# Industrial data platform: Captia Connect and Captia.ai

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A two-layer architecture that turns plant data into operations: Captia
Connect acquires, normalises and stores at the edge; Captia.ai transforms it
into web SCADA, dashboards, rules, alerts, workflows, reporting and
artificial intelligence.

## What an industrial data platform is

A plant generates data everywhere: PLCs, sensors, machines, meters, SCADA,
ERP and MES. The problem is not a lack of data, it is that the data lives in
silos. An industrial data platform is the software layer that captures data
at source, normalises it into a common time series model and makes it
available to the whole organisation: visualisation, rules and alerts,
workflows, reporting, APIs and artificial intelligence. It does not replace
existing systems: it connects them and adds the common layer they lack.

## Reference architecture (two layers + secure transport)

1. **Captia Connect (edge layer).** Deployed on the plant floor, next to the
   equipment. It acquires data from PLCs, sensors, machines, meters and SCADA
   systems over multiple protocols, normalises the signals into time series
   and buffers them locally with persistence without connectivity: if the
   network drops, no data is lost.
2. **Secure transport.** Normalised data travels from the edge to the
   platform via secure delivery. Acquisition does not depend on cloud
   availability: Connect keeps capturing and synchronises once the connection
   is restored.
3. **Captia.ai (SaaS platform).** Web SCADA, dashboards by asset, line, role
   or plant, history, rules, alerts and events, workflows, reporting, APIs,
   user and role management, an Operator Layer and integration with ERP, MES,
   CRM and SAP. On that foundation run the AI modules: energy optimisation,
   anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, forecasting, demand prediction,
   recommendations and optimisation of production and consumption.

The data infrastructure is the territory of [Captia Connect](https://www.captiatechnology.com/en/connect/); the
analytics and AI modules belong to the
[industrial artificial intelligence](https://www.captiatechnology.com/en/ai/) unit.

## Supported protocols and technologies

| Protocol or technology | Use |
| --- | --- |
| MQTT | Plant data messaging |
| OPC UA | Integration with PLCs and industrial systems |
| Modbus TCP | Reading equipment over the network |
| Modbus RTU / RS-485 | Reading equipment over a serial bus |
| OpenWebNet | Integration of compatible devices |
| IEC 870-5-102 | Meter reading |
| REST API | Integration with software systems |
| Webhooks | Inbound third-party events |
| CSV | File ingestion |

Edge technology stack: Docker for deployment, InfluxDB for time series
storage and Tailscale for secure connectivity.

## Deployment models

| Model | Description |
| --- | --- |
| On premises | The whole data layer lives at the plant; the usual choice when data cannot leave the premises |
| Hybrid | Acquisition and buffering at the edge, exploitation on the platform; the reference model |
| Cloud | The full platform in the cloud, with the edge as the capture point |

## Who it is for

Plants and industrial SMEs that already have the systems but not the common
layer: factories with PLCs, sensors, meters or SCADA whose data never reaches
management; teams that depend on paper reports or spreadsheets; leadership
teams that want to see production, energy, quality and maintenance over the
same data; and organisations that want to start with industrial analytics and
AI but first need reliable, unified data.

## Project phases

1. **Diagnosis.** Inventory of data sources, available protocols and the
   plant network architecture.
2. **Edge deployment.** Captia Connect is installed and the first signals are
   connected: acquisition, normalisation, buffering and secure delivery.
3. **Platform go-live.** Captia.ai is configured: web SCADA, dashboards,
   users and roles, the first rules and alerts.
4. **Operationalisation.** Workflows, reporting, APIs and integration with
   ERP, MES, CRM or SAP.
5. **Intelligence.** With a consolidated history, the AI modules are
   activated: energy optimisation, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance,
   forecasting, demand prediction, recommendations and optimisation of
   production and consumption.

## Data platform vs MES vs traditional SCADA

Conceptual comparison: it describes the role of each type of system, not
specific third-party products.

| Dimension | Industrial data platform | MES | Traditional SCADA |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Primary purpose | Common data layer for the whole plant: capture, normalisation and exploitation | Manage production execution (orders, routings, times) | Supervise and control specific processes in real time |
| Data scope | Cross-cutting: machines, sensors, meters, SCADA, ERP and MES | Focused on the production process and its orders | Focused on the equipment and signals it supervises |
| Access | Web based, from any device, with users and roles | Typically client workstations on the floor and in the office | Typically local operator stations |
| Analytics and AI | Full history, reporting and AI modules across the whole plant | Production indicators within its own scope | Trends and history of its own signals |
| Integration | Multi-protocol on the floor and APIs towards ERP, MES, CRM or SAP | Integrates with the ERP and with the data platform | Becomes one more data source for the platform |
| How they relate | Does not replace MES or SCADA: it connects them and adds a common layer | Coexists with the platform as the execution system | Coexists with the platform as the control system |

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an industrial data platform?

It is the software layer that captures data from plant equipment (PLCs,
sensors, machines, meters, SCADA), normalises it into a common model and
makes it available to the operation: visualisation, rules, alerts, workflows,
reporting and integration with management systems.

### What is the difference between Captia Connect and Captia.ai?

Captia Connect is the edge layer: it acquires data over multiple protocols,
normalises it, buffers it locally and sends it securely. Captia.ai is the
platform: web SCADA, dashboards, rules, alerts, workflows, reporting, APIs
and artificial intelligence modules. Connect solves the data; Captia.ai turns
it into operations and intelligence.

### Which industrial protocols does Captia Connect support?

MQTT, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU over RS-485, OpenWebNet, IEC 870-5-102,
REST APIs, webhooks and CSV files.

### What happens if the plant loses its internet connection?

Captia Connect includes local buffering and persistence without connectivity:
data keeps being captured at the edge and is sent once the connection is
restored.

### Does a data platform replace my SCADA or my MES?

Not necessarily. The platform integrates with existing systems and adds the
common layer they do not provide on their own: a unified data model, web
visualisation, cross-cutting rules and alerts, workflows, reporting and AI
modules over the full history.

### How is it deployed and how soon do you see data?

The project starts with a diagnosis of data sources and network architecture.
Captia Connect is then deployed at the edge and the first signals are
connected, visible in Captia.ai. From there the scope grows in phases.

### How many signals can the platform capture?

It depends on the plant sources and the sampling frequency: reading 50
signals every minute is not the same as reading 500 every second. The volume
is sized during the diagnosis, based on the inventory of PLCs, sensors,
meters and existing systems. The canonical page includes an interactive sizer
to estimate the daily data points with your own numbers.

## Contact

- Email: hola@captiatechnology.com
- Diagnosis: [https://www.captiatechnology.com/en/contact/](https://www.captiatechnology.com/en/contact/)
- Canonical page: [https://www.captiatechnology.com/en/plataforma-datos-industriales/](https://www.captiatechnology.com/en/plataforma-datos-industriales/)
- Spanish version: https://www.captiatechnology.com/plataforma-datos-industriales.md

## Last Updated

2026-08-09