Schneider Electric is expanding its focus on software-defined automation, cybersecurity, and digital transformation as industrial and infrastructure operators look for more flexible ways to modernize critical systems. At WEFTEC 2026 in New Orleans, the company is highlighting automation and energy technologies designed to help water and wastewater organizations improve operational resilience while managing increasingly complex infrastructure.

Software-Defined Automation for Water Infrastructure

Water and wastewater facilities are under growing pressure to improve efficiency, reliability, cybersecurity, and energy management without replacing entire generations of installed control hardware. Schneider Electric is addressing this challenge with an approach centered on open and software-defined automation.

A key technology being highlighted is EcoStruxure Automation Expert, which allows automation intelligence to be managed through a software-oriented architecture rather than being tightly dependent on traditional hardware configurations. This approach can help industrial operators modernize existing facilities while reducing the disruption associated with large-scale control system replacement.

For water utilities, this type of modernization is particularly important because pumping stations, treatment plants, filtration systems, chemical dosing equipment, and distribution networks often operate continuously. Unplanned downtime can affect both production efficiency and public infrastructure reliability.

New Modicon PLC Enhancements

Schneider Electric is also showcasing enhancements to its Modicon PLC portfolio with an emphasis on cybersecurity and operational resilience. PLC systems remain a critical component of industrial automation, controlling pumps, motors, valves, instrumentation, and process equipment across water treatment and other industries.

Modern PLC platforms increasingly need to provide more than deterministic control. Industrial users also require secure communications, remote diagnostics, data integration, and compatibility with higher-level software platforms.

By combining PLC technology with software-defined automation architectures, operators can create more connected control environments while maintaining the deterministic behavior required for industrial processes.

Cybersecurity Becomes a Core Automation Requirement

The expansion of connected industrial systems has also increased the importance of operational technology cybersecurity. Water infrastructure is increasingly connected to enterprise networks, remote monitoring systems, cloud platforms, and digital services.

This creates new requirements for secure network architectures, controlled access, system monitoring, and lifecycle management.

Schneider Electric’s current automation strategy therefore places cybersecurity alongside productivity and process control. Instead of treating cybersecurity as an additional layer installed after an automation system is deployed, modern industrial architectures increasingly incorporate security into the design of controllers, networks, software, and engineering workflows.

Modernization Without Complete Replacement

One of the major challenges facing industrial operators is how to modernize aging automation systems without interrupting production.

Software-defined automation provides a potential pathway by separating control intelligence from traditional hardware dependencies. Existing equipment can potentially remain in service while software, communication, analytics, and higher-level control capabilities are progressively upgraded.

This approach is especially relevant for large water utilities and industrial facilities where a complete control-system replacement could require extensive engineering, shutdowns, testing, and commissioning.

The Future of Industrial Automation

Schneider Electric’s latest developments demonstrate how industrial automation is moving toward more open, software-centric architectures. PLCs, SCADA, industrial networks, cybersecurity, analytics, and energy management are increasingly becoming interconnected parts of one digital operating environment.

For industrial users, the long-term objective is not simply to install newer controllers. The larger goal is to create automation systems that can be upgraded more easily, integrate new digital technologies faster, and provide better visibility into operational performance.

As water infrastructure and other critical industries continue their digital transformation, software-defined automation is likely to become an increasingly important part of modernization strategies, particularly where operators need to improve resilience while protecting existing investments.