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News Release from: SPECIAL REPORT by the Editor | Subject: Read-out Forum at IRCHEM in Cork
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 18 September 2003
Read-out Forum at IRCHEM in Cork
Andrew Bond, Editor of the Industrial Automation Insider, recently chaired the Read-out Forum at IRCHEM in Cork: his summary of the event is entitled: "Vendors circle the wagons as users turn nasty"
"Congratulations to Eoin O Riain, publisher and editor of the Irish control and automation journal "Read-out" for coming up with an entirely fresh and original format for his Second Read-out Forum, sponsored by ISA Ireland and held alongside the Irchem 2003 chemical engineering show in Cork earlier this month Eoin's formula for success? Put representatives of the major automation vendors on the same platform and have them explain their respective companies' response to the issues raised in four keynote addresses on such disparate topics as 'Future Proofing Your Control System', 'Electronic Paper and Batch Tracking', 'Control System Accessibility and Interoperability' and 'Security'
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 3 Aug 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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And for added spice, round off each session by throwing the discussion open to the floor - or was that the vendors to the wolves?.
Those who had anticipated blood on the floor as the competing vendors' spokespersons gripped each other cordially by the throat were, inevitably, a little disappointed by the degree of unanimity they exhibited, but nevertheless enjoyed a frisson of excitement as, more than once, the audience, or at least the part made up of users, ganged up against the vendor community in general.
But then the vendors themselves seemed to be happy enough to fight their collective corner, falling in behind, for example, Emerson's Nick Taylor when he reminded users that vendors are actually in this for the money and will provide their customers with just as much and no more than they ask for.
Throwing a spanner in the collective works in the final session was keynote speaker Brian Ahern from Verano who sent a shiver up everyone's spine by pointing out just how vulnerable Internet enabled, Windows based automation systems are to 'cyber terrorism'.
Few dissenters when he told this largely pharmaceutical industry oriented audience that the security issue is 'the next 21CFR11'.
Andrew Bond".
Find more about Andrew's INSIDER newsletter on www.processingtalk.com/news/ius/ius100.html, or consult his website directly on www.iainsider.co.uk.
More information about Read-out can be seen on http://www.processingtalk.com/news/rdo/rdo100.html.
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