The Growing Demand for Business Intelligence from HMI/SCADA

The rapid growth of cloud computing, big data, and IoT communications have changed the landscape for SCADA and HMI systems. Where once it was acceptable only to monitor and control process, the capabilities for interconnected systems have increased demand for multi-purpose data. This has sparked a huge increase in demand for HMI & SCADA derived data like Business Intelligence dashboards that showcase the health of the business along with the efficiency of the machines that power it.

A push for IoT has finally made it possible to easily link disparate systems

Business intelligence solutions often had slow adoption because of the difficulty of connecting the various systems required to make such a dashboard work as advertised. To get the information required to make rapid business decisions, managers need access to machine data, SCADA, supply and material information, and many other variables that don’t necessarily reside on the same system. Many business intelligence software packages struggled with this level of communication initially. However, AVEVA Edge has been able to offer a business intelligence tool available that can act either as a standalone application or as a part of a broader integrated SCADA/HMI.

The push for IoT solutions means that components and parts are now able to connect to the internet, which makes it possible to incorporate them in Business Intelligence dashboards. As more SCADA and HMI solutions are able to connect to these devices, it becomes easier to create a fleshed out picture of the current state of production within a business.

Mobile options for Business Intelligence solutions are rapidly changing to meet demand

Business Intelligence solutions are no longer only available on desktops. Solutions like the AVEVA Edge BI dashboard can be viewed on any web browser that supports HTML5, including smartphones and tablets. The push toward remote connectivity makes developing a business intelligence solution much more attractive than it might have been when managers could only access their data from the plant offices, rather than from anywhere on the floor, or even from another plant entirely.

Cloud Computing and Big Data make storing and accessing the data easier and more efficient

With the rise of cloud computing and Big Data, storing vast amounts of data no longer represents an infrastructure problem for industrial automation. With means of storing huge amount of data and the ability to access the data from any machine, it makes much more sense to make use of Business Intelligence software that can turn that data into meaningful information.

Retaining process data only for the sake of reports or audits is a waste of potential. Accessing and analyzing that date in real-time allows plant managers the opportunity to make fact-based business decisions as opportunities arise, rather than trying to piece together data after the fact.

AVEVA has a ready-made Business Intelligence Dashboard Template that can be used on its own, or with an AVEVA Edge application.