SCADA-EMS on the Internet

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems employ a wide range of computer and communication technologies. Advances in these technologies have helped in improving the effectiveness of SCADA. One such development is the Internet and the World Wide Web. True to its name, it has been successful in casting a web over the wide variety of platforms and applications used in the entire information technology industry. The network thus achieved, paved a way for the common interfaces to access the data available on the net. The Internet has a strong influence on the applications and the application development environment. So, how exactly can SCADA and EMS benefit from this technological revolution ? To start with, it gives global access to the SCADA data. Today, the Internet is accessible from most corners of the world. Any off-the-shelf web browser could provide the connectivity and access to the data. This means freedom from vendor dependent hardware and software. Apart from this, it also means that different departments of a utility can also access the data without having to put in place a dedicated Intranet and other such infrastructure which calls for investments. Data security will be a matter of concern and has to be addressed. This paper talks about such issues as well as a pilot implementation