Wonderware gets most of the migration attention, but plenty of plants are looking to move off Rockwell FactoryTalk View (SE or ME) or GE Digital's iFIX for the same reasons — licensing, aging clients, and the pull of a web-and-mobile platform. The migration mechanics are very similar to any SCADA modernization; the details that differ are mostly in the comms and the tag model. Here's the practical version.
Why teams move
The drivers echo our licensing comparison: cost that scales with displays and clients, dependence on a specific vendor stack, and HMIs that are hard to reach from a browser or phone. Ignition's per-server, unlimited-client model and native web/mobile clients are the usual pull.
What you're replacing
FactoryTalk: View SE (distributed/site) or View ME (machine-level panels), often with FactoryTalk Historian and Alarms & Events. iFIX: the iFIX HMI/SCADA with its database and Historian. In both cases Ignition covers the same ground — Vision or Perspective for screens, the tag system and UDTs for the model, Tag Historian for history, and a built-in alarm pipeline.
Comms: usually the easy part
For FactoryTalk shops the controllers are typically Allen-Bradley (ControlLogix/CompactLogix). Ignition talks to them directly with native Allen-Bradley drivers — no need to keep RSLinx/FactoryTalk Linx in the path — or via OPC UA. iFIX systems often front a mix of PLCs reachable over OPC UA or native drivers. Either way, Ignition connects to the same controllers without disturbing them, which is what makes a parallel run possible.
Mapping the pieces
Tag model — this is the real work: rebuild the point database / FactoryTalk tags as a clean, UDT-based model in Ignition. A disciplined model here pays off for years. Graphics — screens are rebuilt, not auto-converted; treat it as a chance to modernize layouts (and go web/mobile with Perspective) while reusing proven content. Alarms — re-express alarm definitions on the tags with priorities and notification pipelines (see our alarm & on-call setup guide). History — stand up Tag Historian for new data; migrate or keep the legacy historian readable for the retention window that's actually queried.
Phase it, run in parallel
The winning pattern is identical across platforms: build the gateway and tag model, mirror one non-critical area, validate data and alarms against the live FactoryTalk/iFIX system, train operators, cut that area over, then repeat. Keep the old system running until the last area is migrated and a full production cycle has passed. The risk is in the tag model and alarms, not the comms — so that's where validation concentrates.
Pitfalls
Don't lift the old screens over verbatim — you'll inherit years of workarounds. Don't skip the parallel run. Don't underestimate the tag-model rebuild, which is the actual project. And don't forget operator training before cutover, not after.
Where we come in
We plan and execute FactoryTalk- and iFIX-to-Ignition migrations — phased, parallel, validated — for manufacturers and utilities across California's Central Valley and remotely nationwide. To scope a move off your current platform, get in touch or read our companion guide to replacing Wonderware with Ignition.