The Ultimate Guide to

Supervisory Control and Data

Acquisition (SCADA)
Table of Contents
What is a SCADA system? 03
How does SCADA Work? 04
SCADA system hardware 04
Who uses SCADA? 05
Examples of a SCADA system 05

Questions to Ask When Considering using SCADA 07

What are you looking to accomplish? 07
What type of hardware do you need to deploy? 07
Who are all your stakeholders for this project? 08
Do you have the right people on your team? 08
What SCADA software should you use? 08

Smart SCADA for Digital Transformation – Where to Start? 09

Build a parallel infrastructure 09
Key communication protocols for digital transformation 09
Potential roadblocks in a smart SCADA project 10
Modern smart SCADA benefits 12
Extend SCADA to the edge 12

SCADA software for HMIs 13

Ignition Vision 13
Ignition Perspective 13

4 Things to Consider When Choosing HMI Hardware 14

Performance 14
Installation environment 14
Regulatory and compliance requirements 15
Touch screen considerations 15
Additional considerations for data visualization 17

SCADA Server Hardware Considerations 19

Standard architecture 19
Scaling your SCADA deployment 20

Summary - Steps to implement a SCADA solution 21

Conclusion 22
Work with a specialist 22
Continuous improvement 22

Contact 23

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What is a SCADA system?
A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system combines hardware and software to enable
the automation of industrial processes by capturing Operational Technology (OT) real-time data. SCADA
connects the sensors that monitor equipment like motors, pumps, and valves to an onsite or remote server.

A SCADA system empowers organizations to:

• Control processes from any location

• Acquire, analyze and display real-time data

• Directly interact with industrial equipment such as sensors, valves, pumps, and motors

• Record and archive events for future reference or report creation.

SCADA systems are crucial for many modern industrial organizations because they can help to maintain
efficiency, inform smarter decisions, and communicate system process deviations to inform adjustments
or maintenance.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the various elements of a SCADA solution, provide examples, and
arm you with the information you need to make an informed decision about the hardware and software
components to implement SCADA at your, or your customer’s, facility.

A SCADA System combines hardware and software to enable automation.

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How does SCADA Work?
One of the major efficiencies of SCADA is the ability to monitor and control systems in your facility from
multiple locations. Depending on the configuration of the SCADA control system, the state of processes can
be viewed from nearly anywhere:

• An operator workstation overlooking the physical facility

• A HMI located directly beside machinery

• From any other remote location

Information display and access can also be different depending on the user. For example, an operator may
want as much detail about that production station as possible. On the other hand, a plant manager will want
an overall view and operational metrics.

The SCADA environment can be influenced and controlled automatically using data and logic-based rules.
For example: Is the rotating bit on a plywood cutting machine vibrating excessively? The SCADA software can
be programmed to power down the unit immediately and avoid causing further potential harm to materials
or operators. It could also be programmed to send an alert to a technician to come service the machine.

Facilities often choose a hybrid version of direct and automated control by creating rules that alert an
operator to abnormal operation. The operator can then make an informed decision on the appropriate
next steps.

SCADA system hardware

Hardware such as Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) connect to
machines and sensors using standard data communication protocols such as Modbus or Ethernet/IP and
serve as local collection points for acquiring sensor information. In addition, they often trigger actions of the
connected piece of equipment via programmed logic. The collected data can then be fed to an industrial PC
at the edge and utilized in different ways.

OnLogic industrial computers in a variety of form factors

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Different edge workloads utilize computer hardware in various ways.

• Gateways pass the data from PLCs to servers or to the edge.

• Edge computers are close to the source of the data and can act as a gateway. However, they will
first process the data before transferring to the cloud or central physical server. This enables quicker
decisions at a local level as well as bandwidth and cost savings.

• Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) provide a local interface (usually a touch screen) for machine
monitoring and control. They can also act as gateways or edge computers.

• SCADA Servers are the central control for your local SCADA system. Your local historian server, which
handles historical data logging over time, may live here. Depending on the architecture it may also
report back to the cloud or a larger server on the enterprise network.

Once collected, sensor data can either be acted upon directly through the use of SCADA software, or saved
for later review. SCADA systems can help monitor and control processes from the same location in which
actions are performed, or remotely from a separate location.

