Most SCADA systems utilize a network architecture that is over 50 years old. These network designs utilize serial communications, and antiquated poll-response data acquisiton paradigms. This network architecture was developed long before the Internet and are therefore limited in their ability to effectively and securely share information with other departments and divisions within the same company.
HOW CAN YOU BREAK DOWN THESE SILOS OF INFORMATION?
MQTT provides a number of advantages:
- Light Weight & Efficient Protocol
- Supports bi-directional communications
- Reliable Message Delivery
- Support for unreliable networks, like cellular
- Scales to millions of devices
- Security enabled
SCADA systems were the orginal mission-critical application and have provided decades of reliable service to oil & gas concerns, electric utilities, and to water/waste water. Although highly reliable, SCADA systems have limitations. Whenever you take an embedded system and tie it to an application, all innovation dies. As time goes on, the software developers exit the company, leaving only a few people who know how to work on the software. Over time, your SCADA system becomes fragile and you become scared of making any changes in fear that it will break and no one will be able to fix it.
SCADA systems are often isolated from the rest of a company's IT infrastructure, making them a silos of information. There is wealth of information contained in most SCADA systems that is tremendously valuable to other company departments, such as Measurement, Accounting, and Transportation, but SCADA systems are inherently closed networks, thereby hindering the free flow of information to other stakeholders.
New Star can help your company solve these issues.
Utlilizing an MQTT architecture for your existing, or planned, SCADA network will provide these tangible benefits:
- Reduce network traffic - often as much as 40-60%
- Reduce total system scan time
- Decouple network protocols from host software - you can operate multiple SCADA protocols at the edge, connecting to a different protocol on your SCADA host
- Blend disparate SCADA systems quickly
- Improve network security
- Eliminate stranded data in edge devices, like flow computers
- Seamlessly blend IT & OT systems
Message Queueing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) is an open standard lightweight, publish-subscribe network protocol that transports messages between devices. The protocol usually runs over TCP/IP; however, any network protocol that provides ordered, lossless, bi-directional connections can support MQTT. It is designed for connections with remote locations where a "small code footprint" is required or the network bandwidth is limited.
New Star can help your company migrate your legacy SCADA network to MQTT. We can also design and implement new SCADA networks with an MQTT architecture. To discuss any upcoming projects, contact us at (832) 917-1200 or info@newstar-inc.com.
IS YOUR SCADA SYSTEM PERFECT? THINK AGAIN
ENGINEERING ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS
New Star Energy Services (New Star) engineers and deploys industrial automation networks. From clean sheet designs to legacy system upgrades, our engineering team brings fresh thinking to the Industrial Automation Market.
New Star specialize in merging Information Technology (IT) systems with Operations Technology (OT) networks. New Star can help your company quickly and cost effectively merge disparate SCADA systems, and other OT networks, after a merger or acquisition. In additon to network engineering, New Star provides a wide range of telecomunication solutions, including cellular and satellite services. We have decades of experience designing network solutions that operate in remote locations and in harsh environments, as well as designing and implemnting business continuity and disaster recovery networks.