, the Intelligence Hub provides optional code surfaces where JavaScript, JSONata, and Apache FreeMarker can be used to support configuration. These code surfaces are well-documented and available as a means of extending further value from the code-free UI in the product.
Minimum hardware requirements are a 1.4 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 1 GB of available disk space, and TCP network capability. Actual hardware needs will vary based on project configuration. Supported operating systems include Windows 8/10/11, Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022, Linux, and macOS. The runtime requires Java SE 25 or later (OpenJDK is recommended). The Intelligence Hub is configured through any modern browser at the default address http://localhost:45245.
Yes. HighByte distributes an x86_64 Docker image based on Alpine Linux with OpenJDK. The image is shipped as a tar file that can be loaded into any Docker host, and Docker volumes are recommended for persisting configuration between updates. Customers requiring ARM64 or other CPU architectures can build their own image from the installer. The container exposes the configuration port, the internal MQTT broker port, and the HTTP server port for the REST Data, MCP, and i3X services. The Intelligence Hub is also available through Docker Hub, simplifying access to the software for those accustomed to provisioning applications there.
Yes. Central Hub is a capability that allows one Intelligence Hub instance to serve as the central management interface for many distributed (remote) hubs. Administrators can sync configuration, compare hubs, push changes, and use Central Data to query and aggregate Namespace data from remote hubs into pipelines on the central hub. Central Hub is included in the Factory Starter Pack and Enterprise license tiers and is well-suited for customers operating Intelligence Hub at the Edge across many facilities.
The Intelligence Hub supports project export and import as JSON files, available through the configuration interface or programmatically through the Configuration API. Customers can export the full project or individual objects (using Tags to select related items), then import the JSON into a target hub. The Configuration API enables CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment. For ongoing version control, the Git Backup feature can automatically commit configuration to a Git repository on a schedule or on demand.
HighByte Intelligence Hub is available as an annual subscription starting at $17,500 per year for a Professional license (increasing to $18,500 on July 1, 2026). An Enterprise license is also available for unlimited installations across multiple sites under one annual contract. To learn more about pricing and find the right option for your organization, visit Pricing.
All licenses include unlimited data models and pipelines as well as premium features like High Availability, PI System integration, the embedded MQTT Broker, UNS Client, REST Data Server, and MCP Services. Your license also includes access to version upgrades, beta releases, product documentation, and technical support throughout the subscription term.
Yes. In addition to Professional and Enterprise licenses, HighByte offers two specialized pricing packages each intended for unique scenarios. The Factory Starter Pack ($50,000 USD per year) provides access to 3 factories and includes central configuration capabilities. This license option is ideal for manufacturers who plan to scale Industrial DataOps across multiple factories. The Data Center Starter Pack ($65,000 USD per year) provides a cloud environment with a single data aggregation point. This license option is ideal for industrial customers operating in distributed settings like oil & gas, energy, and utilities. To learn more about pricing and find the right option for your organization, visit Pricing.
Yes. The Intelligence Hub can be downloaded and run in unlicensed (trial) mode. The trial provides full product functionality, but runtime services stop automatically after two hours of operation and must be restarted by the user. The configuration interface remains accessible at all times. To run continuously in production, a valid license is required. New users typically use the trial to evaluate the software against their own data sources before purchasing an annual or multi-year subscription.
All licenses include technical support throughout the subscription term. Users can self-serve with resources available in the account portal, including the User Guide, Knowledge Base, AI-enabled chat, and Getting Started instructions. Users may also contact our Support team directly by chat, email, or phone. Live support representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET. We recommend that users submit and manage a support ticket in the account portal any time if they are experiencing a technical issue, have a question, or want to request a product enhancement.
HighByte offers many resources to help users get started and grow expertise with the Intelligence Hub. The Zero to Pipeline course on YouTube walks new users through core capabilities. The HighByte Knowledge Base offers Getting Started instruction, reference architectures, and build guides. The User Guide provides comprehensive product documentation. HighByte and its partners also host and participate in events like webinars, community events, and instructor-led training sessions throughout the year.
Yes. HighByte has trained and enabled leading global system integrators like Deloitte, Cognizant, and TCS as well as regional system integrators like Deep Digital Solutions and Skellig Automation to deploy and maintain HighByte Intelligence Hub at customer sites. Visit Partners to learn more about SI partnerships.
Strong ecosystem partnerships are critical to the success of HighByte and our customers. HighByte technology partners include AWS, Databricks, Microsoft, Siemens, and Snowflake, among many others. These partnerships ensure powerful integrations with leading industrial systems, enterprise applications, and cloud platforms. Visit Partners to learn more about technology partners.
Yes. HighByte received ISO 27001 certification in 2025, an important international milestone in data infrastructure security and information management compliance. HighByte Intelligence Hub is designed to meet the requirements of highly regulated industries, including life sciences, utilities, and oil & gas. Request access to the Trust Center to learn more.
The Intelligence Hub makes enterprise administration considerations possible, like setting up policies, roles, and responsibilities to ensure data is managed effectively, securely, and in compliance with company policies and regulations. The software includes robust security features, including user roles and access management, Active Directory/SAML integration, audit logging for configuration changes, and secure data transmission.
Yes. The Intelligence Hub supports external identity providers using SAML 2.0 and Active Directory. Administrators define roles in the Intelligence Hub, and the external identity provider assigns users to those roles by name. The Intelligence Hub matches assigned roles to local role definitions and enforces the associated claims (resource and action permissions). Internal local authentication can be enabled alongside external identity providers for fallback or service accounts.
The Intelligence Hub offers two distinct options for operational continuity.
Both options ensure continuous operation of critical data pipelines.
Yes. The Git Backup feature automatically commits configuration changes to a designated Git repository on a manual or scheduled basis. Backups are stored as a single JSON file and can include System Variable references so environment-specific settings remain decoupled from the project. Git Backup complements the project export, import, and Configuration API capabilities to support full CI/CD and version-control workflows.
Download the software to get hands-on access to all the features and functionality within HighByte Intelligence Hub and start testing in your unique environment.
