The discipline that holds the automation layer together in process and discrete industries is “Integration of Field Devices”. What makes device integration of utmost importance is the necessity of connecting these devices (flowmeters, valves, motors, drives, etc.) to facilitate easier data acquisition for effective configuration, calibration, diagnostics and monitoring –activities performed during commissioning and the device life-cycle.

Before the renaissance of Device Integration Technologies, industries were required to go an extra mile for installation, operation, and version management of the field devices due to difference in the device suppliers. Due to these disparate systems, the entire network architecture in terms of robustness. The inflexibility and fragile nature of these communication links demanded the advent of what today we know as Device Integration Standards, commonly known as FDI and FDT.

FDI Technology which was brought out by the FieldComm Group, solved one of the biggest challenges of device integration, i.e., having to install different drivers for different devices, by launching a standard a device package that is usable by all the devices and tools beginning with standalone PCs to process control and automation systems.

Similarly, FDT Group, which is a non-profit international organization, developed an open-standard for enterprise-wide network and asset integration, revolutionizing the ways to connect automation architectures facilitating seamless transmission of data from sensors to the cloud.