Researching APM providers Part 3: Open, agnostic system
Credit to Author: Kim Custeau| Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2018 11:02:23 +0000
This is the last blog in a three part series on the three things you should look for in your APM provider. Read the first blog in the series, “look for proven results,” and the second blog, “long-term vision and roadmap.”
As you finish evaluating your APM providers, you’ve narrowed down the list to those that have a track record of success, and a sustainable long-term roadmap and investment strategy. You’re almost finished! However, there is one last item to consider.
So far, most of the factors we have tackled have been technical in nature – a body of proven work demonstrates an ability to conduct the initial integration, and having a long-term roadmap covers the long-term technical implications of that move. However, you still need to consider whether your APM vendor can meet your strategic needs. There are two important final factors to consider – whether the system is open and agnostic, and the level of your vendor’s industry expertise. These both have larger strategic implications you need to consider when evaluating APM solutions.
Do you have a solution that will integrate seamlessly with existing investments? Visit our website to learn more!
Open, agnostic system
Selecting an open, agnostic system is critical to reduce risk in future technology investments. Even if your APM provider has an excellent roadmap, it’s still quite likely that you will need to expand your system with additional capabilities that go beyond your vendor’s ability to provide them. In addition, for global companies existing systems may vary widely from site to site, and an APM system with open connectivity will greatly facilitate global expansion.
In addition, you will need to integrate your system with existing hardware – and if you physically expand your plant, you will need to easily integrate new hardware into the system as well. This is another reason to focus on an open and agnostic system. If you don’t select a system that has the proper capabilities, it’s very easy to get locked into a proprietary solution with ever increasing licensing fees with fewer feature enhancements. If that happens, it will severely limit your options and flexibility – in this hyper-fast digital world, vendor lock-in is definitely something you want to avoid!
Industry expertise
It’s also critical that you select providers that have extensive experience in your industry. While some aspects of APM deployments are similar across industries, to get the most out of your APM deployment it’s best to have a team that extensively understands the assets, plants, and industry you operate in. A good APM team with deep industry experience will understand the priorities for your industry, and will adjust accordingly. For instance, the APM focus in the continuous process industry is heavily on maximizing reliability, while in batch processing the focus is more on process optimization. An APM team with deep industry expertise is a strategic priority, because that way you will have a team that understands your evolving market, what steps you are likely to take and can pivot quickly in response.
Selecting the right vendor
At AVEVA, our software has always had open connectivity, and we will always be hardware agnostic. This makes our Industrial Software Platform flexible and open-ended, able to easily extend the value of existing investments. Our team has deep industry knowledge backed by experience and proven results, with core focus in Power, O&G, Chemicals and F&B, as well as an extensive partner network reaching across the globe.
I hope this APM research blog series has been helpful to you! To learn more about our open, agnostic system and deep industry expertise, visit our website.
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