what do we mean by the term SCADA

At its core, SCADA combines hardware and software to collect data from sensors, devices, or machines, process that data, and present it to operators via a human-machine interface (HMI).

Operators can then send commands to control equipment—like turning a pump on or off, adjusting a valve, or responding to alerts. It’s built to handle large-scale systems, so it’s common in things like power plants, where you need to track everything from voltage levels to turbine performance.

The architecture typically includes: Field devices: Sensors and actuators (e.g., temperature sensors, pressure gauges, or motors) that interact with the physical world. Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) or Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs): and with SCADA Studio the 900 series digital and analogue devices These gather data from the field devices and execute control commands. Communication networks: Wired (like Ethernet) or wireless systems that link field devices to the central system.

SCADA software: The brains of the operation, processing data, logging it, and displaying it on an HMI—think dashboards with graphs, alarms, and controls. Historian databases: For storing and analysing trends over time. It’s big on automation but doesn’t fully replace humans—operators still make high-level decisions based on what SCADA shows. Security’s a hot topic too, since SCADA systems are increasingly connected to the internet, making them targets for cyberattacks. 

Our controllers  use LINUX and VNC which in themselves  are very secure..