ICONICS & Our System Integrator Program Bring About Digital Transformation

A System Integrator or Systems Integrator (SI) is a person or company that specializes in bringing together a variety of hardware and software component subsystems with ICONICS software and hardware (like Mitsubishi Electric’s or another vendor’s) into a whole integrated system and ensuring that those subsystems function harmoniously together. This practice is known as system integration. SIs also solve other automation and data management challenges by integrating data from OT and IT sources into a holistic solution. It is therefore understandable why ICONICS as an automation software company has long collaborated with System Integrators. Both are intricately intertwined in producing and bringing about the digital transformation of industrial manufacturing and industrial processes.

The ICONICS System Integrator Partner Program

The ICONICS System Integrator Partner Program is a multi-tier support system that recognizes participants by their level of experience and certifications with ICONICS brands, market focus, and industry-related expertise. The goal is to keep expertise close-at-hand for each customer, no matter where they are in the world. SIs that are certified by the ICONICS program have experience in delivering our software solutions for a wide range of industries. Our System Integrators use ICONICS software to develop and deliver solutions for their clients. The SIs may also take on several roles when they deliver a solution for our customers ranging from mechanical and electrical design, controls programming, project management, automation solutions design, to SCADA programming and more.

To help customers select the right System Integrator for their ICONICS solution delivery needs, we have established a multi-level SI program to promote and differentiate our System Integrator Program members. The program is segmented into four tiered levels: Registered, Enrolled, Certified, and Gold Certified. Continuing education on ICONICS products is a priority for our top SIs. As such, ICONICS recognizes SIs based on their training and experience with specific products, proven industry expertise, and markets served. This certification provides SIs with the opportunity to expand and grow their practice by ultimately advancing to the Gold Certified status and consequently unlocking expanded program benefits. The newest entry level to our SI program is “Registered System Integrator”. This tier provides access to ICONICS development software, e-Care technical support, and training via the ICONICS Institute, as well as a listing in the ICONICS SI directory at no cost. You can learn more about our Partner System Integrator program here.

Superior Self-Paced Training through the ICONICS Institute

ICONICS recently expanded learning opportunities for our System Integrators and our customers with the ICONICS Institute. This is our free online learning platform designed to help our SIs build their skills across the full spectrum of ICONICS software. This resource incorporates contributions from a team of people drawn from our Training, Solution Sales, and Applications Engineering groups around the world. As an SI, you can now develop your skills in advanced visualization and control solutions with ICONICS software from the comfort and convenience of your home or office.

The ICONICS Institute will equip our SI teams with the knowledge of how to use ICONICS software through guided video tutorials narrated by our software experts. The videos are divided into easy-to-follow courses that teach all the relevant skills for a given topic from start to finish. The training videos are recommended for technical personnel from System Integrators to end users and can be used at the start of an installation or for more advanced tips and techniques and on-the-spot training. 

ICONICS views the relationship with our SIs and distributors as a true and valued partnership where each entity has an integral role in serving our customers and implementing their projects. As such, ICONICS prioritizes teaming with local SIs and distributors in partnership with ICONICS Business Development Managers (BDMs) to ensure success throughout the project lifecycle. Once the high-level project goals are agreed upon, the SI works with the client to design and implement the solution using ICONICS software. Often, SIs may have an ongoing relationship with the client and provide consultative services along with a number of improvements to the client’s technology and workflows. 

SIs can show their successes with the ICONICS Solutions through case studies featured in our customer success catalog. These case studies show potential clients how they could and should be adjusting their business to stay ahead of changes in work and technology and to increase their competitive advantage. When selecting a System Integrator for a project, clients have indicated that the SI’s engineering experience, project experience, and ICONICS experience and expertise are crucial factors they consider when evaluating the SI. These case studies are valuable tools to highlight the System Integrator’s expertise.

FAQs about ICONICS System Integrators & Related Automation Projects

1. What kind of roles do System Integrators play in automation and digitalization?

Our System Integrators play many roles when it comes to specifying and delivering an automation solution. For example, they may be part of the initial system design. A customer may approach an SI with the need for a building energy management system. The SI might go through a fact-finding process through meetings with the client who is looking for software that can allow management of the energy used by their heating and cooling systems, lighting systems, etc. in order to get a handle on energy consumption. Additionally, they might want to add the ability for fault detection and diagnostics and to do more proactive or even preventive maintenance.

