XaaS

Integrators Becoming More Valuable to Their Clients By Moving Towards An Xaas Model For Providing Services

By: Steve Malyszko, CEO Malisko

XaaS is a general, collective term referring to the delivery of anything “as a service” usually over the internet. The vast number of products, tools, services, and technologies that suppliers now deliver to users as a service over a network — typically the internet – can be included. Anything provided locally or on-site within a plant operation cannot.

To date, internet-delivery of critical services for the plant floor are not widely accepted. That said, a number of components comprising a plant’s automation systems cannot feasibly be included in the XaaS model and will remain on-premises. Some components however, such as IoT platforms, are more adaptable to a cloud-based infrastructure because they are more informational in nature lending themselves to remote access and remote support. Private cloud infrastructures onsite are also conducive to remote management at a minimum.

Some of our clients were engaging in serious dialogue about leveraging the IIoT and digital transformation to enhance their manufacturing operations and, thus, improve their profits, market growth and sustainability. Then COVID-19 hit. Clients curtailed any discussions on traditional talking points relating to IIoT. Rather, their focus became keeping their manufacturing facilities operational along with how they could address “contact tracing” in their plants to minimize the risk of shutting down production due to COVID-19. Many clients prohibited all outside contractors, including integrators, to enter their plants. Additionally, there seemed to be an ever-increasing challenge for system integrators to get their clients engaged in physical design reviews, code reviews, panel checkouts and factory acceptance tests. Travel restrictions, travel costs, travel time, and time away from the factory were the primary reasons for the client’s pushback to be involved. COVID-19 has been causing a shift in how clients view spending related to manufacturing automation, IIoT, digital transformation and the essential technical resources to support these platforms. Clients thirst for applications and professional services that leverage remote platforms and allow quick access to technical services when needed without the need for someone to physically travel to their plant. To remain relevant and of value to their clients, SI’s must consider adjusting their service models to align with their clients’ needs. Perhaps SI’s need to alter their business model of delivering services to its clients; moving from “on-premises” only to delivery inspired by the SaaS model – “Software as a Service”. Other models, however, do exist; let’s examine them.

Many system integrators currently provide on-premises service and support, when requested by the client, across the components of a contemporary manufacturing automation OT [Operational Technology] Stack, as illustrated in Figure 1. The integrator typically reacts to the needs or requests of its clients for troubleshooting services, upgrades to existing components, or additions to the control system to handle new equipment for process, packaging, assembly, storage or utilities. In some cases the integrator has an embedded resource physically located within the client’s facility; five (5) days each week, eight (8) hours each day. This model can work so long as all the problems, issues and requests by plant production, maintenance and operations occur in that 8-hour window each day.

An elementary support model an SI could consider offering to their clients is “Infrastructure as a Service”; or IaaS; as illustrated in Figure 2. Traditional IaaS refers to an instant computing infrastructure, provisioned and managed over the internet. The industrial version focuses on the on-premises “Solution Stack” comprised of server, network, hypervisor and virtual machines. The assets are physically located within the client’s facilities. However, the SI remotely manages and monitors the health and integrity of the infrastructure. Additionally, the SI can manage software/hardware lifecycle and system patching.

Clients have tangible business justification for making investments with their partner System Integrators in monitoring the health and well-being of the OT assets. Most notably is a reduction in, or hopefully, elimination of unplanned downtime and lost production via continuous OT monitoring. Other cost savings most likely will include ensuring software license compliance on key assets as well as helping create proactive break/fix policies that mitigate lost production opportunities. Another equally crucial cost avoidance will be to minimize/eliminate the impact of security breaches.

Another step an SI might consider taking is to adapt their business model, or at least a portion of it, to providing an industrial-specific adaptation of the “Platform as a Service” model; or PaaS; as illustrated in Figure 3. This specific adaptation is referring to the SI setting up and maintaining simulation and development environments for their customers. This has historically been done onsite at the plant, but in this sort of PaaS environment all physical equipment such as PLC’s, Servers, and Networks reside on the SI’s premises or in the cloud. I/O assemblies, instrumentation and sensors are, generally, replaced by virtual devices via simulation software platforms. Setup, configuration and maintenance of operating systems, software updates, storage, and infrastructure are handled by the SI. A PaaS model is intended to provide a platform for application software creation, development, and testing free of the hassle and headache of maintaining the hardware/software platforms. This PaaS model could also be used for training of client’s operational and technical support resources.

