Annual SCADA Users’ Conference
Learn, Network, Enjoy
Whether you are new to VTScada or a 30-year veteran, there is no better way to learn how to use VTScada to offer more to your customers than this conference prefaced by optional hands-on training. Meet the people who create and support VTScada and experience the refreshing corporate culture that has earned us a loyal international customer base.
Check out this Level 1 Presentation from VTScadaFest 2020:
Who Should Attend
- System Integrators
- Consultants
- Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
- Project Engineers
- Utility Directors and Managers
- SCADA Operators
Why You’ll Love It
- Network with over 200+ SCADA professionals.
- Talk 1-on-1 with Trihedral developers and engineers.
- Deep-dive into technical presentations and hands-on workshops.
- Take condensed training courses at all levels before the conference.
What is VTScadaFest?
Presentations and Workshops
Note: This list is not final and will likely be adjusted.
Presentations:
Session Title | Level | Categories | Description |
---|---|---|---|
New in VTScada 12 | Everyone | Intro to VTScada 12 | VTScada 12 transforms how users connect to process data and put it to use across their organizations. New features include: Performance Improvements, PLC Tag Importing, Excel Plug-In, MQTT, OPC-UA, I/O & Calculation Tag, High Performance Widgets, Master Applications, Screen Development on VTScada Internet Clients, Historical Data Editing, Support for Foreign Languages, and many more. |
MQTT vs. CIP, OPC, DNP3, and Modbus | Advanced | Intro to VTScada 12 | With all the buzz around the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), we take a hard look at MQTT and how this emerging publish/subscribe protocol compares to common industrial protocols like CIP, OPC, DNP3, and Modbus. |
Master & Subordinate Applications | Intermediate | Intro to VTScada 12 | Simplify the management of large distributed systems by breaking them into smaller autonomous pieces. Local Subordinate Applications monitor their own processes while the Master Application can access I/O, pages, and alarms from all Subordinates. |
The Universal I/O & Calculations Tag | Intermediate | Intro to VTScada 12 | A single tag replaces a dozen legacy tag types including inputs and outputs, analogs, digitals, string values, calculations, and discrete values. This eliminates guesswork when creating tags and, in most cases, lets you change a tag’s type without losing its history. |
High Performance Widgets | Intermediate | Intro to VTScada 12 | Use new high performance widgets to create operator displays in line with the ISA 101 HMI Standard. Sparklines, Spider Graphs, and Analog Bar & Indicators work seamlessly with the I/O & Calculations Tag to add additional contextual information to each widget. |
PLC Tag Import | Intermediate | Intro to VTScada 12 | This utility further simplifies I/O connectivity and reduces configuration time. With the click of a button, you can import the tag configuration from Allen Bradley CIP devices into your VTScada application. |
Accessing VTScada Data from Excel | Intermediate | Intro to VTScada 12 | Microsoft Excel is a common and very powerful data analysis and presentation tool. VTScada 12 introduces Excel tools to quickly access VTScada history data. |
Advanced Application Management in the New VAM | Advanced | Intro to VTScada 12 | The re-imagined VTScada Application Manager (VAM) allows you to easily manage multiple projects. Create separate lists of related applications that you can cycle through or hide as needed. The VAM itself can now be accessed from Thin Clients (i.e., devices without VTScada installed) so you can start, stop, and configure applications even when VTScada is running as a service or hosted in a data center. |
Cyber Security Best Practices | Advanced | SCADA Security | An introduction to the principles and practices that help you build security into your SCADA application and its system architecture. |
A New Defense Against Network Attack | Everyone | SCADA Security | Hackers spend months patiently mapping network connections and architecture looking for vulnerabilities. But what if that architecture was constantly changing? Moving Target Defense, by the US-based tech firm Dispel, thwarts attackers by doing just that. |
Updated User Security Interface | Everyone | SCADA Security | The updated VTScada Account Dialog makes it even easier to create reusable roles for specific job categories that are easily tailored for individual users right down to where they can see or do specific things. |
Windows Security Integration | Advanced | SCADA Security | See how VTScada allows your IT department to use Windows® security integration in place of, or in addition to, VTScada user accounts; providing external account control and reducing the number of passwords for users to remember. |
