However, there are other factors that are not always considered, and in many cases these are crucial, such as indicating the number of years the system will be in good service and to define the maintenance costs involved.
The constant technological advances in the consumer market are determining the lifetime of hardware and software products. For example, consider mobile phones. A few years ago, about 2.5 years was considered the average lifetime of a mobile phone. This figure is currently estimated at about 18 months in the U.S., 15 months in Europe and just eight months in Japan.
This is the same for software, where systems are being fully updated every three to four years. For example, Windows Vista was introduced in 2006, Windows 7 in 2009, Windows 8 in 2012 and the availability of Windows 9 is scheduled to be released around the middle of 2014.
Control systems are built from technological products with their own lifecycles. When a control system is implemented within a facility it will include a validity period, which will affect the lifecycle of both the hardware and software.
Any control system can eventually need significant changes during its lifecycle. The better the strategy for longevity, the easier it can be to adapt to those changes. New investments in automation systems should consider the lifecycle strategy for the technologies implemented.
A long life cycle can help save time when replacing new equipment and avoid investments in person hours for engineering automation migrations, which will generate costs in both value and time.
To read the full article on Lifecycle Management for Control Systems click here.
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