When any part of your supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system is outdated or obsolete, there are a number of business and operational risks your organization may be facing. These risks can range from compatibility issues to cybersecurity threats to challenges with maintaining and supporting your systems. And while many organizations using mature or obsolete SCADA system components know they really should modernize, getting started with modernization can be difficult. Many companies often have a variety of internal roadblocks to navigate, including fear of prolonged downtime, budget concerns, and aversion to change.
At George T. Hall (GTH), we approach SCADA modernization projects in a way that is designed to overcome these roadblocks by minimizing the typical risks and concerns associated with modernization, especially the threat of extended downtime. We do this by creating well-thought-out phased modernization plans that take advantage of existing scheduled downtime. This is possible because we develop hybrid systems that allow us to use the allotted time to replace one part of a system, such as the PLCs, at a time. We also take the time during the planning phase to ensure all the remote I/O can talk to the new PLCs during the transition period so that we can then replace the remote I/O during the next scheduled downtime period.
At GTH, our engineers are well-versed in developing solutions and modernization plans that will allow you to start experiencing the numerous benefits of a modern SCADA system while addressing the concerns your organization may have when it comes to modernization. You can learn more about our approach in our newest white paper Mitigate Control System Risks and Inefficiencies with a Well-Planned, Phased SCADA Modernization. In the paper, we also walk through the risks of continuing to operate an outdated or obsolete SCADA system and provide a detailed example of a phased modernization we recently implemented for a mining customer.
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