SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is a category of software applications for controlling industrial processes, which is the gathering of data in Real Time from remote locations in order to control equipment and conditions. SCADA provides organizations with the tools needed to make and deploy data-driven decisions regarding their industrial processes.

SCADA systems include hardware and software components. The hardware gathers and feeds data into field controller systems, which forward the data to other systems that process and present it to a human-machine interface (HMI) in a timely manner. SCADA systems also record and log all events for reporting process status and issues. SCADA applications warn when conditions become hazardous by sounding alarms.