Historian Data Sharing

Capturing and analyzing data from industrial control systems has significant business value. Many operating facilities have a primary data historian or historians connected to process control, while maintaining a replicate outside the secure operating space.

The data historian software connector typically operates across an electronic perimeter boundary between the plant process network and the engineering network. The data may be shared as a file transfer of updates during a specified time period. The software connector will ensure this file is moved to the destination data historian. This bulk file movement may use a protocol such as FTP, or other file movement technique.

Primary data historian updates may also be moved continuously using streaming transport protocol techniques such as UDP or TCP/IP. However, using transfer techniques that require two-way communication between networks increases exposure to the compromise of critical infrastructure operations networks. Critical processing plant owners and their regulatory bodies believe that increased security and decreased access to the primary plant processing systems network will significantly contribute to the reliability of the plant operations.

Owl Computing electronic perimeter defense solutions provide absolute security at the network boundary. Easy-to-install and use, the Owl OPDS family transfers the desired data from the primary data historian network to replicate historian in whatever format best suits the reliability needs of OT and the security demands placed on the organization’s IT infrastructure.