eWON introduces eFive, its new centralised remote management solution, compatible with industrial PLCs and SCADA software. Infrastructure managers can use it to connect their remote sites to a SCADA via a centralising VPN server.
A new market
With eFive, eWON is aiming at a very large new market: centralised remote management via SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition-Supervision). These remote management systems are used to process a large number of measurements in real time, and to control technical installations remotely. eFive allows infrastructure managers to have permanent secure connections (VPN) between the SCADA and the remote sites. ‘With eFive, we are addressing the water and renewable energies markets such as biogas, photovoltaic, and wind power,’ explains Serge Bassem, CEO and co-founder of eWON. eFive can connect 25 to 100 remote sites, according to the model. ‘We are aiming for small and medium-sized remote management systems of up to 100 remote sites. That is the part of the market with the strongest expectations for a solution open to PLCs and SCADAs.
An integrated and open solution
eFive opens up new and interesting prospects for all PLC and SCADA integrators working on remote management projects. In most cases, remote management solutions for distant sites are complex, requiring major investment in financial terms and for ICT infrastructure. The most common solutions comprise a central SCADA software package connected to RTUs by a special driver that manages communication and creates the interface with the SCADA software. The problem with these solutions is their dependence on the type of SCADA and RTU used.
‘With eFive combined with our eWON routers, that will not be the case,’ asserts Pierre Crokaert, CTO and co-founder of eWON. ‘Our solutions incorporate communication protocols based on open standards such as Modbus TCP. The connection is easy to set up, irrespective of the brand of SCADA or controller. This can also constitute a financial advantage for the customer. The customer will not need to worry about finding a provider that is compatible with the driver of the SCADA it uses, and in certain cases will be able to do without an OPC server (OLE for process control).’
Two separate markets
‘Until now, with our various hardware and software solutions, including Talk2M, we were concentrating on remote access on demand to a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)’, explains Serge Bassem, CEO and co-founder of eWON. ‘Most of our customers are machine manufacturers who connect in the event of a problem to perform a diagnosis or maintenance of the PLC on a machine.’
With eFive, eWON is satisfying a different type of need: continuous real-time connections with remote installations and sites. ‘Here, our customers are managers of technical installations or infrastructure who want to feed a SCADA-type centralised remote management system with real-time data.’
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