What is Ignition?
Ignition is an industrial software platform developed by Inductive Automation (California, USA) that combines SCADA, HMI, MES, IIoT and data analytics on a unified web-server-based architecture. Since its launch in 2010 it has grown to become one of the fastest-growing SCADA platforms on the global market, with more than 50,000 installations across 100 countries.
What makes Ignition different from traditional platforms like Siemens WinCC or Wonderware AVEVA isn't a single feature but a combination of design decisions that make it more flexible, more affordable at scale, and easier to deploy and maintain.
Ignition's architecture: the web client-server model
Ignition runs on a centralised server model. The software is installed on a server (Windows or Linux) and clients access supervision screens through a web browser or via a downloadable thin client (Ignition Designer for development, Ignition Client for operation). There is no software installation at client workstations.
This architecture has important implications: adding a new operator station is as easy as opening a browser. Software updates happen once on the server and propagate automatically to every client. And secure remote access via VPN or even HTTPS is native.
The Ignition Perspective module takes this a step further: screens designed in Perspective are fully responsive and adapt automatically to any device — PC, tablet or smartphone — without having to design separate versions for each form factor.
The licensing model that changed everything
Traditional SCADA platforms license by tag count (process variables). As the project grows and more signals are added, licensing cost rises proportionally, which can make a plant digitalisation project economically unfeasible.
Ignition went for a radically different model: per-server licence, unlimited tags, unlimited clients. The price of an Ignition licence is fixed regardless of whether you have 100 tags or 1,000,000. This completely changes the economics of large-scale supervision projects.
The practical consequence is that with Ignition it makes sense to connect everything on the plant: not only the most critical signals, but also energy meters, auxiliary sensors, drive data and parameters from peripheral equipment — because doing so has no extra licensing cost.
Main Ignition modules
- Ignition Vision: the classic SCADA module with a Windows-installed client. Process screens with graphic objects, alarms, trends and Python scripting. The most common entry point for industrial projects.
- Ignition Perspective: the modern module built on web technology. Responsive screens accessible from any browser, with no installed client. The standard for new projects.
- Ignition Reporting: automatic report generation in PDF, Excel or HTML based on historical data. Shift reports, daily production, energy consumption and quality.
- Ignition OPC-UA: native OPC-UA server for communication with PLCs and field devices from any manufacturer.
- Sepasoft MES: Manufacturing Execution System module that adds production orders, OEE, batch traceability, quality management and electronic batch records on top of the Ignition platform.
- Ignition MQTT / Cirrus Link: modules for MQTT and Sparkplug communication, enabling IIoT architectures that publish data to the cloud.
Ignition vs WinCC vs Wonderware: quick comparison
| Feature | Ignition | Siemens WinCC | Wonderware AVEVA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence model | Per server, unlimited tags | Per tag/point count | Per tag/point count |
| Operating system | Windows and Linux | Windows only | Windows only |
| Native web access | Yes (Perspective) | Limited (WinCC Unified) | Yes (InTouch OMI) |
| Scripting | Full Python | VBScript/C# | InTouch Script |
| Database | Any SQL (MySQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL) | Embedded MS SQL | Embedded MS SQL |
| Community and resources | Very active (Ignition Exchange, forums) | Wide | Moderate |
| Siemens PLC integration | Good (OPC-UA) | Native and direct | Good (OPC) |
When do we recommend Ignition?
- Projects with many tags where traditional licensing pushes costs up sharply.
- When you need web or mobile access without extra complexity.
- Installations with PLCs from multiple manufacturers (Siemens, Beckhoff, Rockwell, Schneider).
- When you want to combine SCADA + MES + IIoT on a single platform.
- Projects with a Linux server (lower infrastructure cost, better security).
- Companies that already have, or want to develop, in-house programming capability (Python scripting is accessible to IT teams).
At Bluemation we are Ignition integrators with experience in SCADA, MES and IIoT projects. If you are evaluating SCADA platforms for your next project, talk to our team and we'll help you choose without brand bias.