Is your control system approaching its end-of-life product lifecycle?
Does your system rely on replacement parts that are increasingly harder to find?
Is it more difficult to find or hire personnel who have experience with your control system?
It may be time to upgrade. But – How to choose the right system?
When you have identified that it’s time to upgrade your control system, you want to explore all the options that are available to you. It is especially important to find a control system that best fits your application. For example: if you need to upgrade a controller, you would avoid upgrading the entire control system.
Some manufacturers’ control system platforms offer a variety of upgrade and migration solutions and strategies. For some end users, there are migration strategies that may be a better solution than a complete upgrade. In other cases, a complete system upgrade may be the answer. Most of the time the best solution is somewhere in between.
How would you go about choosing which solution or strategy is right for your application? Maybe your company is standardizing on a single platform, which simplifies your options. But sometimes the field of options is wide open.
Understanding your unique needs and expectations is vital to choosing the proper system. This can be a challenging task if you don’t have the required information.
When choosing your control system, you should think about:
Lifecycle of Existing Assets
Pros/Cons of Technology Solution Options
- Evaluated by an unbiased party with hands on experience
- How will the technology solution better enable you to meet industry requirements and best practices such as safety and cybersecurity (ISA, NFPA, CISA)?
Feasibility and Impact of the Solution
- Technology solution and strategy
- Potential downtime and risk mitigation
Maintenance and Support
- Effort required to maintain the system
- Training of staff to maintain the system
- Identify established partners in order to provide timely support
Total Cost of Ownership
- Evaluated by an unbiased party with hands on experience
Champion understands the challenge of a new system meets your requirements, and how it will function or grow for your future needs. Our team specializes in leading clients through the process of choosing a control system that is right for their specific needs – and their budgets. As part of our process, we will work with your team to define your goals and expectations, conduct an assessment, and recommend the best, unbiased solution that aligns with your goals. Bring your control system from the past into the present, while you plan for the future. Contact us today for an assessment to plan your systems roadmap.
Want to learn more about Champion?
Champion Technology Services, Inc. is an industrial control systems integrator that provides OT services across the United States and abroad. Our team includes ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Experts and GICSP (Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional)-certified professionals in the latest NIST standards. We help small, medium, and large companies assess their existing control systems and implement protocols that meet their facility’s requirements while maintaining our status as an unbiased third-party solution provider.