Who uses SCADA?

By providing real-time visibility over the state of assets and operations, SCADA helps business owners and
operators make smarter decisions, improve efficiency, and minimize downtime. A huge range of industries
use SCADA including manufacturing facilities, oil and gas operations, and public utilities.

Examples of a SCADA system

Smart Cities
From wastewater treatment to power grid management, smart cities are increasingly relying on SCADA to
help monitor and optimize everything from traffic light patterns to public power consumption. When a city
is able to see spikes in resource usage they are able to more quickly respond and optimize operations to
account for trends or anticipated heavy loads on municipal systems.

A smart city uses data to improve operational efficiency, public safety, and quality of life.
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Cities can optimize resources long term when repeated trends are recognized. For example, certain
temperatures and humidity levels may directly correlate with residents turning on their heating or cooling
systems. A smart grid can then be prepared to increase electrical production and transfer as those
conditions develop.

At a more granular level, the increasing number of electric vehicles being charged is likely to have a growing
impact on city electric grids. SCADA systems are one way to help monitor and adjust to these types of
evolving demands for power.

Smart manufacturing
Modern factories monitor data from machinery sensors in order to predict maintenance, monitor output
speed, and increase operator safety. For example, a piece of equipment may become less efficient at a
certain point in its maintenance cycle. With a SCADA system, you could recognize this pattern and change
the maintenance schedule to avoid a bottleneck in production. Without a SCADA system, it would be difficult
to recognize such patterns manually. In addition, the data generated from SCADA systems can be fed into
other business applications to increase the value of the data at the edge.

Oil and Gas

Oil and gas assets tend to be in remote locations. How much does it cost each time a technician’s truck rolls
to update IT equipment at one of those sites? $500? $1000? More?

You can create a local HMI for your operators that doesn’t depend on a network connection. With the right
software, trending data can be sent over 4G LTE using MQTT. With the ability to remotely monitor each site in
real time, techs can spend more time on critical maintenance and less on IT equipment upkeep.

Oil and gas operations use SCADA Systems to monitor their assets and production.
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Questions to Ask When Considering using SCADA
We’ve found that one of the biggest barriers to SCADA implementation is not knowing where to begin. One
of our favorite methods for scoping out a SCADA project is asking your project stakeholders a few key
questions about the project. The answers to these questions will help inform crucial design, architecture and
implementation decisions. Every project is unique, but having the answers to these questions will help set you
up for success.

What are you looking to accomplish?

A SCADA system can meet a wide variety of needs, so it is important to define your project goals and KPIs
from the start. Beyond plant control and supervision:

• What are your goals?

◦ Reduce costs related to maintenance?

◦ Reduce downtime?

◦ Improve plant reporting?

• What machinery will be monitored to accomplish your goals?

• Are you installing new machinery or equipping existing machinery?

• Can you communicate directly with the machinery via an industrial protocol like Modbus TCP/IP or do
you need to integrate PLCs to communicate with the machinery and sensors?

What type of hardware do you need to deploy?

In some cases, you may be able to install SCADA software on existing devices. But, in many cases a
successful SCADA deployment will require additional hardware to collect and route valuable data.
For example:

• Do you need a computer that can run 3+ monitors in the control room for overall plant supervision?

• Do you need an all-in-one panel PC for a HMI so your production line operators can interact with
machinery directly on the line?

• Do you need a rugged edge computer with 4G LTE modem to send data back over MQTT from the field?

OnLogic offers a variety of industrial hardware for your SCADA deployment.

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Who are all your stakeholders for this project?
Engineering, information technology, operations, and other relevant departments should be involved to ensure
a smooth integration.

Do you have the right people on your team?

If this is your first time doing a SCADA integration your company might not have the necessary knowledge
base to support it. Many end-users of SCADA systems work directly with an experienced integrator to tailor a
solution for a given project.

What SCADA software should you use?

With the amount of data being produced in modern industrial facilities, the opportunity for optimization has
never been greater. The concept of collecting and acting on data isn’t new, but today’s SCADA solutions offer
incredible insights and capabilities that were previously inaccessible.

