Phoenix Contact Brings Control to the IT World

At the SPS 2025 trade fair, Phoenix Contact presented the software-based control solution Virtual PLCnext Control, which enables flexible automation functions in virtualised IT environments.

Virtual PLCnext Control integrates fully into Phoenix Contact's ‘PLCnext Technology’ ecosystem and opens up new opportunities for scalable and resource-efficient automation concepts without physical control hardware. The virtual control solution is hardware-independent and based on the container standards of the Open Container Initiative (OCI). This allows the control software to be run as a container application in modern IT infrastructures such as Docker or Hyper-V – in Windows or Linux systems, locally or in the cloud. This architecture enables fast deployment, easy scaling, and high flexibility when integrating into existing automation and IT landscapes.

‘With Virtual PLCnext Control, we are bringing control to where it is needed today: into the IT world,’ explains André Brand, Manager Product Marketing Controls at Phoenix Contact. ‘Our customers benefit from high scalability, fast deployment, and the ability to implement automation projects flexibly and in a resource-efficient manner.’ The new solution supports all familiar functions such as programming in IEC 61131-3, high-level language integration, OPC UA, MQTT, and the use of apps from the ‘PLCnext Store.’ This means that the familiar development environment remains intact – only without physical control hardware.

Virtual PLCnext Control is ideal for industrial digitalisation applications where classic control technology reaches its limits – whether for simulations, test environments, distributed control concepts, or as part of an edge architecture.