Vibration Data Management System (VDMS)

Monitor Critical Assets through Installed Protection Systems

Critical Asset Monitoring with VDMS

Critical assets such as generators, turbines, and other mission-critical rotating equipment carry the highest operational and financial risk in an industrial facility. When these machines fail, the consequences are severe—extended downtime, safety exposure, regulatory impact, and significant cost.  Critical assets are typically protected by dedicated protection systems designed to trip equipment under unsafe conditions. These systems are intentionally isolated from business IT networks to minimize cyber risk and maintain operational integrity.

The Cutsforth VDMS (Vibration Data Management System) is purpose-built to continuously monitor these critical assets, delivering high-fidelity vibration data without compromising protection systems or cybersecurity.

  • Early fault detection for bearings, rotors, and structural issues
  • Reduced risk of catastrophic failures
  • Leverage protection systems for valuable vibration and condition data
  • Control networks remain isolated and uncompromised

VDMS: Designed to Work with Existing Protection Systems

VDMS connects to existing protection systems using buffered analog outputs. This approach allows VDMS to continuously collect vibration data without any digital or network-based communication to the protection system.

Rather than replacing protection systems, VDMS operates as a parallel monitoring layer, adding modern analytics, visualization, and long-term data management to legacy hardware with limited communication or diagnostic capability.

One-Way, Analog Architecture for Cybersecurity

The VDMS architecture is intentionally simple and secure:

  • The only connection path is a one-way analog signal from the protection system to VDMS
  • VDMS has no ability to send data, commands, or configuration changes back to the protection system
  • There is no routable protocol, network address, or control interface

This one-way, analog-input topology provides a non-hackable, non-routable, cybersecure method for collecting vibration data from critical assets.

The buffered analog outputs effectively act as a security firewall, allowing condition monitoring data to be connected to standard business IT networks without requiring a data diode and without exposing highly protected control networks.

High-Fidelity Vibration Data for Critical Decisions

VDMS is engineered for applications where data quality, resolution, and reliability matter most. Continuous, high-fidelity vibration data supports:

  • Earlier detection of developing mechanical faults
  • More accurate diagnostics and fault confirmation
  • Confident root cause analysis after events
  • Long-term trending for lifecycle and reliability planning

This level of insight is essential for generators, turbines, and other mission-critical rotating equipment.

Purpose-Built for Mission-Critical Assets

VDMS is not a general-purpose or repurposed plant-wide monitoring system. It is a purpose-built vibration monitoring solution designed specifically for critical assets where:

  • Continuous monitoring is mandatory
  • Cybersecurity cannot be compromised
  • Protection systems must remain isolated
  • Reliability decisions carry significant risk

By leveraging buffered analog outputs from existing protection systems, VDMS delivers continuous condition insight while preserving the integrity, safety, and security of the plant.