How do you manage the creation of backups for programming environments of field devices and SCADA systems?

This was one of the questions faced by the nearly 250 attendees of the past Wonderware Digital Transformation Days 2018 in Valencia, Madrid, and Bilbao. It was part of an anonymous questionnaire that we distributed at the end of each event, with the purpose of identifying technological needs and improvements for the management and exploitation of information in real time.

How do you manage the creation of backups for the programming environments of field devices (PLCs, Robots, RTUs) and SCADA Systems?

• I create copies using Change Management Systems.
• I create manual copies.
• I use Acronis-type systems.

From these, we can infer the following conclusions.

• The creation of backups of the programming environments of field devices (PLCs, Robots, RTUs) and SCADA systems is a cross-cutting problem for any industrial or infrastructure sector.
• A large majority of organizations perform this practice manually (76%) or using IT solutions (Acronis type) adapted to the OT environment (3%).
• What is not reflected in this survey is the number of organizations that do not have designed and/or implemented procedures and systems that allow them to carry out the creation of these backups.

What do we at Logitek propose for the management of backups of programming environments or field devices?

As our expert Ángel Fernández, Solution Manager of the High Availability and Industrial Cybersecurity areas of Logitek, mentioned during his intervention at the Wonderware Digital Transformation Day, the context of operation in which backups and version management of field device programs (PLC, RTU, DCS) and SCADA/HMI systems are carried out is as follows:

1. There are different external and internal agents that carry out changes in the configuration of the different field devices:
   • Engineering carries out improvements in production processes.
   • Maintenance performs preventive or corrective actions on field devices.
   • Operation executes version changes, interfaces, configuration depending on the product, batch…
   • Administration assigns privileges and manages the system comprehensively.
2. Situations arise, such as those described below, that hinder the optimal management of backups:
   • Heterogeneity in update procedures.
   • Deletion of the file without a backup or without the latest version.
   • Absence of modification comments.
   • Changes without the possibility of going back.
   • No visibility or traceability of changes made.
   • Uncontrolled simultaneity of actors with access to the programs.
3. The following consequences occur:
   • Reduction of industrial productivity.
   • Increase in non-productive time.
   • Underutilization of available resources.
   • Increase in mean time to repair.
   • Variation in the homogeneity and quality of the products.

Taking this context into account, at Logitek we believe that the incorporation of Change Management Systems increases the availability and fault tolerance of field devices and real-time systems, reducing the MTTR (Mean Time to Repair). In particular, these systems:

• Introduce identification, access, and authorization control to the programs (under user and password).
• Offer a server as a common repository for PLC programs.
• Offer native management of versions of PLC programs.
• Perform comparisons between the programs loaded in the PLCs and those saved in a central repository.
• Provide the functionality to perform automatic backups of PLC programs.
• Allow for traceability of the users who modify the programs.
• Allow for the sending of alarm emails with the results of the comparisons.
• Help to create specific reports associated with the operation of the Change Management System itself.

Over the next few days, we are going to talk with different maintenance directors, production directors, industrial IT directors, and/or OT systems managers to explain in depth the advantages and benefits that the incorporation of a Change Management System can bring to an industrial organization or critical infrastructure. If you are interested in learning about our proposal and approach to this problem, do not hesitate to contact us through this form.