Distributed Control Systems Selection

Based on numerous engagements with end user clients over the past decades, ARC analysts have developed a comprehensive set of criteria and strategies to help you select an optimal Distributed Control System (DCS) to meet your needs now and in the future.

Ask Potential DCS Vendors on Their Plans to Use Open-source and Proprietary Software Tools

ARC expects software tools developed for the cloud (for example, Docker, Kubernetes, the CNCF open-source projects, and commercial products employing these) to become applicable for use in all types of software development and deployment. Once these tools are applied effectively for industrial automation, end users will have entirely different and much higher expectations from their automation system software.

ARC envisions a convergence in the different classes of software (and software development) over the forecast period of this report. Historically, the market has worked with several different classes of software development where each class required unique tooling and deployment. ARC feels that this will change as software development tools based on cloud technologies will come to dominate and drive convergence. Furthermore, this convergence will take place at a pace driven by open-source development, not the far slower pace of software development characteristic of the industrial automation industry.

The first phase of convergence will be the virtualization of DCS software, followed by the emergence of so-called cloud-native software, marking the convergence of conventional enterprise software and cloud software. The software deployment and orchestration tools used for these tasks will mature and become commonplace. This will drive the second phase of convergence as cloud-native software development tools are scaled down to address the requirements of embedded systems and Industrial IoT.

This is already occurring in the way applications are deployed using Docker to develop and manage containerized software in many recent industrial automation products. Another promising area is orchestration, as has been illustrated through work funded by ExxonMobil on behalf of OPAF.

The convergence of these forms of software development will be of major importance to all types of industrial automation businesses. As state-of-the-art cloud and DevOps development technologies penetrate embedded systems and industrial automation, customers will see and learn the value of entirely new and vastly improved methods for developing, testing, deploying, orchestrating, monitoring, and updating their application software. If open process automation is to succeed, it will require massive improvements in these capabilities. The ExxonMobil orchestration pilot provided evidence that this level of improvement is feasible.
 

Distributed Control Systems Selection Strategic Issues

Take Advantage of the Benefits Offered through Virtualization

Industrial control system (ICS) virtualization offers clear benefits for end users. These include lower TCO, longer ICS life, fewer disruptive changes, and improved ability to manage change and implement continuous improvement. The largest payoff comes from reduced obsolescence. End user organizations should study the virtualization strategies of their potential future ICS suppliers, paying special attention to supplier plans for migrating existing installations (including controllers) to a future virtualized environment.

Consider Characterizable or Configurable I/O

End users should consider adopting the new breed of I/O. Leading automation suppliers have developed new I/O that is either characterizable, configurable, or a combination of the two. Characterizable I/O includes hardware modules that plug into a rack and can represent analog input, analog output, digital input, digital output, etc. The type of module plugged into the rack determines the type of signal. Modules can be plugged anywhere in the rack and are location independent. Configurable I/O solutions take a similar approach in terms of point independence and flexibility, but the I/O points are configured through software rather than hardware modules. Some vendor solutions offer a combination of characterizable and configurable I/O. Vendors also offer software tools to support the commissioning and integration of smart I/O cabinets without a complete DCS.

The benefits of characterizable and configurable I/O go beyond simply reduced hardware, footprint, and wiring. They allow end users to separate the hardware-related and software-related aspects of the system. With fully adaptable and standard I/O and control hardware, end users can theoretically design and test all the software aspects of the system before it is deployed to the target system hardware. This allows the software to be deployed into the hardware infrastructure at the very late stages of the project. Often referred to as 'late binding', this can compress capital project schedules, reduce risks, and shorten the time-to-production.

Embrace New Technologies and Work Processes to Reduce Cost and Complexity

New automation technologies and work processes can bring significant economic benefits, but a lot of the future success for end users will depend on their ability to embrace not only modern technologies but also the new work processes that are essential to their success. If firms continue to implement traditional technologies and work processes, they will continue to be burdened by the unnecessary costs, complexities, and inefficiencies of the past. Innovative approaches and implementation of modern technologies are required to take projects to the next level of performance. Standards organizations like NAMUR and cross-industry initiatives like OPAF, both with strong input from the end user community, are notable examples of how end users themselves can drive change in the technologies offered by automation suppliers.