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• Vibrant ecosystem (how value is
created around the platform)
IT has been using platforms for
many years. It’s time now for the
operational world to use platforms for
HMI/SCADA/MES. No one system can
provide all the needs for an organization.
A platform provides a foundation to
solve immediate needs and allows for
expansion and scalability with ease and
affordably.
It’s imperative that we leverage
modern technology and practices, so
our systems don’t become antiquated,
insecure or less valuable. We also must
think of the next generation coming into
the workforce. The younger workforce
expects to leverage their mobile device
not just in their personal lives but at work
as well. Old technology, proprietary
systems and legacy device knowledge
make it difficult in transferring
knowledge to the new workforce.
Keeping systems current and leveraging
modern technology minimizes risk,
increases security and makes it easier to
support and maintain into the future.
What are some modern technologies
we can leverage?
We need to provide a superior
OT solution that meets the needs of
operators. Let’s discuss four important
technologies that change the game for
OT and provide real value:
• Web browsers and HTML5
• Smartphones and tablets
• Federated identity (SSO & multi-factor
authentication)
• Cloud integrations
Modern web browsers are
everywhere today, from PCs to
smartphones and tablets, to smart TVs,
and even refrigerators. They provide
access to applications and data with
ease. Think of the amazing applications
we use every day in our personal lives.
Browsers are arguably the most used,
developed and tested application
medium in the world. The advancement
of web technologies has accelerated
from the use of HTML5 and CSS3 to
mobile-responsive design to high levels
of security. Those technologies are
stable and mature enough to use in the
industrial sector. Leveraging modern
SCADA platforms that can provide
access to anyone using a web browser
brings tremendous value in delivering
data across the enterprise. These
platforms must also support a licensing
model that is fundamentally unlimited,
allowing access to data without barriers.
We shouldn’t have to walk up to an HMI
station as the only way to get access
to data.
By extension, smartphones and
tablets are incredible pieces of technol-ogy.
They have an amazing number of
built-in sensors, such as GPS, camera,
accelerometer, Bluetooth and more. Ap-plications
can easily be made available
to web browsers and smartphones, as
native apps. With smartphones, appli-cations
can gain access to these sensors,
FUTURE LAB
Contro; SCADA from your phone.
/techcorr.com