While there are many software options for SCADA solutions, OnLogic partners with the SCADA experts at
Inductive Automation to bring together hardware and software in a single package. They are the creators of
the popular and powerful platform called Ignition that allows you to build HMI, SCADA, MES, and
IIoT solutions.

It is hardware-agnostic so you can use any combination of PLCs, databases, and PCs that you need. It has
powerful built-in visualization and reporting tools so decision makers can make the right decision at the
right time.

OnLogic hardware is available with Ignition Edge pre-installed.

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Smart SCADA for Digital Transformation –
Where to Start?
A big obstacle to digital transformation is the perception that you need to rip and replace your legacy
systems. It’s intimidating to think about having to use a whole new system, because that would affect
productivity and disrupt business as usual. There are hundreds of millions of proprietary legacy PLCs and
devices that are still in use. Upgrading all of them would be incredibly cost-prohibitive. You can’t just switch to
a new technology overnight; that would result in a catastrophic failure and loss of revenue.

Build a parallel infrastructure

Instead of starting from scratch, consider building a parallel infrastructure alongside your existing installation,
using software. It is much easier to get started with software than hardware. You can gradually transition
devices from your old system to your new IIoT infrastructure. The gradual approach gives you time to test out
the new system and make sure it is stable before you make a complete infrastructure transition. That also
allows you to achieve ROI wins as you go along solving problems in the system.

As you remove manual work, get rid of paper and whiteboards, gather and centralize more data, and
add things like history, alarms, and reporting. It won’t be long before you see returns for each of those
improvements.

Another important point is that you should look for a platform you can build on. The usual approach has
been to add coding on top of operating systems, but the better approach is to build applications on top
of platforms. That’s because platforms are open, standards-based, scalable, extensible, and future-proof,
compared to conventional software products. Consider choosing a platform that has an unlimited licensing
model and that can communicate to disparate systems. This enables you to bring all your data together and
make it available to whoever needs it.

Key communication protocols for digital transformation

The operational world is extremely complex, involving hundreds of different protocols, communication
mediums, and legacy devices. The reality of digital transformation is this: it should be implemented from the
bottom up, with OT on board first. It requires a new mentality or mind shift towards keeping systems open,
interoperable, and secure. The journey starts with the operational infrastructure and creating a migration
strategy that implements the digital transformation but also meets all the OT requirements.

It boils down to a single, crucial concept: an architecture change. Instead of connecting devices to
applications with protocols, connect devices to infrastructure.

This new architecture uses MQTT, a lightweight publish/subscribe protocol that enables message-oriented
middleware architectures. This is not a new concept in the IT space; Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) has long
been used for integration of applications over a bus-like infrastructure. With MQTT, device data is published
by exception to a MQTT server, either on-premise or in the cloud. Applications subscribe to the MQTT server
to get data; there’s no need to connect to the end device itself.

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MQTT provides several benefits:

• Open standard/interoperable (OASIS standard & Eclipse open standard [TAHU])

• Decouples devices from applications

• Reports by exception

• Requires little bandwidth

• TLS security

• Remote-originated connection (outbound only; no inbound firewall rules)

• Stateful awareness

• Single source of truth

• Auto-discovery of tags

◦ Note - a SCADA tag is a variable that is able to store data. Tags are the most common form
of input for SCADA industrial automation. Tags can be used for a variety of purposes, such as
storing the current date and time, or the value of a sensor reading.

• Data buffering (store & forward)

• Plug-and-play functionality

In summary, MQTT is the de facto standard for IIoT communication.

Potential roadblocks in a smart SCADA project

Fear of change
One roadblock isn’t technology-based, it’s a human problem. Every organization has people who are resistant
to change. They’ve gotten used to doing things the same way for years. Or they might think adopting a new
solution is too risky. Or they might be worried about the learning curve. Or they might think it will be very
difficult and time-consuming to implement new solutions. Whatever their reason might be, they often stop
digital-transformation initiatives from getting off the ground.

In terms of people, you might need to look around the organization for a new champion who is able to help
push your initiative forward. In terms of technology, one way to get around these objections is to show the
value using trial software.

Cost prohibitive licencing structures

Another roadblock can be the cost of licensing and the struggle to realize ROI. You need to ensure the new
systems you put in place have unlimited licensing models and allow you to achieve ROI as you modernize.
This comes down to using systems that take advantage of the latest and greatest technology and tried-and-
true standards.

