SPOTLIG HT A NEW AGE OF SOF T WARE
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C A N SO F T WA R E B E F U T U R E - P RO O F ? In the context of capital goods, there has always been a great deal of concern for ensuring that investments are “future-proof.” The focus is on investments that stand the test of time and deliver the desired level of added value over their complete lifecycle. In an environment where software is undergoing constant change, it is worth asking ourselves how future-proof an investment in software will be. Indeed, can software ever really be future-proof? Those who are familiar with zenon will know that this issue has always been one of our company’s preoccupations. We have committed ourselves to investing in development on an ongoing basis, so we are constantly introducing new product versions to the market. However, we are always very careful to maintain compatibility, making sure the latest zenon versions will still be suitable for use with – and for the development of – existing applications and projects. Since 1987, our promise has been to make zenon a software application that delivers long-term return on investment and, thanks to its continuous development, ensures sustained added value. On that score, nothing has changed and nothing will change. CO M B I N I N G LO N G S E RVI C E LI F E WITH AG I LIT Y The typical service life of plants and machinery in the production and energy sectors is between 15 and 25 years. Traditionally, the software that used to operate these systems was supplied along with them from the start and remained unchanged over their entire lifecycle. Even higher-level systems were, for a long time, constrained by structural considerations, and they often remained in operation, unchanged, until they were eventually replaced. In such circumstances, problems began to arise when underlying hardware failed and replacement hardware or the original operating system was no longer available.
At a time when more and more applications are interconnected, these structural concepts are no longer practical when it comes to software. Security demands, coupled with the need to maintain compatibility with the rest of a company’s IT provision, have made continuous patch management and a long-term update strategy an absolute necessity. zenon offers a solution to these challenges thanks to its thoroughly consistent compatibility. zenon makes it easy to migrate to newer operating systems and zenon versions. TH E C H A LLE N G E S O F ( TO DAY A N D) TO M O R ROW Although the production and energy sectors have significant differences, there is a common thread that unites them both. If we want to meet the needs of the future and make good on our value proposition, we need networkcapable and agile systems with distributed intelligence and integration along the entire value chain. In the production sector, the essential goal is to engineer systems that meet the growing demand for customizable solutions – even down to lot sizes of one. In the energy sector, the goal is to build an infrastructure in which renewable energy accounts for a majority of the energy generated. For both industries, our promise is to provide added value for end consumers. And, in order to pursue this objective, software will have to take on the challenge when it comes to adaptability.
Figure 1: Ma i nt a i n i n g ef f ic ie nc y, a g i l it y, a nd r e l iabi l it y ove r t he e nt i r e l i fe c yc le of pla nt s a nd m ac h i ne r y.
zenon project zenon version Operating system Hardware
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