While Control Engineering offers an hour of webcast instruction with practical advice for modernizing SCADA and HMI on May 22, archived for a year, this article contains related advice on supervisory control and data acquisition and human-machine interface upgrades.
Modernizing SCADA, HMI insights
- Explore trends, features and functions available in new SCADA and HMI software and how standards are helping to shape benefits.
- Compare and contrast major differences between older SCADA and HMI software and newer designs, features and functions with justification examples and quantified benefits.
- See the webcast for more advice: Register for the Control Engineering webcast, “SCADA, HMI: How to modernize, upgrade for application benefits,” archived until May 22, 2026.
Get advice on “SCADA, HMI: How to modernize, upgrade for application benefits” from Control Engineering in a May 22 webcast (archived for a year); webcast instructors provide HMI and SCADA modernization advice below. The instructors (Figure 1) are:
- Kevin Moss, group manager, McEnery Automation.
- Joe Mazzola, general manager at McEnery Automation.
Moderator for the webcast is Gary Cohen, senior editor, Control Engineering.
HMI, SCADA modernization advice
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software and human-machine interface (HMI) software have advanced significantly in designs and functions providing many application benefits. What SCADA and HMI benefits for facilities and industrial operations are you missing because you’re behind? Instructors will explain below, in part, and in the webcast in greater detail, how SCADA and HMI benefits can be assessed and applied with SCADA and HMI software upgrades and modernization.
Mazzola said reasons to upgrade include the need to improve cybersecurity, operational improvements, mobility and more responsive design, engineering improvements, analytics and reporting, alarm management, integrated artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities and standards upgrades that make software easier and safer to use.
Figure 2: The graphic shown is an outdated SCADA-HMI screen for process control before an upgrade. It can be difficult to extract needed information quickly, according to McEnery Automation experts. Courtesy: Control Engineering webcasts
New SCADA and HMI features require cybersecurity attention
New features and functions in SCADA/HMI software demonstrate the need for greater attention to cybersecurity, including cloud integration, remote access of data, plant floor data integration, business system integration, industrial internet of things (IIoT) connectivity, single source of truth and unified name space, Mazzola said.
Moss pointed out some major impediments to legacy SCADA and HMI systems including physical servers, data islands, basic graphics with poor navigation, lack of scalability, high expense, code-intensive changes, dependency on one operating system and high risk of a cybersecurity breach.
HMI screen design examples: Before and after
Multiple examples of old and new and before and after graphics show why upgrades help operators and other stakeholders using modern SCADA and HMI software. See Figure 2 and Figure 3.
HMI screens of a certain vintage had colors and graphics that made finding process warnings difficult, Moss said.
ISA-101 standard for high-performance HMIs provide simpler context and colors that make understanding the process easier at a glance.
Figure 3: The graphic shown is an “after” upgrade presentation of the same process, giving operators more information, more quickly, with less risk, according to McEnery Automation experts. Courtesy: Control Engineering webcasts
Because modern, more easily understood screens make operations easier for younger, less-experienced workers, HMI and SCADA upgrades may help with attracting and retaining workers while lowering risk to processes and systems, Moss suggested.
Finally, justification examples are important when making the case for upgrades to HMI and SCADA software. While troubleshooting is faster, operator intervention can be less, alarms can be fewer and uptime greater, not all benefits are as quantifiable. Less tangible benefits, Mazzola said, may include greater employee satisfaction and simpler onboarding and cross training.
Mark T. Hoske is editor-in-chief, Control Engineering, WTWH Media, [email protected].
KEYWORDS
Human-machine interface upgrades, modernization of supervisory control and data acquisition systems
CONSIDER THIS
Are you getting all you need from HMI and SCADA, or are you past-due for upgrades?
ONLINE
Register for the Control Engineering webcast, “SCADA, HMI: How to modernize, upgrade for application benefits,” archived until May 22, 2026, here:
https://gateway.on24.com/wcc/experience/elitewtwhmedia/2927718/4673040/ce.
