3 Destructive Myths that Kill SCADA Upgrades

A system comprised of software and hardware working in unison is an amazing thing. If all goes well, you can keep your system running for a pretty long time.

Hardy, well-written software can chug along for months – even years – without failure. Industrial hardware is built to last, so it’s no surprise that companies are getting plenty of mileage out of today’s high-end PCs.

And sure, you can buy out-of-date components online. You can even find old drivers, patches, or workarounds.

But what if you’re in charge of a municipality’s computer system that ensures clean, consistent water is delivered to hundreds of thousands of homes? Or what if you’re in charge at a major food and beverage manufacturer?

Do you want your significant automation investment to run on hardware the original manufacturer put on the end-of-life list three years ago? Do you want the profitability of your operations to hinge on software that should’ve been upgraded seven versions ago?

While there are plenty of reasons why systems go days, weeks, or even years without being upgraded, much of the time these excuses are shortsighted.

Maybe it’s that there’s no room in the budget, the task seems too complicated, or there simply isn’t enough time to perform the actual upgrade.

But let’s back up.

SCADA Systems – The Backbone of Our Industry

SCADA systems, or supervisory control and data acquisition systems really are the backbone of modern industry.  They serve as the core of operations for thousands of production facilities, oil and gas companies, utilities and manufacturing plants.

For those of us who are tasked with working with the SCADA, it’s our job to know how and when it’s time to upgrade our systems in order to keep them stable, effective, and most importantly, profitable.

But to be technical, what we’re really doing is avoiding all the challenges associated with obsolescence.

Remember when Microsoft ended support on Windows XP, the widely popular operating system? It’s estimated that even after April 8, 2014, the official date Microsoft would end support for XP, 30% of Internet-connected PCs were still running the obsolete operating system.

And even the U.S. Navy signed a contract with Microsoft to keep support going on the already discontinued operating system to the tune of $9 million a year.

Why would the Navy want to pay to use this obsolete system? Top officials said that ending the support contract would leave critical control and command systems vulnerable to attack.

Still, it’s obvious that no company, big or small, is immune from struggling with performing system upgrades.

When we talk about performing a system upgrade in the industrial space, we’re not referring to simply applying patches or installing service packs. For the purpose of this conversation, upgrades refer to:

• Moving to newer versions of software, more importantly SCADA software, and away from older and potentially obsolete versions
• Moving to newer versions of a driver or drivers depending on what your communication protocols are
• Moving to newer operating systems and newer computer hardware
• Some combination of the above

Planning and deploying an upgrade takes a little time and effort, and at times, requires a plan of attack. Especially when dealing with the hesitations that often surround an upgrade project.

Three common reasons why organizations fail to perform an upgrade are:

• The systems upgrade is not in the budget
• If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it
• Current personnel are unsure how to go about the upgrade

A SCADA Upgrade Project Isn’t in the Budget – This Year or the Next

It’s true, most departments work within a budget that is set well in advance of the period in which they’re currently working. So if the project rears its head in Q2, it’s arguable that the upgrade just isn’t in the cards at the moment.

And as for the resources needed to complete the project – both monetary and human – it’s reasonable that they have been allocated already.

This is an understandable dilemma. Organizations sometimes have limited resources. There is and will always be the threat of that.

The problem is when organizations choose to push off critical system upgrades by pointing to budget constraints year after year. Placing the blame on lack of resources only pushed back a necessary project and lets the system – which was already identified as nearing or at obsolescence – age further.

But consider this. In the period where a SCADA system isn’t being upgraded, yearly budgets will include line items for spare parts, maintenance work, services, training, capital investments, etc. All of those things are important, for sure, but the SCADA is the backbone of your entire network. Putting off maintenance to your bedrock system puts the rest of the network at risk.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

You’ve probably heard this adage before. It certainly holds a lot of truth in applicable situations.

But the phrase really applies where we’re making changes and the effort and cost are going to far exceed whatever relative utility we’re going to gain from making those changes.

In terms of your SCADA, however, that argument simply doesn’t apply here. A relatively new version of a SCADA system is probably going to include some improved functions and features, but we’re not performing a system upgrade simply for the sake of new features.

Take automobile maintenance. Buying new tires for your car can provide benefits like improved mileage or just a safer vehicle. If you maintain the air pressure, watch the tread, you should have little chance for experiencing an issue from that part of the car.

Ignore the air in your tires, and you could end up paying more and more in gas, a little at a time.

Upkeeping and caring for your car is not much unlike performing necessary upgrades for your SCADA system. After all, it’s those emergency roadside repairs that end up being the most inconvenient.

A Lack of Experience in How the System Came to Be Leads to Uncertainty

This is a pretty common situation. No matter the industry, many workers have shifting roles and many responsibilities. Sometimes we get thrown into situations where we may or may not be familiar with what’s going on.

And it’s in our nature to approach a new project such as an upgrade with some anxiety. As human beings, we don’t want to feel like we’re going out on a limb without having all the information needed.

This is especially true in the automation sector. It’s not too uncommon to run into systems where the software or hardware was installed and perhaps still maintained by outside solution consultants or integrators.

When it is time to upgrade the system, those who use it all the time probably do have a grasp on how things work together. But it’s a sure bet that they don’t have the total picture because they didn’t play a role in the install. Of course, it’s obvious how this situation could cause some major hesitation in the project’s timeline.

Whatever the hesitation around upgrading a legacy SCADA system, the leading factor in helping the organization to understand the importance of the project is to understand the true risk of doing nothing.

If any of these common situations sound familiar to you, find out how you and your organization can learn to overcome them in the whitepaper, “Three Destructive Myths that Kill SCADA Upgrades,” available for download.

<a href=”https://graymattersystems.com/hmi-scada-upgrade-project-white-paper/”>Download Here</a>