Thursday, April 7, 2005

Mobile Data Access War Tony Perkins comes as close to a hero as I have. He founded and edited Red Herring magazine then founded and edits the Always On Network. His focus is on innovation and the business returns that are built on it. Here is a conversation he had with Danny Shader, chief executive of Good Technology, a company focusing on mobile access to corporate data, that has many ramifications to those of us in automation and manufacturing. First thing is Shader's emphasis on the value of standards. With those thoughts I heartily concur. Secondly, read this and think about all the tools that are being provieded now for mobile access to data, and also about all the benefits that can be derived from them. This technology could truly empower workers to improve manufacturing and business in general. Here is the link to the article. http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=9018_0_11_0_C 4:07:30 PM    comment []

ISA Looks Into Possible Standards Compliance Program Usually when an organization begins developing and disseminating standards, it also investigates how to assure compliance. This is more than an extension of business. If companies begin to communicate to customers that they meet a certain standard, those customers need to have some assurance that those statements are true. ISA is investigating taking this next step according to a news release I received today. ISA-The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society-is studying the feasibility of a new program to document compliance with specific ISA standards. The Society currently serves the professional development and personnel certification needs of its members with multiple credentialing options for individuals. A compliance program could help assure end users and interested stakeholders that an eligible entity has conformed to the specific requirements of a particular ISA standard. Developing a standard compliance program would give ISA a new role in determining conformity assessment in addition to the Society[base ']s current standards development role. "Through compliance to ISA standards, users can have greater confidence that both software and hardware products, as well as implementation methods and solutions are helping them achieve the full benefits of automation. ISA is inviting input from users, vendors, and government agencies as we collect information on this proposed program," commented Ian Verhappen, vice president of ISA Standards and Practices Department. ISA is globally recognized as a standards writing organization, developing consensus standards in areas such as automation, security, safety, batch control, control valves, fieldbus, environmental conditions measurement, and symbols. Accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ISA has published more than 135 standards, recommended practices and technical reports. A consultant will be assisting ISA in evaluating potential interest and the overall feasibility of the standards certification concept. Various ISA constituents will be contacted in coming months to provide input on this important issue by means of online surveys, telephone interviews or as part of a focus group(s). 3:16:27 PM    comment []