This variation of the PaaS model provides an improved platform for development and testing. What it does not provide is a means to directly support the daily needs of the operational manufacturing plant. If, or when, and integrator is savvy enough to provide PaaS of any form, whether that be onsite or remote, the next logical step is to provide purpose-built applications that could be offered in a SaaS model.
 
Software-as-a-Service; or SaaS; as illustrated in Figure 4, has high potential as customers seek modern consumption of data in the form of IoT applications. SaaS, by definition, is a software licensing model in which access to the software is provided on a subscription basis, with the software being located on external servers, typically in the cloud, rather than on servers physically located in-house. The user only concerns themselves with using the application(s) and the generated data for their needs. The user does not worry about any of the components in the automation hierarchy. Here is where the SI can provide an optimal service level to their client; by offering subscription-based services tailored to the client’s specific application use case. As illustrated in Figure 4, the SI may already be intimately familiar with the entire stack, and with SaaS the SI now becomes a ‘value-added’ services provider spanning the entire spectrum of the client’s control and data acquisition systems. The client’s operating expenses are kept in check since no additional head count occurs. Timely response by qualified technical professionals occurs via ‘hot line’ call-ins to the SI or by leveraging modern collaboration platforms such as Cisco Webex with Remote Expert capabilities. Operating expense budgets can be maintained as the client enters into a recurring “Fee Based” subscription with the SI. Further advantages the client might see are lower costs and less reliance on their hands-on responsibility, automatic software and firmware upgrades, access to status and data from virtually anywhere via a secure IoT application portal.

The SaaS model can be applied to any number of applications within the array of industries served by System Integrators. A few of the more common applications include real-time health-check monitoring of plant floor assets, real-time monitoring of energy consumption, gathering data from the process cells and work cells to feed predictive maintenance.

Today’s SI’s face continuing challenges to provide valuable services to their clients, to help clients achieve their business goals and to maintain a level of business sustainability moving into the future. Clients will continue to engage SI’s in greenfield projects, brownfield projects, upgrade projects and continuous improvement projects. As clients look to streamline their operations due to the “new normal” the SI should be pro-active in adjusting their services model to create offerings that better align with their client’s business and operational needs.

Integrators Becoming More Valuable to Their Clients By Moving Towards An Xaas Model For Providing Services

By: Steve Malyszko, CEO Malisko

XaaS is a general, collective term referring to the delivery of anything “as a service” usually over the internet. The vast number of products, tools, services, and technologies that suppliers now deliver to users as a service over a network — typically the internet – can be included. Anything provided locally or on-site within a plant operation cannot.
To date, internet-delivery of critical services for the plant floor are not widely accepted. That said, a number of components comprising a plant’s automation systems cannot feasibly be included in the XaaS model and will remain on-premises. Some components however, such as IoT platforms, are more adaptable to a cloud-based infrastructure because they are more informational in nature lending themselves to remote access and remote support. Private cloud infrastructures onsite are also conducive to remote management at a minimum.

The SaaS model can be applied to any number of applications within the array of industries served by System Integrators. A few of the more common applications include real-time health-check monitoring of plant floor assets, real-time monitoring of energy consumption, gathering data from the process cells and work cells to feed predictive maintenance.

Today’s SI’s face continuing challenges to provide valuable services to their clients, to help clients achieve their business goals and to maintain a level of business sustainability moving into the future. Clients will continue to engage SI’s in greenfield projects, brownfield projects, upgrade projects and continuous improvement projects. As clients look to streamline their operations due to the “new normal” the SI should be pro-active in adjusting their services model to create offerings that better align with their client’s business and operational needs.