SCADA System Administrator, Large Prominent Florida Utility
1. What was the event or challenge you faced that inspired you to purchase eRIS-LOG?
All of our plants are required by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to have documented log books. We wanted to make the move from handwritten paper to electronic log books. We contacted the FDEP and found out that we were somewhat pioneers; no one else in Florida had made that transition. Together with the FDEP, we developed the electronic log book guidelines. We then interviewed four different companies to find the right system before we selected eRIS-LOG. The winning factor with eRIS-LOG was the ability to customize it. We customized a Chrome browser, locked it down into a kiosk mode, and made it static on a second screen of our three consoles in our SCADA Control Center. It’s been working extremely well—it’s simple to use, it’s simple to customize, and we can actually make it look like an extension of our SCADA software.
2. What benefits did you experience as a result of using eRIS-LOG?
In the past, if there was an incident, our Chief Operator would have to get the paper log book and go through it page by page to try to organize a chain of events—it was a nightmare searching through a paper log. eRIS-LOG has completely fixed that. We can search for keywords in eRIS-LOG – greatly reducing the time to find the information we need. We ended up with a product that is easy to use and we were able to get the end-product tailored precisely to our needs. eRIS-LOG is making our overall operations life much simpler.
3. What advice would you give to an organization with similar needs?
If you’re an organization that uses paper logs, you could definitely benefit from transitioning to electronic logs. Understand your requirements and then look for a product that can fit (or be tailored) to meet those needs. In our case, that was definitely eRIS-LOG.
4. What have you enjoyed most about working with the eRIS team?
Our eRIS rep was very good—very knowledgeable and helpful. Their management team has also been involved. They have come to our utility multiple times and observed how we’re using the software. They have been exceptional.
5. Is there anything else that you think that that we should know about your experience?
The eRIS Partner conference is a definite benefit. I am able to hear customer presentations and learn how many different kinds of organizations use the products. Even if it’s not a direct application of the solution as we’re used to it, it gets the mind flowing, thinking of things that we might be able to do in our organization. Going into the new year, we’re going to be replacing paper logbooks at our smaller remote plants. Our vision is to eventually do away with paper logs entirely and eRIS-LOG is going to enable us to do that.