Advice on SCADA software selection and best practices

SCADA Insights

• System integrators can help educate end-users about best practices and standards during the SCADA selection process.

• Modern SCADA alarm packages provide a variety of advanced features.

• SCADA systems utilized in extreme environments may need to survive harsh conditions, resulting in unique challenges.

For an industrial company, selecting a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system is vital decision that involves taking a variety of different factors into consideration. End-users most find a platform that is compatible with their pre-existing software and hardware; capable of accommodating the needs of their unique applications; allows for future scalability via easy expansion and upgrades; and provides appropriate report configuration and data sharing capabilities. Moreover, once a platform is selected, adhering to best practices is critical to ensuring that end-users get the most out of their chosen software.

In an October 12 Control Engineering webcast, “SCADA series: Advanced SCADA applications,” Andreina Lugo, software automation manager at Northwind Technical Services, and Mike Lennon, vice president at Applied Control Engineering, discussed the SCADA software selection process and SCADA implementation best practices. A preview of some of the information covered is provided below.

How can system integrators add value to SCADA applications?

According to Lugo, there are several ways in which system integrators can add value to SCADA applications, including:

• Providing expertise on different projects

  • System integrators can help educate end-users about best practices and standards.

  • System integrators can assist in determine what software and hardware is best suited to end-users’ specific application.

  • System integrators can provide innovative ideas as a result of their experience working across different industries.

• Enabling flexibility and cost-savings

  • System integrators can be brought in on a temporary basis, meaning they only need to be paid when they are needed.

  • System integrators may be able to offer end-users better pricing on software and hardware than dedicated vendors.

• Improving quality and reliability

  • System integrators can bring a broad swathe of experience garnered from working on other projects to each implementation.

  • The diverse experience of system integrators grants them greater insight into common pitfalls to avoid.

• Providing proper documentation for future reference

  • System integrators can provide drawings, program code and operations manuals.

• Providing Expect technical staff on demand

  • System integrators can provide technical support whenever it is needed.

What are the most important best practices to keep in mind when implementing SCADA applications?

Lennon’s portion of the presentation covered a variety of topics related to SCADA best practices, including:

• Situational Awareness

  • Situational refers to the ability of operators and decision-makers to understand and respond effectively to the real-time status and conditions of an industrial system or process. It involves having a clear and up-to-date understanding of what is happening within the system, which enables better control, monitoring and decision-making. Lennon covers a variety of topics to improve situational awareness including the use of color, graphs to make end-users available of the current and future state of processes and the best way to provide useful contextual information.

• Advanced Alarming

  • Advanced alarming features discussed by Lennon include shelved alarms, alarms that are suppressed by design, and out of service alarms. In addition, he discusses alarm management and rationalization.

• Tips for Extreme Applications

  • Lennon shares a use-case in which a SCADA system was needed for a wave to electricity generator. He explores challenges faced, and how they were overcome.

David Miller, Content Manager, CFE Media and technology, dmiller@cfemedia.com.

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Keywords: SCADA, Extreme Applications

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