Saving Time and Money

Everybody says the same thing: “Our product is easy to use!” It seems to be the tag line of every software company. There may be some truth to that phrase, but maybe it should read something more like: “this software is easy to use… for our own people who wrote it.” Sometimes when programmers write software they write it from their own objective view; what they think is easy to use. Problem is that’s not how the user thinks. This results in the company spending large amounts of money just to train their employees on how to use the software.

Training costs money.

 If I spend money on software, and this software is vital to my company and gives me the potential to save my company future costs, of course I’m going to want to put it into use as soon as possible. It’s only a natural human response. Many data software companies charge large amounts of money to train people on how to use it. 

Training costs time.

The simple truth is that training is usually difficult and time consuming. Who wants to deal with that? I know it is only temporary and the real reward comes later after you have been trained but give me the results without the extra time it takes to train. People want to know how to use a product right away.

Training costs time and money.

Canary Labs uses this same quote, “our software is easy to use”. What makes us different from all the other companies saying the same thing? It’s the truth. 

The difference is in the approach we took to building our software. We sought the minds of the people who would be using the software on a daily basis. We asked companies what would make it easier to use, and then we used that feedback as the building blocks to what eventually become today’s Canary software. 

When you open the box, the software is ready to use right from the start. This is where the real value is. We do offer Canary training as an option, but the majority of companies choose not to take it because of how easy it is to catch on to. Users can quickly gain understanding and insight into the process and as a result can effect real change to improve product quality, reduce losses, and improve efficiencies which go far beyond the cost of the Canary software. You save money. You save time. You save energy. That’s the Canary way.

How You Can Prevent Your Data from Being Lost

When collecting data with software, sometimes other obstacles prevent the data from being collected; obstacles such as loss of power or communication loss. These unforeseen circumstances can cause data gaps in the timeline which may be detrimental to your organization. I know that your data is very important to your company which is why this post is meant to educate you in ways to prevent data loss. 

Canary Labs has implemented a “Store and Forward” technology for remote data collection that utilizes cellular and satellite communications. This is so that temporary loss of communications will not result in the loss of important data. This helps decrease the interruptions of daily business flow when problems like this occur.  Remote system collection can be very complicated and it needs to be carefully thought out and planned to be in order to be completely productive. Canary Labs has the expertise to work with you to come up with an effective solution.

Here are some other suggestions that can help increase your data’s security and prevent these losses:

• Make sure the Historian server is running on a UPS power supply 
• Disable automatic OS updates and reboots that occur during the night on the Historian server
• Use a special Kepware OPC server that automatically switches between a primary and secondary PLC
• Use RAID drive configuration on the Canary Historian to protect against drive failure
• Backup historical data files off-site on a periodic basis via commercial backup software
• Use the Canary Mirror to maintain real-time backups from a primary to a secondary Historian
• Have totally redundant Historian Systems to capture the historical data independently
• Utilize the Canary Enterprise Historian HA which is designed to maximize uptime for even the most demanding of applications
• Consult Canary engineering who can help you design an overall system configuration that meets your data protection needs

All of these suggestions give your company more security when it comes to collecting your data and averting loss. This will save you time and energy as well as avoid future headaches. 

Sometimes it is not the software that causes the data to be lost; sometimes it is unforeseen, unpreventable circumstances that cause the interruption. That’s why it is very important to be prepared. These suggestions will not only benefit your company but secure your valuable data so that when the unexpected becomes a reality you can fight back.