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A disconnect between OT and IT
The gap between the OT and IT departments is also a roadblock. They tend to work in siloed environments
and to speak different languages and have different responsibilities. We can bring the two sides closer
together if OT uses tools & technologies that IT understands. That includes open standards like MQTT, OPC
UA, SQL databases, SOAP and REST, HTML5, and CSS.

Information silos
Another big roadblock is getting data out to more people in the organization, especially on the business side.
That creates a big disconnect between the people on the plant floor or in the field and the people in the office.
The solution is to get more data out by adding mobile-first applications, ideally using native HTML5.

A well-designed app on a smartphone or smart device can let you see your entire system at a glance, or a
chart or dashboard with data that’s relevant to your specific job. Mobile solutions will make more data visible
and accessible to more people, and that is going to empower them to respond to problems more quickly and
make better decisions. Of course, this comes with challenges such as providing Wi-Fi in the plant or making
applications publicly available.

A mobile SCADA solution will make more data visible and accessible to more people.
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Security concerns
Another challenge is the delicate balance between allowing accessibility to data without compromising
security. The solution for this is to use modern cybersecurity practices for example using:

• Encryption protocols like SSL and TLS

• Federated identity providers that support two-factor authentication

• Single-sign-on (SSO)

• Security infrastructures such as DMZ networks

Uncertainty about how to leverage the cloud

The last roadblock is the question of how to work with the cloud and how to seize the opportunities that are
there. A good solution is one that is compatible with cloud providers and allows you to fully take advantage of
your data with things like analytics and machine learning, or that can utilize the cloud for more scalability.

Modern smart SCADA benefits

There are a nearly limitless number of potential uses for intelligent data gathering and analytics. Here are four
ways that modern SCADA platforms can help you get the most out of the information you’re already collecting:

• Streamline data: Get rid of paper and whiteboards, gather and centralize more data, and add things like
history, alarms, and reporting, you’ll see returns for each of those improvements.

• Access data from anywhere: you can also get the advantage of leveraging mobile device features like
GPS, accelerometer, camera, barcode scanner, NFC, Bluetooth, and touch gestures.

• Decouple devices from applications: Using MQTT provides a more scalable architecture, often by
using edge devices for store & forward and local functionality. This is especially important for remote
systems, such as in oil and gas, water/wastewater, and energy.

• Leverage the cloud in 2 ways:

◦ Deploy information to the cloud for broader oversight and scalability. This allows users to make
applications and data more available.

◦ Inject data to take advantage of higher-level capabilities like advanced analytics, business
intelligence & machine learning.

Extend SCADA to the edge

Losing access to the internet is not generally an issue for applications in factories. However, that is not the
case for remote sites where access to the internet isn’t as reliable or available. In these situations, it may be
worth considering an Ignition Edge solution.

This version of Ignition provides a leaner version of the gateway service that runs locally on the device. Using
the Enterprise Administration Module, the Gateway service can still be controlled by a central gateway. Tags
can also utilize “store and forward” in the event of a connection loss, but since the project is running locally on
the gateway there is minimal disruption to operations.

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SCADA software for HMIs
A Human Machine Interface (HMI) is a user interface most commonly used in an industrial manufacturing
and automation environment. A HMI running a SCADA software platform allows operators to monitor and
control machinery using visual representations of the components in real time. It also enables operators to
optimize efficiency by providing insight into mechanical performance and progress and it offers reporting and
more to maximize the value of collected data from the edge.

There are specific SCADA software tools available that have been optimized for use in HMI applications. For
example, two options from Inductive Automation are called Vision and Perspective. Here is a short overview
of each to give you an idea of the capabilities these types of specialized solutions offer.

Ignition Vision
Vision is the traditional client application for Ignition. It displays real-time and historical data on customizable
charts, tables, and graphs making it a great fit for HMIs. It also offers dashboards to view trends and track
key performance indicators (KPIs).

Ignition Perspective
Perspective enables users to build mobile-responsive HTML applications for the monitoring and control
of processes directly from a mobile device, desktop, or touch panel. The applications built in Perspective
run natively on the device or in any major browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
Perspective Mobile puts the power of your plant floor in the palm of your hand and lets you see and control
processes from nearly anywhere.

