SCADA and IoT Solutions from Motorola and MCA Drive Operational Efficiency Across Industries
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems play a crucial role in driving operational efficiency and are continuously relied on to support the most demanding industrial applications across a variety of sectors, including the utility and manufacturing industries and within governmental and smart city applications. By harnessing SCADA and IoT applications, organizations can significantly enhance their operational processes, reduce downtime, and optimize resource utilization.
Utility Industry
For example, utility companies utilizing SCADA and IoT solutions can remotely monitor and control their infrastructure, enabling efficient management, proactive maintenance, and rapid response to potential issues while leading to improved service reliability and minimized disruptions for consumers.
Governments and Smart Cities
Municipal and state-wide governments can also deploy SCADA and IoT solutions to enhance public safety and more effectively monitor everything from public transit and traffic patterns to waste collection and noise levels. These applications can help create more connected environments that may enhance residents’ quality of life while improving sustainability.
Applications such as environmental monitoring that takes pollution and air quality measurements can identify potentially dangerous conditions and send alerts to residents and remediation teams, while traffic monitoring can help optimize traffic flow by adjusting signal lengths and managing congestion.
First Responders
IoT devices can also facilitate a wide range of tasks that help first responders get out the door and into action much faster. The same IoT devices that help relay emergency calls and send Mass Notifications to responders with astonishing speed can also complete automated tasks such as turning on lights and turning off the stove and oven. These seemingly small operations ensure that the team is preparing in a safe facility and that they don’t need to spend precious seconds turning off hazards and securing the premises.
Creating Secure and Reliable IoT Networks
The Motorola Solutions ACE3600 RTU and MC-Edge Intelligent Gateway can create incredibly secure and reliable IoT networks that connect remote devices, increase efficiency, and reduce redundancies.
ACE3600 RTU
The ACE3600 remote terminal unit (RTU) enables exceptional remote monitoring and control capabilities and can be configured for use with a variety of digital and analog interfaces. The flexibility of the ACE3600 RTU means that it can connect with several local devices, analyze the data, and relay that information to devices in other locations.
Additionally, every RTU in your network can act as a communication node or store, as well as a forward data repeater, which can extend radio frequency coverage and eliminate the need for a separate, dedicated repeater.
Most importantly, the ACE3600 RTU supports best-practice security measures, creating a self-contained and secure system. These measures include:
- Security Policy Enforcement – a set of system-wide configurations can be set in every RTU
- Built-In Firewall – IP communications can be filtered by port, protocol, direction, and IP address.
- Unused Port Deactivation – Disable communication from unused ports, closing off a point of attack
- Role-Based Access Controls – Users can be assigned different permissions based on their role and authorization levels
- Encryption – Data is only readable by devices with a specific decryption key
- Application Control Software – Software blocks unauthorized applications while allowing – or whitelisting – those that are approved
- Time-Window Commands – System components will only execute a command within a given time frame, preventing replication errors
- Intrusion Detection System – The device allows legitimate traffic while identifying unauthorized attempts, blocking them, and sending them to system administrators for review.
MC-EDGE
IoT devices are often the first line of defense for mission-critical environments that require robust connectivity and security. The MC-Edge intelligent gateway allows you to support and grow your IoT systems and support your mission-critical applications by acting as an Aux I/O server for dispatch centers. It’s fully configurable and manageable from its’ console while offering top-of-the-line security features.
With the MC-Edge wireless LoRaWAN gateways and servers, you can extend your operations to areas lacking power or communication coverage.
In addition, MC-Edge serves as a data aggregator and can take advantage of your existing LMR investments or multiple backhaul options for LoRa data retrieval while still providing a comprehensive, easy-to-deploy, low-power ecosystem.
Sophisticated security features built into the MC-Edge automatically detect malicious activity or violations of security policies, only allowing legitimate traffic to enter and logging and reporting unauthorized activity to a designated control center. At the same time, AES 256-bit encryption protects sensitive data end-to-end, whether at rest or in transit.
MC-Edge uses the MDLC communication protocol to connect distant sites and provide alternative communication links for fallback purposes, eliminating the need for expensive custom programming or additional communications infrastructure.
With edge computing capabilities, MC-Edge can perform tasks such as decision-making, filtering, logging, and analytics on the edge, enhancing your overall network capabilities, responsiveness, and efficiency.
<< Download PDF to Learn More >>
ABOUT US
MCA is one of the largest and most trusted integrators in the United States offering world-class voice, data, and security solutions that enhance the quality, safety, and productivity of customers, operations, and lives.
More than 65,000 customers trust MCA to provide carefully researched solutions for a safe, secure, and more efficient workplace. As your trusted advisor, we reduce the time and effort needed to research, install, and maintain the right solutions to make your workplace better.
Our team of certified professionals across the United States delivers a full suite of reliable technologies with a service first approach. The MCA advantage is our extensive service portfolio to support the solution lifecycle from start to finish.