AVEVA InTouch

AVEVA InTouch
Name	AVEVA InTouch
Developer	AVEVA Group plc
Initial release	1980s
Latest release	2020s
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Genre	Human–machine interface
License	Proprietary

AVEVA InTouch AVEVA InTouch is a human–machine interface (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) application used for industrial visualization and operator control. It is developed and maintained by AVEVA Group plc and is deployed across manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, water, and utilities sectors worldwide. The product has evolved through corporate mergers and acquisitions and interoperates with control systems, historians, and enterprise integration platforms.

Overview

AVEVA InTouch provides real-time visualization, alarm management, scripting, and connectivity for industrial operations, integrating with programmable logic controllers and distributed control systems. It is commonly paired with historians, data acquisition servers, and asset management tools from vendors such as Siemens, Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, Emerson Electric, and ABB. Operators use InTouch to monitor process variables, acknowledge alarms, and execute control actions while engineers configure displays, tags, and logic using development workstations. The product participates in industrial automation ecosystems alongside products from Honeywell International Inc., GE Power, OSIsoft (now part of AVEVA Group plc), Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services.

History and Development

InTouch traces its lineage to early HMI software in the 1980s and 1990s and has been shaped by industry consolidation involving companies such as Wonderware, Schneider Electric Industries S.A., and AVEVA Group plc. The software's roadmap reflects influences from mergers involving Invensys, Siemens AG, AVEVA Solutions Limited, and corporate transactions with firms like Schlumberger Limited and Baker Hughes. Over successive releases, InTouch incorporated features influenced by standards bodies and consortia such as OPC Foundation, ISA (International Society of Automation), and IEC. The development lifecycle has engaged engineering teams in locations tied to industrial hubs like Birmingham, Cambridge, Houston, Zurich, and Singapore.

Architecture and Components

The architecture comprises authoring environments, runtime clients, communication drivers, and server components that connect to automation hardware from vendors including Mitsubishi Electric, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Cutler-Hammer, Fuji Electric, and GE Digital. Core components include a graphical display engine, tag database, alarm server, and scripting runtime that integrate with historians from OSIsoft and MES (manufacturing execution systems) from Siemens Opcenter and AVEVA MES. Network topologies often involve Microsoft technologies such as Windows Server, Active Directory, SQL Server, and virtualization platforms from VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V. Connectivity standards provided by third parties like Moxa, Hirschmann Automation and Control, and Phoenix Contact are commonly employed.

Features and Functionality

InTouch provides tag-based data modeling, dynamic graphics, animation, alarm shelving, trends, and scripting with languages and runtimes interoperable with Microsoft .NET Framework, Visual Basic, and C#. It supports redundancy and high-availability configurations used in critical infrastructure projects with suppliers such as Siemens Energy and General Electric. Built-in drivers and OPC connectivity enable links to controllers from Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Yokogawa, and Siemens. Visualization capabilities are used alongside historian analytics from AVEVA PI System (formerly OSIsoft PI), reporting tools like Tableau Software and Microsoft Power BI, and asset performance systems such as ABB Ability. Cybersecurity and hardening guidance frequently references best practices championed by Industrial Internet Consortium and CISA.

Use Cases and Industries

AVEVA InTouch is applied in process industries including petroleum refining with companies like ExxonMobil and Shell plc, petrochemical plants operated by BASF and Dow Chemical Company, power generation facilities managed by EDF and Dominion Energy, water treatment utilities such as Thames Water and Veolia, and discrete manufacturing facilities operated by Toyota, Siemens Mobility, and Volkswagen. It is used in mining operations run by Rio Tinto and BHP, in food and beverage plants of Nestlé and PepsiCo, and in life sciences facilities operated by Pfizer and Roche. Integration scenarios include remote operations centers, digital twins together with AVEVA XR, and Industry 4.0 initiatives driven by Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, and Accenture.

Licensing and Versions

The product is distributed under proprietary licensing models managed by AVEVA Group plc and has been offered in perpetual, subscription, and enterprise maintenance agreements. Versioning aligns with AVEVA’s portfolio releases and packaging that include historian, MES, and asset performance modules from partners like OSIsoft and AVEVA Edge. Licensing often involves entitlements tracked through corporate procurement systems used by multinationals such as Siemens, Schneider Electric, and Honeywell. Deployment footprints range from single-station operator consoles to geographically distributed SCADA systems used by utilities and multinational oil companies like BP.

Security and Integration

Security considerations focus on network segmentation, role-based access control interoperating with Microsoft Active Directory, secure OPC UA communications endorsed by OPC Foundation, and endpoint protection from vendors such as Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike. Integration patterns include REST and OPC UA APIs for cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform and orchestration with industrial integration platforms from MuleSoft and TIBCO. Cybersecurity frameworks and compliance regimes referenced in deployments include standards from IEC 62443, NERC CIP, and guidance from NIST.

Category:Industrial automation software