The Open Group Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) announces new certification program in the O-PAS Standard
The Open Group has launched the O-PAS™ Certification Program, a groundbreaking initiative for the process automation industry. O-PAS certified products enable end users to build open, interoperable, and secure systems using products from multiple suppliers, fostering flexibility in system upgrades and technology integration.
O-PAS certified products allow end users to build open, interoperable, and secure systems with products from multiple suppliers.
San Francisco, CA – October 1, 2024 – The Open Group, the vendor-neutral technology standards organisation, has announced the launch of the O-PAS™ Certification Program, a significant milestone for the process automation industry.
The Open Group Open Process Automation™ Forum (OPAF) has developed the O-PAS Standard, a standard of The Open Group, which uses existing and emerging standards whenever possible, making it a standard of standards. The standard enables the development of fit-for-purpose systems consisting of cohesive functional elements acquired from independent suppliers and integrated easily, via a modular architecture characterised by open standard interfaces between elements.
O-PAS certified products allow end users to build open, interoperable, and secure systems with products from multiple suppliers, offering greater flexibility in obsolescence management, system upgrades, and technology infusion.
Jacco Opmeer, Co-Chair of the Open Process Automation Forum at The Open Group and Principal Automation Engineer at Shell says, "Certification provides the credibility that the fundamental qualities open systems will bring are measurable, and this will support the realisation of many of the values the Open Process Automation Forum has been promoting."
Hideki Murata, head of the Systems Integration Planning Dept at Yokogawa Electric Corporation, commented, "Yokogawa welcomes the O-PAS Certification Program as this will allow us to officially certify our products designed for the O-PAS Standard. We expect the program will accelerate the development of the O-PAS ecosystem by enabling end users to select certified products with confidence. This will help the industry move forward with open, interoperable, and secure products and systems."
Within the O-PAS Standard, there are Profiles that define the various segments of the architecture. The O-PAS Certification Program is based on these Profiles and for each Profile, the Supplier must attain independent verification of its claims of conformance. The Connectivity Framework and the Global Discovery Server Profiles are currently ready to be certified against, and The Open Group is anticipating that more Profiles will be available by the end of the year.
Aneil Ali, the Open Process Automation Forum Director at The Open Group, commented, "The O-PAS Certification Program is a significant milestone for the process automation industry and the Open Process Automation Forum. From the outset, end users emphasized the importance of independent testability over self-declared conformance, and O-PAS product certification delivers exactly that."
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