what is scada

SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. It is a system of software and hardware elements that allows industrial organizations to control and monitor physical processes. SCADA is a category of software applications for controlling industrial processes, which is the gathering of data. It is used to assist in automating and managing industrial processes that have become too complex or cumbersome for human monitoring and control. SCADA systems are used by industrial organizations and companies in the public and private sectors to control and maintain efficiency, distribute data for smarter decisions, and communicate system issues to help mitigate downtime. SCADA systems are widely used in different types of enterprises because they can range from simple configurations to large, complex installations. Some common industry examples of SCADA industrial automation are electricity generation and distribution, oil and gas refining operations, telecommunications infrastructure, transportation and shipping infrastructure, fabrication and other industrial processing, food and beverage processing, chemical manufacturing, and utilities infrastructure, including water and waste control.