HMI panels can be installed in a big variety of locations.

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4 Things to Consider When Choosing
HMI Hardware
Once you’ve selected the software for your SCADA/HMI/MES system, the question becomes, “For my end-
use clients, what hardware do I need to deploy?” The answer will come from fully understanding how your end
users intend to use the system. Here are the top 4 considerations:

1. Performance

2. Installation environment

3. Regulatory compliance

4. Touch screen needs

Performance
A HMI system exclusively running a SCADA application won’t require a huge amount of processing power
and only around 4GB of RAM. Systems powered by an Intel Celeron® N3350 or Atom® E3950 provide ample
horsepower for HMI deployments. If other applications are running on the client as well, such as corporate
mandated security applications or video conferencing software, you will want to investigate more powerful
options and consider stepping up the RAM.

Installation environment
The environment where the hardware will be installed is a key consideration when choosing SCADA hardware.
Here are a few of the environmental factors you’ll want to account for when deploying systems.

Dust and Particulate: Your standard desktop PC has fans to draw in and circulate air in order to cool the
system. Fanless PCs cool using convection or other heat dissipation methods and don’t require openings in
the case to let air in or out. If your environment is subject to airborne particulate, fanless PCs can help prevent
downtime due to contaminant ingress.

As an example, cabinet manufacturing specialists, American Woodmark, discovered just how much they
could save when fanless PCs reduced failure and maintenance downtime.

A fanless PC helps to protect a computer’s internal components.

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Temperature: If the environment of your installation is not temperature controlled (i.e. without heating or
cooling) and/or placed in an environment that can see extreme temperatures, you will need a ruggedized
system designed to operate in a wide range of temperatures. Systems rated for operation in temperatures
from -40° to 70°C, or an application-appropriate subset of that range, would be a good fit.

While this environmental consideration is most apparent in extreme outdoor environments, it can be just as
important in indoor deployments as well. Warehouses, cold chain management, foundries, and other indoor
environments can experience extreme temperature conditions. If your application requires operation in more
moderate, but still uncomfortable temperatures, consider an industrial PC which generally has a rating of
around 0° - 50°C.

Shock/Vibration: HMIs on a moving vehicle, like a forklift, shouldn’t utilize an off the shelf PC with moving
parts such as fans or hard drives. Even “standard” industrial computers could have internal cabling that
might shake loose. Make sure to select a PC that has been tested to shock and vibration standards such as
MIL-STD-810 or IEC 60068. Paired with solid state drives, the whole system is built to last, even in unstable
conditions.

Power Input: You don’t always have access to an AC wall outlet. Your specific power setup will have a serious
impact on your hardware of choice. For industrial installations, it’s best to look for a PC that can take a range
of direct DC voltage. Even better if it has a terminal block style connector to make wiring easier.

Regulatory and compliance requirements

If you need UL 62368-1 safety testing or specific certifications like Class 1 Division 2 for hazardous industries,
make sure to add that to the top of your requirement list. If you’re unsure what you need, make sure to work
with the responsible regulatory engineer in your company. Not meeting these requirements can be a major
roadblock for your project.

Touch screen considerations

Not every HMI application uses a touch screen, but in many instances the convenience of touch controls
makes them an appealing option. In some cases, screens may be tethered to a discrete industrial PC, or the
compute power can be integrated into the screen itself. Here are a few things to consider when shopping for
touch screens for your HMI setup.
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Gloves: There are two general types of touch screens - capacitive and resistive and they refer to the type
of technology used to recognize input from a user. The most important thing to consider when choosing
between the two is if the end users will need to wear gloves.

Resistive screens use mechanical sensors to detect pressure on the screen. While they have a lower touch
accuracy than their capacitive counterparts, resistive screens function even when users are wearing gloves.
On the other hand, capacitive screens detect where you make contact with the screen using electrical
resistance and have higher touch accuracy. However, they do not work when the user is wearing gloves, since
direct skin contact is required.

Select a capacitive touchscreen when the user needs to wear gloves.

