What is a SCADA system?

A SCADA system is a combination of hardware and software that enables the 

automation of industrial processes by capturing Operational Technology (OT) real-
time data. SCADA connects the sensors that monitor equipment like motors,
pumps, and valves to an onsite or remote server. 

 A SCADA system empowers organizations to:

 Control processes locally or at remote locations

 Acquire, analyze and display real-time data
 Directly interact with industrial equipment such as sensors, valves, pumps,
and motors 
 Record and archive events for future reference or report creation.

SCADA system hardware

Hardware such as Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and Programmable Logic

Controllers (PLCs) serve as local collection points for acquiring sensor information.
This hardware in a modern SCADA system will often trigger actions of the
connected piece of equipment via programmed logic. In a SCADA system, the
collected data from the sensors is gathered by a computer commonly known as a
“gateway.”

Different edge workloads use computer hardware in various ways.

 Gateways pass the data from PLCs to servers or to the edge.

 Edge computers are close to the source of the data and can act as a
gateway. However, they will first process the data before transferring to
the cloud or central physical server. This enables quicker decisions at a local
level as well as bandwidth and cost savings.
 Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) provide a local touchscreen interface
for machine monitoring and control. They can also act as gateways or edge
computers. 
 The server itself acts as the central control for your local SCADA system.
Your local historian server (historical data logging over time) may live here.
Depending on the architecture it may also report back to cloud or a larger
server on the enterprise network
Once collected, sensor data can either be acted upon directly through the use of
SCADA software, or saved for later review. SCADA systems can help monitor and
control processes from the same location in which actions are performed, or from
a remote site.  

How does SCADA work?

One of the major efficiencies of SCADA is the ability to monitor and control
systems in your facility from multiple locations – even remote locations.
Depending on the configuration of the SCADA control system, the state of the
production processes can be viewed from an operator workstation overlooking
the industrial plant, a HMI located directly beside machinery, or even from the
home of an employee.

You can also influence and control a SCADA environment without having to
directly respond to each event. Using logic-based rules, operators are able to
designate the completion of certain actions when sensors detect abnormalities.
For example, is the rotating bit on a plywood cutting machine vibrating
excessively? The SCADA software can be programmed to power down the
machine immediately and avoid causing further potential harm to materials or
operators.

Facilities often choose a hybrid version of direct and automated control by

creating rules that alert an operator to the abnormal operation. The operator can
then make an informed decision on the appropriate next steps.

Who uses SCADA?

By providing real-time visibility over the state of assets and operations, SCADA
helps business owners and operators make smarter decisions, improve efficiency,
and minimize downtime. A huge range of industries use SCADA including
manufacturing facilities, oil and gas operations, and public utilities. 

Examples of a SCADA system

Smart City
From wastewater treatment to power grid management, smart cities are
increasingly relying on SCADA control systems to help monitor and optimize
everything from traffic light patterns to public power consumption. When a city is
able to see spikes in resource usage, such as public transit or electrical
consumption, they are able to more quickly respond.

Cities can optimize resources over the long term when repeated trends are
recognized. For example, certain temperatures and humidity levels may directly
correlate with residents turning on their heating or cooling systems. City
managers can prepare the grid to increase electrical production and transfer as
those conditions develop. 

At a more granular level, the increasing number of electric vehicles being charged
is likely to have a growing impact on city electric grids. SCADA systems are one
way to help monitor and adjust to evolving demands for power such as this.

Smart Manufacturing
Modern factories monitor data from machinery sensors in order to predict
maintenance, monitor output speed, and increase operator safety. For example, a
piece of equipment may become less efficient at a certain point in its
maintenance cycle. With a SCADA system, you could recognize this pattern and
change the maintenance schedule to avoid a production bottleneck. Without a
SCADA system, it would be difficult to recognize such patterns manually.

Components of a SCADA system

SCADA systems include components deployed in the field to gather real-time
data, as well as related systems to enable data collection and enhance industrial
automation. SCADA components include the following:

 Sensors and actuators. A sensor is a feature of a device or system that detects

inputs from industrial processes. An actuator is a feature of the device or
system that controls the mechanism of the process. In simple terms, a sensor
functions like a gauge or meter, which displays the status of a machine; an
actuator acts like a switch, dial or control valve that can be used to control a
device. Both sensors and actuators are controlled and monitored by SCADA
field controllers.
 SCADA field controllers. These interface directly with sensors and actuators.
There are two categories of field controllers:
1. Remote telemetry units, also called remote terminal units (RTUs), interface
with sensors to collect telemetry data and forward it to a primary system
for further action.
2. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) interface with actuators to control
industrial processes, usually based on current telemetry collected by RTUs
and the standards set for the processes.
 SCADA supervisory computers. These control all SCADA processes and are
used to gather data from field devices and to send commands to those devices
to control industrial processes.
 HMI software. This provides a system that consolidates and presents data
from SCADA field devices and enables operators to understand and, if needed,
modify the status of SCADA-controlled processes.
 Communication infrastructure. This enables SCADA supervisory systems to
communicate with field devices and field controllers. This infrastructure
enables SCADA systems to collect data from field devices and to control those
devices.
Features of SCADA systems
Although SCADA systems may include special features for specific industries or
applications, most systems support the following features:

