The Open Group Open Process Automation™ Forum Publishes the O-PAS™ Standard, Version 2.0
~ The O-PAS Standard updated with further emphasis on configuration portability for the development of secure, interoperable, and scalable process control systems ~
San Francisco, CA – February 4th, 2020: Today The Open Group, the vendor-neutral technology consortium, published the O-PAS™ Standard, Version 2.0. Developed by The Open Group Open Process Automation™ Forum (OPAF), this is the first major update to the standard for open process automation systems since the O-PAS™ Standard, Version 1.0, was published in February 2019.
The O-PAS Standard, Version 2.0, provides a vendor-neutral Reference Architecture which enables the construction of scalable, reliable, interoperable, and secure process automation systems. The latest release, which is a Preliminary Standard of The Open Group, has further emphasis on standardized system configuration portability to significantly reduce capital cost and time investment for end-users. With these capabilities, end-users can easily exchange equipment without being tied to a single vendor or requiring individual configuration parameters to be written in different operating languages.
“The publication of the O-PAS Standard, Version 2.0, represents an important achievement by The Open Group Open Process Automation Forum in a very short space of time,” said Forum Director, Ed Harrington. “In the past year, we have made significant additions to the Standard, with an increased focus placed on Security and System Management – which are at the heart of any successful control strategy.”
“Since the launch of OPAF, we have seen more than 100 member organizations across a range of industries become directly involved with the development of this Reference Architecture,” Harrington continued. “Version 2.0 takes us one step further towards our ideal environment, which is a ‘standard of standards’ designed to bring greater unity and consistency in how process automation is achieved.”
Harry Forbes, Research Director, ARC Advisory Group, added, “Industrial Distributed Control Systems (DCS) have been highly proprietary since their inception several decades ago, due to their requirements for both extreme high availability and real-time performance. The time is ripe for higher levels of interoperability to drive greater end-user value in this market. The Open Group O-PAS™ Standard seeks to define a set of standards and interfaces that will vastly improve the level of interoperability among compliant DCS products. This is a multi-year effort, and the latest release is an important milestone on this journey.”
The new version of the standard is supported by The Open Process Automation™ Business Guide.
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About The Open Group Open Process Automation™ Forum
The Open Process Automation Forum is an international forum of end-users, system integrators, suppliers, academia, and other standards organizations working together to develop a standards-based, open, secure, and interoperable process control architecture. Open Process Automation is a trademark of The Open Group.
About The Open Group
The Open Group is a global consortium that enables the achievement of business objectives through technology standards. Our diverse membership of more than 740 organizations includes customers, systems and solutions suppliers, tool vendors, integrators, academics, and consultants across multiple industries. Further information on The Open Group can be found at www.opengroup.org.