There is this one pressing question that companies repeatedly contemplate when they discuss the topics of remote monitoring and asset control – how will it change or improve with the Internet of Things? This is because most organisations are already doing that with SCADA systems.
This is a relevant and interesting question, which can only be answered by comparing the functions of SCADA and IoT for industrial uses.
Device interconnectivity –
When utilising SCADA systems, the unification of devices that are created by unique manufacturers is not easy. Sometimes, even when the devices are from one manufacturer, it is a hurdle to use them interchangeably if their version differs. Additionally, they need a horizontal program that can perform across a variety of devices, irrespective of their vendor or version.
On the other end of the spectrum, the IoT system relies on the concept of interconnectivity. The main aim of this is to facilitate communication across a variety of devices, irrespective of their model or maker. IoT uses protocols like MQTT to ensure unfettered communication across varying devices in an entire system.
System ownership expenses
By using SCADA systems, businesses can collect data to a limited extent, after which that data will be replaced by fresh inputs. This implies that, in order to store extra data, companies must spend on extra servers with enhanced capacities. Additionally, when it comes to software licensing or acquiring supplementary features, SCADA users have to purchase separate licenses for additional services and have to continually pay for upgrading the system.
The Industrial Internet of Things can significantly reduce the hardware and system ownership expenses for companies, while also negating the need for software licensing and upgrading by implementing cloud services.
Data insights
While using SCADA systems, companies tend to experience shortcomings in analysing old data and then interpreting it. It does not concentrate on collecting or examining the data that businesses are producing on an everyday basis. The information neither brings any value or insights to the company nor does it render any relevant help to the decision makers of the business. We say this because this data does not portray the contextual knowledge of the datasets, making it more difficult to understand.
In this spectrum, IoT shines quite brightly. The Industrial Internet of Things accumulates and saves data from every business function, following which it applies big data processes and algorithms to predict efficiency and avoid any potential ramifications. With clear insights from IoT, companies gain the ability to predict sudden equipment failures and maintenance needs.
Having studied the comparison between the two phenomena on the parameters of device interconnectivity, costs, and data analytics, it is clear that IIoT outshines SCADA systems.