Sunlight Readability: If you need to deploy outdoors, consider if your screens will be in direct sunlight which
could render them unreadable. Typically, hardware manufacturers will specifically call out which versions of
panels are sunlight readable. You will often see brightness represented in Nits. Typically 300-500 Nits will
be indoor and 1000+ Nits will be readable even in the direct sunlight of an outdoor application. Note that
capacitive screens can be strongly backlit for better use in the sun, while resistive screens aren’t generally as
suitable in areas of strong sunlight.

IP Rating: IP rating is a measure of liquid and dust resistance. Industrial computers are usually protected
from dust, however water is a different story. If the facility is exposed to water or needs washdown cleanings
to meet health & safety standards, a computer that is IP65 rated or higher is necessary.

Typically you will see two styles of Panel PC when it comes to water resistance: 1) protection only on the
front bezel or 2) complete protection of the entire system. The first number in the IP rating indicates the level
of resistance to solid objects like dust and debris, while the second number indicates protection from liquids.
For example, an IP65 rating indicates that the system is “dust tight” and protected against “jetting water”.
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 An IP rating indicates level of resistance to solids and liquids.

Chemical Resistance: If you are in an environment with harsh chemicals or caustic cleaning agents you will
want to consider your screens’ resistance to those chemicals. A full list of acceptable chemicals can typically
be found from most manufacturers. This is especially important in food & beverage production to make sure
cleaning chemicals won’t degrade the screen over time.

Mounting: The two most common methods for mounting HMI screens are either via a VESA mount attached
directly to the back of the Panel PC, or via panel cutout where you can recess the PC in a cabinet or other
enclosure. In the case of the latter make sure you follow the manufacturer’s specifications for the cutout
dimensions and that the necessary mounting hardware is included with the panel.

Modularity: A common complaint with Panel PCs is that in the event of a screen failure or breakage, the
whole system is ruined. If damage to the screen is of concern in your application, consider a modular screen
that attaches separately so that you can swap screens if damaged or allow for future upgrading of the
compute module.

Additional considerations for data visualization

SCADA solutions allow businesses to gain critical insight into operations with real time graphical displays,
historical trend charts, and analytics. The data can be presented in production space for all key stakeholders
to see, or in a control room.

With so much data, it can be difficult to fit everything on a single monitor. In that case, the ability to increase
the amount of visible data through the use of multiple monitors is important. For effective visualization, there
are two considerations.

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 • Connectivity: Many businesses will suspend TVs with a small PC connected to hang above production
lines to display Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or work instructions. In this case, you likely will want
to have Wi-Fi available and a Wi-Fi modem installed in the PC so that you don’t have to run ethernet
lines. As an extra benefit, a reliable industrial PC means you won’t be renting a scissor lift to replace a
broken PC behind that screen.

• Number of Independent Displays: This is most important in control rooms where you are running
multiple displays. Many computers will only support 2-3x displays without the use of a graphics card.
However, newer Intel and AMD processors can support up to 4x displays without a discrete GPU.

When going beyond 4x displays also consider that a discrete GPU, like those in a gaming computer, will be
needed. However those generally require fan cooling, a fanless hybrid solution might be a good choice.

A SCADA solution can be displayed across multiple monitors.

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SCADA Server Hardware Considerations
So far we’ve primarily focussed on the deployment of gateway and HMI devices for SCADA applications.
But there’s another category of device that’s integral to many successful SCADA deployments - servers. The
list of factors to consider when making a decision on the performance specifications of your SCADA server
is long – number of connected devices, types of PLCs, total number of tags, just to name a few. Inductive
Automation has a great guide that goes in-depth on this topic.

However, it can be hard to know where to get started. Some of the considerations for deploying SCADA
server hardware at the edge are the same we covered for selecting HMIs. That includes environmental
considerations - dust/particulate, temperature, shock/vibration, power input, etc.

Here are a few other things to consider when it comes to selecting the right server hardware for your
SCADA setup. In the examples below, we’ll focus on a project that’s utilizing Ignition software from Inductive
Automation, but the broad concepts are the same even if you’re using a different SCADA software package.

Standard architecture

To scale your SCADA solution, distribute your workload across the network of gateways.
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For a single on-premise server for use with Ignition, all the features, such as a local SQL database, PLC
connections, Perspective/Vision clients, live directly on the computer. There are many project specific factors
that go into sizing the server.

