- January 30, 2020
- Industry Update
Summary
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- ISA celebrates 75 years of support for automation people and technology
- For digital transformation, learn from peers, says ARC council
- ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance starts 2020 with expanded membership
- Attendees to discuss Industrial IoT and smart manufacturing
ISA celebrates 75 years of support for automation people and technology
ISA was founded in 1945 as the Instrument Society of America, and much has changed over 75 years, including the association’s name. Now the International Society of Automation, ISA still “sets the standard for those who apply engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and cybersecurity of modern automation and control systems used across industry and critical infrastructure,” says ISA executive director Mary Ramsey.
ISA develops widely used global standards, certifies industry professionals, provides education and training, publishes books and technical articles, hosts conferences and exhibits, and provides networking and career development programs for 40,000 members and 400,000 customers around the world. Throughout the year, both online and in print through its InTech brand publications, ISA will review the technological milestones of the automation evolution, said InTech chief editor Renee Bassett. “We will shine a spotlight especially on the technologies of the most recent 25 years, as the third industrial revolution has given way to Industry 4.0,” she said.
Automation.com’s Bill Lydon will share his insights on technological developments that have enabled manufacturing and process applications to increase quality, productivity, and profits over the years. An example is the ISA-95 (ANSI/ISA-95) Enterprise-Control System Integration standard.
“The latest development of [ISA-95], B2MML [business to manufacturing markup language], creates compatibility with enterprise computing, cloud computing, Internet of Things, and Industry 4.0,” says Lydon. “B2MML adds value to ISA-95 by providing consistent terminology and object models and bridging information technology and operational technology systems. B2MML expresses ISA-95 (IEC/ISO 62264) data models in a standard set of XML schemas written using the World Wide Web Consortium’s XML Schema language (XSD). It is an open-source XML implementation of the ISA-95 and IEC 62264 standards. There is a joint initiative to bring B2MML into the OPC UA framework, which provides a secure and reliable architecture for manufacturing industries.”
The Sep/Oct issue of InTech will include the 75th anniversary commemorative supplement. In it, ISA members, customers, and supporters will celebrate, reminisce, and attempt to predict the future, said Bassett. “We will call on the people who have been working to improve and transform industrial automation within or adjacent to ISA over the years. We want to know how the standards and trainings have influenced them and their companies, and what new skills are becoming important as automation evolves.” The anniversary celebration will culminate for ISA members at the association’s Annual Leadership Conference in October.
For digital transformation, learn from peers, says ARC council
Companies in all industries are engaged in transformational initiatives, but true digital wisdom still eludes many. “I’m struck by the mound of evidence of how hard it has been to achieve success,” says Mike Guilfoyle, vice president of consulting and research firm ARC Advisory Group. “Despite monumental efforts and resources, data is still hard to access, organize, and use. Companies continue to organize around tech stacks, getting lost in fruitless technology comparisons. Leaders struggle to connect strategy and execution.”
Workforce and organizational culture barriers to digital transformation remain in part because “the digital wisdom necessary to transform simply isn’t being accumulated,” says Guilfoyle. “In my opinion, that reality should neither surprise nor, frankly, scare anyone off.” But it should cause you to look to your peers for support.
“I’ve seen a recent spike in how often I’m asked by executives for benchmarks or competitive comparisons,” says Guilfoyle. “Often, these questions tend to focus on use cases, data, or technology around things like asset performance, process efficiency, and cost within a specific industry or process.”
ARC’s Digital Transformation Council, formed in January 2018, is a peer group that cuts across vertical industries and operational processes. This member-driven community serves industry, energy, and public-sector professionals, and today more than 200 global professionals across nine industries participate.
By expanding their peer network beyond those they know well, members of the Digital Transformation Council are “naturally forced to bring a more open perspective,” says Guilfoyle. “This can help them quickly learn ‘why’ others do things, more than simply ‘how’ they are done. Instead of simply seeking to imitate, they learn how to problem solve better when it comes to digital transformation. Armed with that wisdom, they are much more willing and able to tackle entrenched issues around data, organizational culture, and the like.”
The Digital Transformation Council holds its third Annual Meeting on 3 February 2020 at the Renaissance Orlando Hotel at SeaWorld in Orlando in conjunction with the 24th Annual ARC Industry Forum. For more information, email dtc@arcweb.com.
ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance starts 2020 with expanded membership
- A condensed guide to implementing the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards.
- A consolidated matrix that cross references all cybersecurity-related standards to ISA/IEC 62443 principles.
- A road map for expanded cooperation with worldwide governments that are currently referencing the standards in their regulatory requirements or recommended practices.
- A multidimensional reference guide that will map system life-cycle phases and stakeholder roles to specific automation cybersecurity knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to manage each phase.
- Industry vertical overlays to the ISA/IEC 62443 standards for building automation, medical devices, and other sectors.
- A database of expert speakers for speaking opportunities at industry events.
“Unifying and intensifying the work of experts around the world, regardless of affiliation, is a key part of ISAGCA’s mission,” said ISA executive director Mary Ramsey. “We believe that automation providers, cybersecurity vendors, asset owners, government agencies, research groups, and others involved in cybersecurity efforts are stronger together.”
The ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance has more than tripled the number of its founding members with the addition of 22 new companies and organizations (see box). At the end of July, ISAGCA announced Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Claroty, and Nozomi Networks as its initial founding members.
End users, asset owners, government agencies, and other cybersecurity-focused organizations are also encouraged to join ISAGCA. Notable members include Chevron, ExxonMobil, Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Yokogawa, exida, Control System Security Center, YPF, Japan Information Technology Promotion Agency, Royal Dutch Shell plc, TÜV Rheinland, DNV GL, and TÜV SÜD. Current members of LOGIIC include BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, ConocoPhillips, and other large oil and gas companies. To learn more, visit https://isagca.org.
ISAGCA additions as of the end of 2019
- aeSolutions
- Bayshore Networks
- Beijing Winicssec Technologies Co. Ltd.
- Digital Immunity
- Dragos
- exida
- ISA Security Compliance Institute
- ISA99 Committee
- Idaho National Laboratory
- LOGIIC (Linking the Oil and Gas Industry to Improve Cybersecurity)
- Mission Secure, Inc.
- Mocana Corporation
- Munio Security
- PAS Global
- Radiflow
- Senhasegura (supporting member)
- Tenable
- TiSafe
- Tripwire
- WisePlant
- Wallix Group
- Xage Security
Attendees to discuss Industrial IoT and smart manufacturing
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has emerged as a major technology with a big impact on industrial automation systems—and on the automation professionals involved with the design and maintenance of such systems. Make plans to be in Texas in April for the 2020 ISA IIoT & Smart Manufacturing Conference and learn how automation is the foundation of IIoT and why it is useful to understand the difference between edge, fog, platform, and hybrid architectures. Held 15–16 April at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston, Texas, with a day of focused training on 14 April, this conference’s topics encompass advances in connectivity, automation, and security within the context of hybrid manufacturing operations across multiple vertical industries.
For more information and to register, visit https://isaautomation.isa.org/2020-iiot-smart-manufacturing-conference.
Add your Voice to the Celebration
The Sep/Oct 2020 issue of InTech will include the 75th Anniversary Commemorative Supplement.
In addition to technology timelines, Automation Innovator Profiles, and predictions for the future, the supplement provides ways for supporters to buy ads, share stories of ISA history, or position their companies as part of the Industrial Automation Innovators Showcase.
Show your support for the organization that supports your people, products, and customers. Email stories, congratulations, and questions to 75in2020@isa.org.
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