SCADA Technology Evolves to Create New Market Dynamics
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) business in the water & wastewater industries worldwide. The market data is for SCADA systems only. The definition of a SCADA system in this report is that the system must monitor and control field devices using remote terminal units (RTUs) at geographically dispersed sites.
The worldwide SCADA market reflects the impact of new technology on SCADA components and cost effective communications for knowledge transfer. SCADA components are easier to integrate and provide vastly improved capabilities and functionalities. Communication limitations have been eliminated. Consequently, SCADA systems are being used for a range of operational improvement applications and are most frequently linked to business processes for a variety of purposes, both internal and external to the enterprise.
Supported by intelligent field devices, expanded communication networks, and improved compatibility with IT, SCADA can now provide a wealth of information and knowledge as a means to modify business processes. The effective use of today's SCADA systems requires their usage be leveraged to encompass both robust control and automation functionalities and, more importantly, the capability to support higher-level systems that overlap into enterprise optimization for utility and energy companies.
Strategic Issues
The SCADA market is transforming due to the far-reaching impact of technology, and the fact that SCADA systems can empower a quantum change in the way companies restructure business processes to respond to real-time knowledge flow. With change comes opportunities, and there are a number of strategies ARC recommends to maximize potential in the changing marketplace, including:
- Delivering business system integration with SCADA operations
- Providing water utilities with migration planning and management solutions to enable required business process changes
- Enhancing service capabilities to achieve cost effectiveness
- Making security issues a top priority