One of the biggest problems supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) users face, are the costs associated with maintaining the system, and the perception that these costs add no discernable value.
"The fact is that from a software maintenance perspective it's seen as a grudge purchase, and users don't understand or perceive the value behind the scenes," says Paul Geng, business development director for Scada developers, Adroit Technologies.
"All software companies have to keep in mind the trends taking place in the industry, and leverage the technology to make it easier for customers and system integrators alike."
A closer look at what goes on behind the scenes may help software users understand the necessity for maintenance fees.
Development houses need to stay abreast of new technologies, and adapt these technologies to their customer's requirements and product lines. This involves a continuous up-skilling of the companies' software engineers as changes in technologies come about.
The software developers then need to apply the new trends and technologies, to make it easily usable for customers who could benefit from newer technologies.
"It would be virtually impossible for a customer understand all the technology surrounding a control system. What the software houses do is provide a simple-to-understand solution, that negates the need for a customer to become a technology expert," says Geng.
Adroit, for example, is forward-looking in its approach. It actively seeks out new trends and trains staff to become experts, as the latest technologies emerge.
"Our objective is to make it easy for customers to deploy new technologies - so that through our products they can remain on the cutting edge and realise actual benefits," he says.
The more complex the site you are running, the more critical it is to stay on top of site maintenance. Some sites, for example, are required to move data not only across plants, but across the world, sometimes even between supplier and producers or head-office and satellite operations.
"Users must make sure that the technology works for them in an easy and reliable format - no matter how complex the set-up. This is where the money spent on maintenance is invaluable. New technologies such as .Net are emerging, making complex systems leaner and easier to develop," says Geng.
Geng explains that system maintenance means the software must also be backward compatible, as some customers have both old and new hardware, and this too needs to be maintained.
Today's Scada system maintenance is an amalgamation of rudimentary technology and state-of-the-art technology solutions in one system. Often, several layers of technology are deployed on a single solution. Using new technology doesn't mean replacing existing systems, it simply means being more flexible and extensible.
As operating systems and hardware platforms change, the Scada system needs to change with them. There's an element of continual innovation and improvement in systems maintenance. Geng says: "We are constantly in touch with Microsoft and the various hardware vendors to ensure that our software is up-to-speed."
So, what is Adroit doing to add value to maintenance clients? "With our maintenance contracts and service level agreements, we are able to benchmark systems and make sure there's no degradation in our system performance.
"We also have an excellent support team for new and old technology users, which customers can access via phone or online, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week," says Geng
Training at Adroit is constantly being upgraded to ensure that users are tested and trained in the latest technology. Training and re-skilling is an integral part of a site's maintenance contract and on larger systems, onsite training is always included.
Sometimes huge cost savings can be realised by deploying newly developed features, so educating customers and allowing them to deploy these features at no additional cost is paramount.
Deploying new technology for technology's sake is also not the way to go.
"If it ain't broke don't fix it," says Geng. A careful Swot-analysis of the benefits and potential risks should be done before any design change or change of standard is made.
"We talk and interact with our customers frequently. This gives us insight into what they require from a business perspective. It ensures that our development strategies are aligned with our customers needs."
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