 Data acquisition is a foundation of SCADA systems; sensors collect data and

deliver it to field controllers, which, in turn, feed data to the SCADA
computers.
 Remote control is achieved through the control of field actuators, based on
the data acquired from field sensors.
 Networked data communication enables all SCADA functions. Data collected
from sensors must be transmitted to SCADA field controllers, which, in turn,
 communicate with the SCADA supervisory computers; remote control
commands are transmitted back to actuators from the SCADA supervisory
computers.
 Data presentation is achieved through HMIs, which represent current and
historical data to the operators running the SCADA system.
 Real-time and historical data are both important parts of the SCADA system,
as they enable users to track current performance against historical trends.
 Alarms alert SCADA operators to potentially significant conditions in the
system. Alerts can be configured to notify operators when processes are
blocked, when systems are failing, or when other aspects of SCADA processes
need to be stopped, started or adjusted.
 Reporting on SCADA system operations can include reports on system status,
process performance and reports customized to specific uses.
SCADA architecture
SCADA systems operate at five of the six levels defined in the Purdue Enterprise
Reference Architecture for enterprise integration:

 Level 0. The field level includes field devices, such as sensors, used to forward
data relating to field processes and actuators used to control processes.
 Level 1. The direct control level includes local controllers, such as PLCs and
RTUs, that interface directly with field devices, including accepting data inputs
from sensors and sending commands to field device actuators.
 Level 2. The plant supervisory level includes local supervisory systems that
aggregate data from level controllers and issue commands for those
controllers to carry out.
 Level 3. The production control level includes systemwide supervisory systems
that aggregate data from Level 2 systems to produce ongoing reporting to the
production scheduling level, as well as other site or regionwide functions, like
alerts and reporting.
 Level 4. The production scheduling level includes business systems used to
manage ongoing processes.
SCADA use cases and industry examples
SCADA is used to assist in automating and managing industrial processes that
have become too complex or cumbersome for human monitoring and control.
SCADA is particularly useful for processes that can be monitored and controlled
remotely, especially in cases where it is possible to reduce waste and improve
efficiency.

Some common industry examples of SCADA industrial automation are the

following:

 electricity generation and distribution;

 oil and gas refining operations;
 telecommunications infrastructure;
 transportation and shipping infrastructure;
 fabrication and other industrial processing;
 food and beverage processing;
 chemical manufacturing; and
 utilities infrastructure, including water and waste control.

With SCADA, these processes can be monitored closely and tweaked to improve
performance over time.

Evolution of SCADA architecture

The history of SCADA parallels the history of enterprise computing. The earliest
SCADA systems were implemented in large industrial enterprises, as they first
started to integrate mainframe computing resources with industrial processes.
As computing, networking, and process monitoring and control systems have
improved, SCADA evolved through the following four stages:

1. First generation: Monolithic systems. SCADA systems implemented in the

1960s and 1970s usually incorporated RTUs at industrial sites connected
directly to mainframe or minicomputer systems, usually also on-site or
connected over wide area network
2. Second generation: Distributed systems. SCADA systems took advantage of
wide availability of proprietary local area networks and smaller, more
powerful computers during the 1980s to enable greater sharing of operational
data at the plant level and beyond. However, the lack of open networking
standards prevented interoperability across SCADA product vendors.
3. Third generation: Networked systems. SCADA systems depended on greater
interoperability provided by industry acceptance and incorporation of
standard network protocols during the 1990s. SCADA systems could be scaled
more easily, as enterprises were able to integrate systems across their own
industrial infrastructure, while using a wider variety of devices and systems.
4. Fourth generation: Web- or IIoT-based systems. SCADA systems began
appearing in the early 2000s as SCADA vendors embraced web software
development tools to enable transparent interoperability and access via
universally available interfaces, like web browsers running on handheld
devices, laptops and desktop computers.

As cloud computing increasingly dominates the enterprise computing world, it is

also changing SCADA systems. SCADA systems can be scaled faster and more
easily by allocating cloud computing resources as needed for surges and reducing
those resources when demand drops.

Legacy vs. modern SCADA

Organizations still use legacy SCADA computing resources, like mainframes and
old proprietary sensors and actuators. These systems may still be functional, in
which case organizations can be reluctant to invest in more modern SCADA
systems.

Modern SCADA systems that rely on network interoperability, distributed

computing and modern communication infrastructures offer better returns on
investment of time and resources.

Benefits of modern SCADA

The benefits of updating legacy SCADA systems include the following:

 Scalability. Modern SCADA systems are more scalable than legacy systems for
several reasons, including better availability of supported hardware and
software and use of cloud computing to meet workload demand.
 Interoperability. Legacy SCADA systems rely on proprietary hardware and
software, resulting in vendor lock-in.
 Communications. Modern SCADA systems support more widely supported
and modern communications protocols, which enable greater accessibility to
SCADA data and controls.
 Support. Legacy SCADA systems may have limited options for support, while
modern systems are more likely to be well supported by vendors. Use
of commercial off-the-shelf hardware, open networking standards and modern
software development platforms makes third-party support more accessible as
well.