For instance, if you are solely focused on data collection, and separate client systems are rarely connected,
you can collect many more tags as compared to a system with many clients connected regularly. The same
would be true of a server that acts as a host for HMIs across the plant, with tag ingestion handled separately.

It’s important to right-size your system depending on workload. The smallest projects could get away with
an ARM-based edge PC whereas large projects ingesting data from hundreds of devices and connecting to
hundreds of clients may need an Intel Xeon rack server or a different architecture. Architecture options could
include scaling to virtualization on enterprise networks or using cloud services such as AWS EC2.

Scaling your SCADA deployment

When it comes to scaling out your architecture, the main consideration is distribution of your workload
across the network of gateways. There are many ways to deploy SCADA software and it will depend on your
needs. For example, you may want a server for each plant to cover operations locally and a central node only
responsible for administration. You could also split up workloads with one server handling HMI sessions and
another handling tags and the tag historian.

One major consideration is whether your edge locations will be on-site or remote. For example at a remote oil
well site, you may not have ethernet connectivity. Or, at a sensitive site, you may only have access via cellular.
Allowing far edge nodes such as HMIs and data gateways to act independently of a server could be beneficial.

The same types of considerations will need to be addressed when it comes to utilizing cloud services. This
may also present some interesting opportunities to leverage data analysis and machine learning tools to
further improve your deployments.

The energy sector relies on SCADA solutions to analyze, act on, and optimize performance data.
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Summary - Steps to implement a SCADA solution
The specific steps required to put a SCADA solution in place will depend on what you’re trying to measure
and the complexity of your specific installation. But generally, here are the elements of an effective decision
making process that you could follow.

□ Clearly define and understand what you want to monitor

□ Determine what data you currently collect and how

□ Start small: pick one set of data and one location to do a proof of concept (POC)

□ Understand what architecture is needed to scale for your needs

□ Add gateways to connect current data collection points

□ Create new data collection points if desired

□ Centralize your data to your intended monitoring location

□ Map data in your SCADA software of choice

□ Add visualizations of data and controls

□ Define automations and rules

It may seem complicated at first, but the goal is essentially to connect the things you want to monitor and
control, to the location from which you wish to monitor and control them.

With the amount of data being produced in modern industrial facilities, the opportunity for optimization has
never been greater. The concept of collecting and acting on data isn’t new, but today’s SCADA solutions offer
incredible insights and capabilities that were previously inaccessible.

SCADA systems allow companies to make smarter decisions, improve efficiency, and minimize downtime.
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Conclusion
Implementing a SCADA system can be complicated, but the value is worth the time it takes to do it right.

You need to fully understand your needs, choose the right software and hardware, and ensure your system is
architected effectively.

Work with a specialist

Inductive Automation also has an integrator program, which offers you the opportunity to work with certified
integration specialists in your region to create a complete solution that is right for you, without needing to hire
your own in-house specialist.

Continuous improvement
Once you’re up and running with a SCADA deployment, you should make sure to regularly check your KPIs for
opportunities to reoptimize and continually improve your outputs.

• What are your goals?

• Are you getting all the data you need for your goals?

• Is the data giving you clarity?

• Have your goals changed?

At every point in the process of digital transformation, having experts at your disposal will help make sure
you’re heading in the right direction. OnLogic offers a consultative process for hardware deployment. We
partner with you to understand your project and offer services that work for your needs. Download our
hardware checklist as the first step toward finding the perfect hardware for your SCADA system. Or contact
us to speak with one of our hardware specialists for help getting started.
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Advance your ideas OnLogic
Here at OnLogic, we create highly-configurable small form factor computers that thrive where others fail.
We collaborate with innovative companies around the world, working together to solve their most complex
technology challenges. Our consultative approach combined with a powerful online platform, our quick-turn
production capabilities, and modular hardware design, can help make the impossible possible.

Industrial Machine Edge Embedded

Automation Learning Computing Applications

Ready to get started? Contact us!

Our team of experienced hardware specialists are here to help you select and configure your ideal SCADA
hardware platform. Reach out for a free project consultation.

North America Europe

Call: +1 (802) 861 2300 Call: +31 88 5200 700
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
www.onlogic.com www.onlogic.com/eu-en/

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