Modern HMI/SCADA Software Offers More than Just Graphics

ARC’s many years of researching the HMI/SCADA software market has provided us with a good understanding of the types of challenges that today’s organizations face. Our findings can help users determine where additional insight may be needed and the HMI/SCADA software features and capabilities they require to provide a good fit for their specific requirements. This includes understanding the solution’s technology and architecture, knowing how the solution integrates with business, engineering, supply chain, CPM/MES, plant equipment, and automation systems; and determining if the solution leverages new technologies, such as cloud, virtualization, mobile, and analytics. It’s also important to understand the supplier’s long term vision, its viability as a business, and its local and global presence. Other issues include knowing what the operating system(s) the solution uses, how the supplier deals with software upgrades and supports patches; the version release frequency; the hardware platform requirements; and the supplier’s primary support models, such as training and services.

Today’s HMI/SCADA Software Can Display a Variety of Information in an Easy-to-Understand Format and even Intelligently Interact with the User

HMI/SCADA Software Supplier Selection Guide

These issues motivated ARC to create a selection guide document to help organizations find the best fit for their requirements. HMI/SCADA software is no longer just a graphical display of the operations. It is becoming more mission critical, especially with new technologies (such as IIoT) taking hold. HMI/SCADA software’s impact can be felt from the factory and plant floor through production management and IT, including communications to devices ranging from sensors to both local and cloud-based servers. New technologies, such as cloud, virtualization, mobility, and analytics are becoming increasingly important capabilities for end users and OEMs who deploy the latest HMI/SCADA software systems to consider. At the same time, HMI/SCADA software is increasing its role as an integration and business intelligence hub, providing connectivity and visualization to business, engineering, supply chain, and CPM/MES software systems, in addition to its traditional display and control role for plant equipment and automation systems located throughout factories and plants globally.

Here’s the link to a short video that ARC Vice President, Craig Resnick, prepared on this topic.