Security Certificate Setup | Intermediate | SCADA Security | Learn to encrypt network connections with SSL/TLS which is strongly recommended for remote thin client connections and a requirement for the new Excel Plug-In to connect to the VTScada Historian. |
NIST 800-82 ICS Architecture | Advanced | SCADA Security | An overview of industrial control system architecture recommendations based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Publication 800-82 “Guide to Industrial Control Systems Security”. |
What is SCADA? | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | An introduction for some, a refresher for others, we cover an overview of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems including the major components of the I/O hardware, communications, and software. |
Intro to VTScada Licensing | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | Learn to quickly choose the VTScada licensing options that best meet the needs of your monitoring and control project. Topics include I/O tag limits, server licenses, thin client connections, and support options. We will also discuss how our discounted bundles help you get the most from VTScada redundancy. |
Specifying SCADA Software | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | For end users and consultants who write project specifications, this presentation helps you understand how VTScada’s unique features contribute to the success of SCADA projects and why they are more effective than those of other software platforms. |
Less Code, Less Risk – Low Code Options in VTScada | Everyone | System Design & Developer Tools | Software systems are the most complex human creations. Their complexity often leads to undetected errors and maintenance issues. This session discusses mitigating the risks associated with creating custom script code in SCADA systems. |
VTScada Oil & Gas Features | Intermediate | System Design & Developer Tools | Learn about the standard features and customization tools that made VTScada a successful platform for oil & gas solutions around the world. Topics include connectivity to flow computers and pump-off controllers, reporting, and the soon-to-be released SMS messaging capability. |
Connecting to IO / IDEA Studio Quick Start | Everyone | System Design & Developer Tools | Create an application, make tags that connect to your remote device, and draw those values to a page. An “easy peasey” mini training course. |
Alarm Notification Configuration | Intermediate | System Design & Developer Tools | Get an in-depth look at voice and email alarm notifications and all the options available including how to set up notifications via Twilio. |
What To Do When Things Go Wrong | Intermediate | System Design & Developer Tools | Avoid problems before they happen. Collect the information you need for a successful resolution of your support incident. Topics will include generating Crash Dumps, ChangeSets, when to zip up the history files, other diagnostics, and trace logs. We will talk about the support escalation process and how to make it work for you, including distinguishing between a bug incident and a feature request, and what has to happen for a support call to be successfully resolved. |
VTScada Network Architecture | Advanced | System Design & Developer Tools | Learn how to choose and adjust the number of servers and VTScada licenses to match the initial and changing needs of your system. |
VTScada Tips & Tricks | Intermediate | System Design & Developer Tools | Since we use VTScada everyday, we know how to get the most out of it and we are happy to pass that wisdom on to you. This presentation will help operators, developers, and managers to work smarter and get more from their VTScada applications. |
Advanced Application Troubleshooting Tools | Advanced | System Design & Developer Tools | The Source Debugger is the most powerful and comprehensive of the VTScada’s native debugging tools. Learn how to monitor several applications simultaneously, each within a separate instance of the Source Debugger. |
Cloud SCADA Hosting | Advanced | System Design & Developer Tools | Key considerations when hosting systems on cloud platforms like Azure or Amazon, such as pricing, virtualization, alarm enunciation, and application management from Thin Client connections. |
Application Version Control | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | No SCADA platform makes it easier to trace configuration changes and recover from changes that cause problems. Instantly roll-back any change or return to a known good version. The un-editable change-list is synced across redundant servers and is included in exported application ChangeSets making it an indispensable tool for support and security. |
Operator-Created Trends With the VTScada HDV | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | Create your own reusable custom trend groups. Simply click graphics representing process values to add them to the VTScada Historical Data Viewer. Edit the appearance of each plot, add encrypted notes to the timeline and export ranges of values to programs like Excel. |
