It’s Time to End your Reliance on Vendors for Upgrades, Configurations, and Implementations - Survalent | Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS)

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For many utilities, system upgrades and grid modernization initiatives have faced unexpected delays due to one key challenge: dependence on onsite visits from vendor technicians for configurations, upgrades, training, and system implementations.

When utilities rely heavily on external support, any limitation on travel or site access can stall critical projects and impact operational efficiency. This dependence can mean the difference between managing a system with limitations and making faster, more informed decisions through a fully optimized platform.

Survalent customers, however, continue to stay on track with remote implementations, virtual training options, and a user-friendly system design that empowers utilities to handle their own configurations and upgrades.

Looking ahead, more utilities are expected to prioritize in-house administration and maintenance capabilities when evaluating new systems, and for good reason. Choosing an ADMS that minimizes reliance on vendor support provides long-term advantages that extend well beyond daily operations. With in-house administrative control, you can:

Upgrade your system on your own schedule
Configure graphics, maps, and processes to your specific needs
Add new devices and substations as they come online
Reduce maintenance and operating costs

Here are just some of the criteria you should you look for to ensure you can configure, upgrade, and implement your systems in-house:

A system designed for ease of configurability, with lots of options to design graphics, define colours and their meanings, create maps and single line diagrams, set alarm criteria and notification characteristics, etc. (Cobb EMC used a ‘Day in the Life’ demo to evaluate SCADA criteria to find a user-friendly and easily configured system – learn more.)
IED, RTU, and control panel templates that can be used to quickly set up your network (Learn how templates enable Peninsula Light to set up an entire substation in under an hour.)
Upgrades that can be downloaded from the vendor’s support portal and implemented without vendor support
A single, shared UI that enables you to share information with other authorized users vs. exporting data
The ability to create and run standard and custom reports without IT support

Rappahannock Takes the Lead in Implementing Their New SCADA

When Rappahannock Electric Cooperative decided to upgrade to a new and modern SCADA system, the utility was adamant that the new solution would be easy to use and build and highly recommended by other end users. With SurvalentONE SCADA, Rapphannock was able to take the lead in configuring their network almost immediately. With a team of two administrators, the cooperative was able to build their database from scratch, complete their first commissioning within six months, and get the entire system and database up and running within ten months. This included approximately 15,000 data points and the successful configuration of nearly 100 substations across the utility’s large network. (Read the Rappahannock story.)

Interested in learning more about Survalent’s in-house systems administration and maintenance capabilities? Contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What’s the risk of relying on vendor technicians for system upgrades and configurations?

Relying on vendor visits for upgrades, configurations, training, and implementations limits your ability to act independently. This dependency can cause delays during emergencies or other situations when travel or on-site access to control rooms is limited.

Why is choosing an ADMS that allows inhouse configuration important?

When your team can configure, upgrade, and maintain the system internally, you gain long-term benefits like scheduling upgrades on your own terms, reducing maintenance costs, and customizing graphics, alarm settings, and device onboarding without vendor involvement.

What system features support inhouse upgrades and configuration?

You should look for:
Ease of configurability: ability to design graphics, maps, single-line diagrams, alarm rules, etc.
Templates for IEDs, RTUs, and control panels for fast setup
Downloadable upgrade packages users can apply without vendor help
A shared, user-friendly UI and built-in reporting tools that don’t require IT support.

What results did Rappahannock Electric Cooperative achieve by using an inhouse approach?

With just two administrators, they built their SCADA database from scratch—including ~15,000 data points across nearly 100 substations—and completed initial commissioning within six months, fully operational in ten months—all without vendor dependency.

What are the long-term advantages of reducing vendor reliance?

Utilities gain flexibility in scheduling upgrades, speedier onboarding of new devices and substations, reduced operating and vendor support costs, and greater trust in their own capabilities to manage system evolution.