The sky's the limit for cloud engineering

Cloud. It’s a word that’s not just on everyone’s lips at the moment but one that is seeing progressive and practical applications appear in many industries around the world - and ours is the next to be revolutionised.

For the process industries, applying engineering disciplines to the traditional application of cloud computing has resulted in a new and significantly more cost-effective approach to project implementation: cloud engineering. In simple terms it’s about designing and testing engineering systems in the cloud that are ultimately used to solve real-world business problems.

When the Queensland Mining Expo was held earlier in 2014, the emergence of cloud computing and development of cloud engineering was a headline topic for discussion, as the industry looks to implement the first fully cloud-based and purpose-built engineering management solutions. Similarly, in recent months there has been a flurry of excitement in the IT space, with several cloud service providers awarded lucrative contracts as manufacturers in the process industries wake up to the potential of cloud.

But just how does cloud engineering differ from a standard project implementation and what are the benefits?

In a typical project rollout, hardware would be sent to the remote (often dangerous) location and set-up, and teams of skilled engineers would be flown in to begin the creation of systems, workflows and, ultimately, the testing of both the software and hardware. This traditional, sequential approach requires automation and controls to be implemented during a specified timeframe before the rest of the plant can be completed.

But this approach poses challenges, particularly when managing changes, which can affect all subsequent steps of the implementation and threaten project schedules and budgets.

With cloud engineering and the implementation of parallel workflows, core project tasks can start much earlier in the implementation process and be done from any location. What this means is that teams can be mobilised from anywhere in the world to work on a project, and this flexibility allows for late-stage changes and faster project completion time. The added benefit to this is that skilled workers don’t have to be transported to a location to commence a project - they can work on it remotely.

Adding to this, the use of virtual machines in the control system is also removing dependencies between the functional and physical design, enabling standardised server cabinets, reducing hardware requirements and delivering corresponding savings in space, power, cooling and weight.

From a hardware perspective, the creation of universal channel technology is allowing instant, remote configuration of channel types (IO/DI/AO etc), removing the need for marshalling cabinets and cutting down on human error.

Cloud engineering also brings about many more additional benefits. With flexible procurement and design allowing for late-stage change, the time of the overall project implementation can be decreased significantly and similarly, the cost of the project can be spread over the duration of the implementation rather than backloaded. Estimates place CAPEX savings at 30%, an increase in schedule flexibility of 25% and an overall decrease in project risk.

Honeywell is one organisation already embracing this industry trend. We recently announced LEAP project services - proprietary hardware and software, virtualisation and cloud engineering. The goal behind LEAP is to help manufacturers in the processing industries get their plants up and running faster and at a lower cost.

*Garry Mahoney is the Pacific Director of Honeywell Process Solutions. He has over 35 years’ experience in engineering, with a specific focus on instrumentation and process automation. Garry joined Honeywell Process Solutions in 1981 and has held a variety of positions during this time, from support to project delivery and business development.