Navigating The Operator Interface | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | The Display Manager makes it easy to access the standard tools and pages built into every VTScada application. Topics include the Tiled Page Menu, Forward & Back Buttons, Sticky Notes, Operator Notebooks, Multi-Language Selection, and many more. |
Intro to the VTScada Alarm Page | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | The Alarm Page includes simple tools to reduce operator fatigue and improve productivity according to the ISA 18.2 Alarm Management Standard including the new Bulk Alarm Shelving feature in version 12. |
Put Your SCADA on the Map (V12 Edition) | Everyone | Operator Tools & Commercial Considerations | A quick introduction to the standard mapping tools included in every application that includes new Version 12 features like High Performance Map Tiles, Bulk Tile Downloader, support for overlapping sites, and many more. |
Workshops:
Workshop Title | Level | Categories | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Report Building with the VTScada Excel Add-In | Intermediate | Workshop | VTScada 12 transforms how users connect to process data and put it to use across their organizations. New features include: Performance Improvements, PLC Tag Importing, Excel Plug-In, MQTT, OPC-UA, I/O & Calculation Tag, High Performance Widgets, Master Applications, Screen Development on VTScada Internet Clients, Historical Data Editing, Support for Foreign Languages, and many more. |
Interfacing With Third-Party Business Systems | Advanced | Workshop | Though our Historian is native to VTScada, we make it easy to put your history to use across your organization. You will connect to a variety of systems using built-in utilities such as the new REST interface and the updated single-table ODBC interface. |
Meet The Guest Speakers
Long Term SCADA Planning
David L. Ubert, Senior Automation Specialist, CDM Smith
Topics will include evaluating your current situation and your options, migration strategies, financial considerations, sustainable technology, security, and planning for the unexpected.
Mr. Ubert has 27 years of experience in process control and SCADA in the water and wastewater, pulp and paper, food processing, and Department of Defense industries. His experience includes designing and implementing safe and secure control/communication systems using fiber optics, licensed/unlicensed radio, cellular, satellite, and phone line – as well as programming multiple PLC and HMI platforms. Mr. Ubert has worked at CDM Smith for the past 12+ years, and currently leads the automation and O&M business units as the Tec hnical Strategy Leader.
CDM Smith provides lasting and integrated solutions in water, environment, transportation, energy and facilities to public and private clients worldwide. As a full-service engineering and construction firm, we deliver exceptional client service, quality results and enduring value across the entire project life cycle.
VTScada Case Studies – Lessons Learned
Mike Stoup, E&I Group Manager, McKim & Creed
Mike Stoup describes the VTScada features that allowed them to convert existing applications while retaining as much of their value as possible. Topics will include importing legacy historical data, the benefits of dashboards, and scraping data from the USGS website.
Mike oversees a department of 18 Electrical and Controls engineers, designers, programmers, and technical specialists. His 25-year career includes the design, implementation and management of SCADA systems, and process instrumentation and controls projects in the industrial and municipal marketplace. Mike is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a degree in electrical engineering.
McKim & Creed is an employee-owned firm that has more than 400 staff members in offices throughout the U.S.
VTScada Case Studies – Conversions
Sam Black, Project Engineer; Mike Brandenburg, Project Engineer, Electric Machine Control, Inc.
Sam and Mike will discuss conversions to VTScada using the new Historian Import Tool introduced in Version 11.3. They will show real-world conversion examples for iFix and Wonderware.
Electric Machine Control, Inc. is an industrial systems integrator and solutions provider specializing in drives and control systems in pulp and paper, metals, water/wastewater, material handling, and general industrial applications. Our experience includes thirty plus years in engineering, specifying, designing, programming, software development, manufacturing, and integrating numerous process control automation projects.
These projects include everything from simple control panels, to stand-alone drive panels, to operator control desks, to HMI interfaces, to PLC automation, to custom communication drivers, to precision high speed coordinated drive and control systems.