Utilities — Monitor
Where the historian and the asset register finally agree
For regulated utilities, IBM Maximo Monitor is usually the first conversation beyond Manage — historian and SCADA signal turned into operational context against the asset records that the regulator already audits, with the OT cybersecurity boundary respected, not bypassed.
Regulated utility networks — gas, electricity, water — already produce vast amounts of operational data. The challenge is rarely a shortage of signal. It is the gap between what the historian sees and what the asset register in Manage records, and the standing problem that the OT estate cannot be disturbed in the name of asset management.
IBM Maximo Monitor closes that gap. It consumes historian and aggregated SCADA signal, scores it against the asset records the regulator audits, and surfaces operational context to planners and operations leaders. It does not replace SCADA, and it does not displace the OT team's authority over the network. It produces, on top of both, the operational evidence that makes the regulatory and safety story defensible.
Why this matters for a regulated utility
- Anomaly detection on critical primary plant before unplanned outages, not after them
- Network condition trends that strengthen Ofgem RIIO or Ofwat AMP submissions
- An operational evidence trail that sits alongside the safety case, not in a parallel spreadsheet
- OT cybersecurity boundary respected by design — historian feed, edge or DMZ, no SCADA disturbance
What we deliver
- Readiness assessment against Manage data quality, the historian estate and the OT/IT boundary
- OT engagement — pattern designed jointly with the OT team, not around them
- Source integration from historians and aggregated SCADA, with edge or DMZ components where required
- Asset-tag mapping from operational tags to Manage asset records, with explicit governance
- Monitor configuration: anomaly rules, KPIs and dashboards designed with planners and operations leaders
- Manage integration so anomalies create or enrich work, not a parallel system
- Managed run-state on our cloud, on the same operations platform as Manage
Sequencing inside the wider suite
For regulated utilities, the natural sequence is Monitor first on selected primary plant, then Health to defend the AMP or RIIO capex line across the wider network, with Predict as an asset-class-by-asset-class decision afterwards. The detailed sequencing argument lives in sequencing Monitor and Predict after Manage.
Related capabilities
Related capabilities and components
MaxIron products
MaxIron products that strengthen Monitor in utility networks
Frequently asked questions
- How does Monitor sit alongside SCADA in a regulated utility?
- SCADA controls the network. Monitor consumes operational signal — usually from the historian rather than directly from SCADA — and turns it into operational context against the asset records the regulator already audits in Manage. The two are complementary, not competing. SCADA stays where it is, owned by OT.
- What about IEC 62443 and the OT/IT boundary?
- It is the single most important constraint. We do not bypass the OT/IT boundary. The pattern is an explicit edge or DMZ component, agreed with the OT cybersecurity function, that allows historian or aggregated SCADA signal to leave the OT environment cleanly. Our position is set out in OT cybersecurity is now an asset management problem.
- How does Monitor help with Ofgem RIIO or Ofwat AMP submissions?
- Indirectly but materially. Monitor produces operational evidence — anomalies seen, conditions trended, work triggered — that strengthens the network risk and asset health story behind the submission. It does not replace the submission process; it gives it a defensible operational spine.
- Which asset classes are typical first candidates?
- Asset classes where the historian signal is already good and the unplanned-outage cost is high — substation primary plant, pumping stations, critical pressure-reduction stations. Smaller, well-instrumented populations where the work case is obvious are stronger first candidates than the whole network at once.
- Can MaxIron host and run Monitor?
- Yes. Monitor runs on the same Red Hat OpenShift estate as the rest of MAS, on the managed cloud platform we use for Manage. Hosting, monitoring, patching and upgrade are owned by the same operations team. See managed Maximo and MAS hosting.
Operational signal the regulator can stand behind
Tell us which asset class is costing you unplanned outages or strengthening the next submission. We will tell you whether Monitor will earn its licence on it and how we would design across the OT/IT boundary.
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