Common Question and Support

Is There an Alternative Way to Manage Legacy DCS Systems Without Costly, Vendor-Centric Upgrades?

Many organizations struggle to manage legacy Distributed Control Systems (DCS) while also addressing the growing challenges of OT cybersecurity threats. Over the years, we’ve personally witnessed how companies are drawn into costly and unnecessary DCS upgrades, migrations, and service agreements—often at the behest of vendors.

 

The Vendor-Centric Dilemma

It’s important to recognize that most DCS systems labeled as “legacy” or “obsolete” are classified this way not due to actual technical limitations, but because of vendors’ product lifecycle management objectives.

For businesses, this leads to recurring challenges in managing their Operational Technology (OT) environments and DCS systems, leaving executives and directors with unclear paths forward.

 

The Typical Scenario

In many organizations, DCS systems are primarily managed by the vendor or system integrator. On the surface, this may seem logical, but a critical issue emerges:

• Vendors focus almost exclusively on their own systems, leaving the broader scope of OT security unaddressed.
• In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, this limited approach simply isn’t enough.

As a result, companies often feel uncertain about where to begin or how to manage their overall OT cybersecurity, especially when dealing with aging DCS systems.

 

The Vendor Push for Upgrades

A recurring frustration for businesses is the pressure from vendors to pursue costly upgrades or migrations.

Vendors offer little to no alternative solutions for managing existing systems.
Companies are forced into expensive and disruptive changes that prioritize the vendors’ interests over their own.
This cycle is fueled by Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) strategies, which lock businesses into:

• Costly Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
• Skyrocketing spare part prices 
• The Overall Security Gaps Persist

 

Ultimately, companies are pushed toward marketing-driven vendor solutions, which often feel more like obligations than necessities

Is There an Alternative Way to Manage Legacy DCS Systems?

We have experience managing legacy systems - Let's explore these alternatives together.  Explore more about Strategies for Handling Obsolete DCS Systems