INDUSTRY FOCUS OIL & GAS
FUTURE TECHNOLOGY TRENDS W
ith the arrival of big data and the need to handle much more
information than ever before, finding a way to get quick and easy access to this data is critical if oil and gas companies are to operate efficiently, effectively and profitably. SCADA systems, for instance, generate huge volumes of data which must be available for access by many users sited in widely distributed locations. Many of these users also need to be able to issue commands to HMI systems. This requirement for reliable and high speed two-way wire and wireless access is an area where the Cloud excels. The Cloud provides round the clock network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources from networks, servers and applications to services and storage. Hosting data via the Cloud lowers costs and enhances performance and functionality. It removes the search for broader bandwidth, costs of software licences, redundant hardware, servers and their associated cooling systems, as well as disaster recovery sites that may not be utilised. Costs can be further reduced as Cloud storage is shared with others. It brings about global decision making, resource pooling, collaboration between businesses and cross-site productivity. Proactive maintenance, for example, is made that much easier. If looking at performance degradation or reduction in efficiency, then having all the data sets located in one central place (the Cloud) means that it can be rapidly accessed and a resolution to the issues found will be quicker than any previous conventional data storage method. Companies can quickly add new resources on demand, only when it is needed, instead of having to design systems with too much capacity that might never get used. The Cloud provides straightforward data archiving on a pay- as-you-go basis. In some ways, Cloud technology is not
new to the oil and gas industry. ABB’s Historian solutions, in effect, provide every control system with a series of ‘mini-Clouds’. What is now available is the ability to bring all these mini-Clouds together into one master Cloud, from which you can now do much more.
8 JULY/AUGUST 2014 | AUTOMATION
SECURITY CHALLENGES Inevitably the Cloud brings with it security challenges. Who owns the data in the Cloud? What local laws are enforced etc? In addition, there are questions relating to security and access to the Cloud, particularly around authentication, encryption and network access control. In addition to a firewall, there is a need to build several pillars of security. Multiple options are available but many depend on the level of investment that a company is prepared to make as well as local legislation and the level of encryption. Using username and password for
authentication is to over simplify the security needed. Instead encryption and certification are the way forward, but this will need a new level of understanding. Such secure certificates will need to be encrypted when data is either traversing the network, at rest and being is backed- up. You can no longer rely on firewalls alone for perimeter security. Security legislation surrounding the Cloud
is still in its infancy, although back in 2008 the security community recognised the
networks. It decouples network control from forwarding in network devices and offloads its functions to central controller software. SDN offers improved security as it provides better visibility across the entire network, at both the control and data layers. With logically centralised control, the confusion about where to place the security appliances will end. SDN’s security enabled
infrastructure allows network security
Above: new technologies are changing the shape of the oil and gas sector
administrators to route traffic to a logically central firewall which can be ‘virtually present’ wherever needed in the network. The trade-off between the opportunity
that SDN provides for enabling more intelligent and dynamic security applications in the new infrastructure, and the risk it poses as a new and unproven technology being integrated to the current systems still remains to be seen.
Below: quick and easy access to data is vital for oil and gas companies
THE SMART WORKER The Cloud is pivotal in creating the smart worker of the future. By using data storage within the Cloud workers can be tracked or the equipment they are using can be rapidly traced and monitored. This is where Cloud and wireless
challenges and formed the Cloud Security Alliance. The organisation is working on areas such as the Software Defined Perimeter - a proposed security framework that can be deployed to protect application infrastructure from network-based attacks. Another development comes in the
form of software defined networking (SDN) - the next generation software- centric approach to networking. It is a programmable, open source approach to designing, building and managing
technology becomes an enabler. If, for example, a smart worker is using a camera, then as the worker moves around the plant they can scan tags on various items of equipment which is then immediately compared with the digital data held in the Cloud and in return relevant information relating to the device can be returned. It is not just hardware that can be monitored. The worker themselves can be closely tracked, thereby enhancing health and safety policies - even personal health can be monitored. Another exciting area is virtual presence
- bringing expertise to a location by virtual means. It should be deployed for troubleshooting assets and unplanned events, inspections of health, safety and environmental incidents, reviews during a plant turnaround, and monitoring potential issues for short periods.
ABB
www.abb.com T: 01925 741 111
From the implementation of new information and communication technologies, to Cloud data access and the Internet of Things, technology trends are having a major impact on the oil and gas sector. How will these affect the industry and what will be the impact for the sector’s workers of the future? Amelia Streeter of ABB gives an insight
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