SA Instrumentation & Control | Volume 40 | September 2024

Strategic approaches to legacy software in manufacturing By Gavin Halse.

One of the most critical and strategic roles of the CIO (or IT manager) is to ensure that the business’ information systems and tools are well maintained and up to date. Reliable software and hardware are both essential for providing timely, quality information that enables the business to function smoothly. If a critical system fails, the business could come to a standstill, forcing people to scramble, and revert to paper-based or backup systems. Even worse, production may stop, impacting the entire supply chain and all of your stakeholders. Legacy software not only increases the risk of system failure or cyberattack, but also becomes more expensive to maintain, as specialised skills become scarce, critical spare parts are harder to source, and technical debt accumulates from workarounds. The CIO is responsible for continuously assessing the underlying risk of such potential disasters. Typically, an IT modernisation programme involving a continuous cycle of refreshes and upgrades is necessary, with annual budgets allocated to support this process. CIOs are likely already familiar with this approach.

In some areas, the process of upgrading is relatively straightforward. By following vendor recommendations and consistently applying patches and upgrades, your business software is likely to remain reasonably up to date. Additionally, you may have a plan to upgrade hardware every three to four years, ensuring compatibility between new software versions and the hardware. Most companies have also by now transitioned to cloud-based software subscriptions, where much of the heavy lifting associated with upgrades and maintenance is managed by the service provider. The difficulties associated with modernising process automation and control systems However, when it comes to process automation and control, the situation becomes less clear. Scada and other process control applications are often overlooked in the upgrade cycle because they ‘just work’. Most commercial scada and related systems were designed to be inherently reliable, with stable hardware, operating systems, and applications. But over time, the backlog

accumulates and the risks become unacceptable, necessitating action. Because process automation and control systems are so specialised, it’s easy to separate them from the broader IT maintenance process. Because they just work, it is also easy to ignore the need to constantly update them. As a result, many scada systems, for example, are still running on outdated platforms like Windows XP and old versions of SQL Server, with the software applications themselves often being more than 10 years old and no longer supported by the vendor. A proactive risk management process should identify potential risks, and establish plans to mitigate them. However, in practice, IT and OT risks are not always integrated into the same risk register, nor are they consistently managed. In the IT world, software modernisation must be proactive, as even a brief delay can leave systems highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. This urgency typically ensures that IT systems in a manufacturing company are kept up to date. However, the same cannot be said for scada and process control systems. The prevailing

Gavin Halse

Gavin Halse, an experienced chemical process engineer, has been an integral part of the manufacturing industry since the 1980s. In 1999, he embarked on a new journey as an entrepreneur, establishing a software business that still caters to a global clientele in the mining, energy, oil and gas, and process manufacturing sectors. Gavin’s passion lies in harnessing the power of IT to drive performance in industrial settings. As an independent consultant, he offers his expertise to manufacturing and software companies, guiding them in leveraging IT to achieve their business objectives. His specialised expertise has made contributions to various industries around the world, reflecting his commitment to innovation and excellence in the field of manufacturing IT.

For more information contact Gavin Halse, TechnicalLeaders, gavin@gavinhalse.com, www.technicalleaders.com, www.linkedin.com/in/gavinhalse

34 September 2024 www.instrumentation.co.za