ICONICS
Foxborough, Massachusetts
USA
The solution
ICONICS developed a new manufacturing visualization and supervisory control and
data acquisition (SCADA) software solution that is built on many of the capabilities
and features of the Windows Vista® operating system.
Customers are using this solution, called Genesis 64, to monitor security systems,
oversee building controls, drill oil using ocean rigs, manufacture cars, control
manufacturing robots, and even run nuclear reactors.
ICONICS team member Simone Massaro said Windows Vista enabled them to develop a
more robust solution in less time.
"Windows Vista has Windows® Presentation Foundation that allows us to create
2D and 3D graphics using Microsoft® .NET language, which is very powerful but
also very easy to learn. It shortened the training for our people from three years
to three months, which helped us achieve huge cost savings," says Massaro.
Windows Vista allowed Genesis 64 to give their customers a 3D image of their factory
or plant—giving customers a more realistic view of their operations.
"Windows Vista added 360-degrees of visualization to our applications," adds Massaro.
The new search and organization capabilities of Windows Vista also made a big difference
in how Genesis 64 can help customers turn a large volume of information into actionable
decisions much more quickly. The team also created Gadgets for Windows to deliver
safety alarms and key performance indicators to all decision makers in real time.
"These new capabilities can help our customers save money and, in some cases, save
lives," says Massaro.
The achievement
The ICONICS team built their solution from the ground up, leveraging the features
and benefits of Windows Vista to gain an advantage on their competition.
"We wanted to offer our customers a visualization solution that was a quantum leap
ahead of the other products out there. We couldn’t have done that without Windows
Vista," says Massaro.
Sarah Fastabend from the Windows Vista Partner Ecosystem Team says the way Genesis
64 showcases the capabilities of Windows Vista was the reason ICONICS earned the
title of Windows Vista Ambassador.
"ICONICS fully took advantage of the technology in Windows Vista by exploring multiple
ways to implement it. They leveraged our new Search technologies to improve performance
and leveraged the Gadgets for Windows Sidebar to deliver real time KPIs for financial
information," says Fastabend.
"Because the average ICONICS customer uses 60 percent of their total expenditures
on a project for deployment, the improved deployment process of Windows Vista has
greatly increased customer cost savings," Fastabend adds.
The destination
With the success of Genesis 64, the ICONICS team has been so busy they haven’t been
able to choose an adventure destination. We’ll update this page as soon as they
decide.
Other trip winners: