Like IEC standart in PLC/DCS programming there is a similar standart in SCADA softwares. OPC (OLE for Process Control) makes communication between any device in control systems easier than ever.
Conventional control systems have proprietary communication interfaces and they are generally not open to other units in the plant. Even though in this type of systems data transferring between various systems is not impossible it's very time consuming and inefficient job. General attidute is to write down on a paper and give the data obtained from the control system to necessary department in the plant.
With OPC standart you can easily communicate any OPC complaint hardware in your field with your computer (no matter what its OS is) in your LAN . No additional hardware needed! You can use your existing plant intranet to distribute the data collected from the field. Collected datas can go to whereever you want, operator monitors or any Database for report and maintainance purposes, or an excel sheet on your production chief's desktop, or your field manager's cell phone, or via web environment to any distinct location.
We always prefer OPC Compliant hardwares and also prepare the base which your plant may need in the future.