Emerson, a global software, technology and engineering provider, improved the scalability, data protection and threat intelligence of its Zedi Cloud supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software-as-a-service control platform by moving it to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. The more robust cloud host enables customers to securely scale their SCADA systems quickly and easily to achieve environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, better safeguard critical business assets, and empower users to adapt their operations to changing requirements while mitigating risks and operational costs.
Most industrial operations are challenged to efficiently meet cost reduction targets and demonstrate actions to attain sustainability goals. Emerson’s Zedi Cloud SCADA platform uses advanced automation and software, including machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence to build predictive models that lead to autonomous operations over time, helping support sustainability efforts in oil and gas, water/wastewater and other data-intensive industries. Critical data from those predictive models can then be stored in an operation’s data historian to more easily track and trend performance and emissions and demonstrate compliance to regulators.
“By moving to Azure, we can better provide managed IIoT services across the edge and cloud that easily connect, monitor and control assets around the world with multi-layered security, increased global data centers, and enhanced infrastructure,” said Nathan Pettus, president of Emerson’s process systems and software business. “The change improves Emerson’s already strong positioning to lead successful digital transformation efforts for several industries, providing solid and sustainable results with a vastly scalable, cloud-based solution that’s highly secure and extremely cost-effective.”
The move to Microsoft Azure provides the best scalability and enterprise-level functionality of all available cloud platforms. Users can add or remove assets as needed to manage traffic spikes, which is particularly useful as organizations acquire other businesses and need to scale rapidly to accommodate new assets and bring them online quickly. Azure also provides greater hybrid cloud flexibility to enable users to work remotely while maximizing existing on-premises assets for a faster path to safe and effective autonomous operations.
“I'm excited to see our customers expand their use of Microsoft products,” said Gary Nafus, vice president, manufacturing, Microsoft US. “The ultimate win is building trust with our customers when they select our products for critical operations, as we aim to continue to empower their business and tech efforts. I look forward to seeing Emerson’s use of Microsoft Azure to help power their Zedi Cloud SCADA platform– improving performance, ultra-high data resolution, and more flexibility for increased scalable and collaborative work. ESG efforts are very important today and this expansion will help push those efforts forward in a strong way.”
The Zedi Cloud SCADA platform helps personnel manage advanced analytics in formats that present authorized end users with clear, easily understood data accessible in the cloud anytime from anywhere. This improved access to intuitive data enables easy remote monitoring of assets, helping users improve operational performance even in rugged, dangerous, or distant locations. Increased layers of cybersecurity and the more robust network afforded by the Azure platform enable customers to further protect data for advanced continuity of operations.
