An article on Choosing New SCADA Software; Dreams and Realities, written by Chris Little
Every time a business or utility completes a new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, their secret dream is that it will work flawlessly forever. In reality, the average system has an effective lifespan of about ten years. While some software manufacturers support their products well beyond this timeframe, others abruptly abandon product lines leaving users no choice but to start over with a different product. Other systems are replaced because they never worked quite as well as hoped. Replacing an existing system can present opportunities that are unavailable when building a SCADA system from scratch. This article outlines four concepts, or pillars, to support your search for new SCADA software that will help you build on the value of your existing system and grow with your changing needs well into the future.