Full Report
The August/September issue of Automation.com Monthly is available for download.
Analysis Summary
# Main Topic
The August/September 2025 issue of *Automation.com Monthly*, the digital magazine from the International Society of Automation (ISA), focusing on **Process Control and Instrumentation**, and covering advancements in industrial automation technologies, standards, and lifecycle management.
## Key Points
- The issue combines content from ISA's *InTech* and *AUTOMATION 2024* magazines.
- Focus areas include leveraging standards like ISA100 Wireless for safety-critical applications, energy optimization in process systems, and leveraging advanced sensors (e.g., Digital Optical Dissolved Oxygen Probes).
- Articles detail methodologies for ensuring manufacturing excellence through Process Control Charts and evaluating safety metrics like SIL and PFDavg.
- There is significant coverage on modernizing infrastructure, including lifecycle management for control systems and integration strategies using Foundation Fieldbus Linking Devices in Industry 4.0 contexts.
- Content addresses emerging fields like Bioprocessing automation and challenges in data center cooling measurements.
## Threat Actors
No specific threat actors, campaigns, or malicious activity are mentioned. The content is purely focused on industrial automation technology, standards, and operational best practices.
## TTPs
No Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) related to cyber threats are mentioned. The focus is on system implementation and operational performance techniques.
## Affected Systems
The scope covers systems within the industrial control and instrumentation sectors, including:
- Wireless sensor networks utilizing the ISA100 Standard.
- Parallel Variable Speed Pump Systems (VSP).
- Process monitoring and measurement equipment (e.g., Dissolved Oxygen Probes).
- Control systems requiring Lifecycle and Obsolescence Management.
- Industrial networks using Foundation Fieldbus.
- Bioprocessing and Data Center cooling infrastructures.
## Mitigations
The document outlines multiple engineering and operational mitigation strategies geared toward efficiency, safety, and system longevity:
- **ISA100 Wireless:** Expanding application portfolio, including safety-critical use cases.
- **Energy Optimization:** Using variable speed drives on pumps to reduce parasitic energy loss and lower capital costs.
- **Sensor Advancements:** Utilizing Digital Optical Dissolved Oxygen Probes to reduce maintenance and improve measurement reliability.
- **Process Stability:** Employing Process Control Charts to monitor stability, quality, and efficiency.
- **Safety Integrity:** Understanding and calculating Proof Test Coverage to accurately determine Safety Integrity Level (SIL) compliance.
- **Lifecycle Management:** Implementing strategies to separate compute and I/O architectures to extend the lifespan of control systems.
- **Documentation:** Maintaining P&ID accuracy through regular reviews, thorough documentation, and adherence to ANSI/ISA-5.1 standardization.
## Conclusion
This publication serves as an intelligence summary of technological advancements and best practices within Process Control and Instrumentation. While not covering cyber threats, it implicitly highlights areas of industrial convergence (Industry 4.0) that require robust operational security, emphasizing the need for accurate documentation (P&ID) and adherence to standards (ISA100, SIL calculations) to maintain system integrity and performance.