Further, System Integrators are often the trusted advisors for the end customer and are commonly the local technical/engineering firm that has expertise in that particular industry: manufacturing, water and wastewater, food and beverage, data centers, smart buildings, or some combination of these. And as such, they understand the underlying equipment/technology. The SI has a variety of capabilities within their organization that is fundamentally driven by people who have experience in those industries and those sorts of solutions, and the technology associated with those solutions. Basically, an SI helps the customers architect a solution that connects the hardware, software, databases, and other business systems together to provide the information the customer needs to make data-driven decisions, so their processes are more efficient and more effective

2. What kind of System Integrators does ICONICS work with?

We have a variety of system integration partners, and as a result of their expertise and our product offering, we can service a broad range of industries. We have SIs that deliver solutions for discrete and process manufacturing. We have SIs who deliver smart building digital twin type solutions, those who are focused on the energy on the building side and those who are focused on the maintenance of central control room types of solutions. We also have SIs to deliver solutions for the water and wastewater, oil and gas, automotive, and various other energy types of industries, which could also include renewable energy and power distribution. And we're always looking to expand our partner ecosystem, so if you believe your firm would nicely complement our portfolio with your expertise and value-added solutions, we would love to hear from you.

3. How would a company go about using a System Integrator to automate their processes?

We’ll use an example in the water industry. Say there is a small but growing local community, so the water facility needs to add more tanks and pumping stations to their water plant and water distribution facility. They may have existing technology in their water plant today that could well be ICONICS or some other vendor’s product. Often, they contact local experts (like a local SI) because in today's world with most companies running a relatively lean staff, many do not have engineers on staff to do these projects in-house. They don't have the knowledge but want to find an efficient, economical way of digitalizing their factory, so they turn to System Integrators for the task.

4. How long does this process generally take? How many how many weeks or how many months?

The time depends on the scope of the project. Some simple projects can require a matter of weeks to complete. Some more complicated, larger projects with millions of tags can take months and even years to complete. Moreover, with these projects, there is often electrical and mechanical engineering associated with getting everything ready for the software integration, so this work adds time to the project.

5. How does ICONICS help companies who want to use ICONICS software but don’t know anything about how to deploy it and want to use an SI to get started?

There are a couple of scenarios. Sometimes we have customers that say our software resonates with them and they like what our software does, so they want to use it. But they don't know who can help them. We typically connect that customer with a local ICONICS channel and business development manager to make sure our software and the customer’s needs align. However, sometimes the customer knows our software but is looking for a partner to help them integrate the solution into a system. In this case, they can look at the SI directory on the ICONICS website for a local SI that has expertise in that specific industry. In both cases, once the System Integrator understands what the customer needs, they would then build the screens, databases, analytics, and reports needed for the solution and will make sure that the system connects to all the proper devices, whether it's sensors or instruments or programmable logic controllers or other computers or other databases, to bring all the information together. Lastly, the SI makes sure that the system works the way it is designed to work.

Selecting a System Integrator is a critical aspect for any project. You should select an SI that has experience in your industry and is close by in order to provide the utmost in timely client responsiveness. The easiest way to do this is by visiting the SI directory on the ICONICS website for the list of all the SIs and their ICONICS partnership level (Registered, Enrolled, Certified, and Gold Certified). All levels are explained on our System Integrator webpage.

Automation Is a Journey So You Can Scale According to Your Needs

Automation is a journey. You can start simple and small by completing your automation step by step, then you can build from there scaling out according to your needs. This process doesn't have to be overwhelming or daunting. ICONICS and our System Integrator partners have the experience and expertise for simple projects to highly complicated large projects. Moreover, our SIs can work with you and the ICONICS sales channel and sales teams to execute a proof of concept. You can therefore complete a small application before you scale out into a whole plant or a facility-wide application in which you're investing a lot of time and money to put a solution in place. No matter the size of the automation and digital transformation project, you are dually covered by ICONICS and our SI partners.

Contact us for a free consultation and explanation of our software and our partner System Integrator program. We’ll help you with your automation project, big or small, and with choosing the right SI for you.