This month we introduce the newest three members of the Process Automation Hall of Fame. We also bust some myths about Foundation fieldbus, explore when to use guided-wave radar, and hear an argument in favor of multiple standards for the same technology. Access our issue now. Here it is in PDF format if you prefer that.

See our January issue: The Readers' Choice Awards--which products are our readers' favorites? Also in this issue, is there smart phone app for PID control in your future and data processing escapes the enclosure. And don't miss our regular columnists, Bela Liptak sharing lessons on fracking technology and answering questions with other experts, John Rezabek on fieldbus, Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner engaging in Control Talk and, technically speaking, Dan Hebert.

Once again, the nominations have been made, the votes sent in and the results have been tabulated for the Class of 2012 of the Process Automation Hall of Fame.

This year's class members are: Vern Heath, Mark Nixon and Tom Phinney.

Vern Heath founded Rosemount in a converted chicken coop, and grew it to become the Emerson Process Management we know today. His influence in the process automation industry, both as an inventor, and as a business leader were extensive, and continue to be felt.

The December issue of Control magazine is now online and ready for viewing. It features our annual rating of the Top 50 automation companies, both globally and in North America.This year, vendors are all doing well, but are nervous about the future. We also discover how Schweppes Australia sweetened soda pop production by consolidating process and logic controls and why your sampling systems need a lot of love and attention. And don't miss our regular columnists, John Rezabek on fieldbus, Bela Liptak and friends answering process control questions, and Jim Montague exploring an electronic marshalling project.

Here's Eugene Kaspersky's blog about why he's withdrawing his company from the Business Software Alliance (BSA) also known as the Dreaded Software Police.

The SCADA in the Cloud webinar will highlight the importance of Cloud-based applications within the industry. Attendees will also learn how some end user companies have used Cloud-based SCADA to surge ahead in their field.

My blog on the Illinois water hack was directly based on a formal disclosure announcement by the Illinois State Terrorism and Intelligence Center - STIC (Note: My blog did not identify the state involved. That disclosure came from DHS). The STIC disclosure was made on November 10; my blog was on November 17 after numerous water organizations told me they were unaware of the disclosure.

Per the WaterISAC portal, the WaterISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center) is a community of water sector professionals who share a common purpose: to protect public health and the environment. The WaterISAC provides email notifications about threats and any incidents demanding immediate attention. Consequently, one of the driving reasons for writing the blog on the Illinois water system hack Thursday was the WaterISAC had not yet notified the water utilities.

 MESA International and Cambashi need more data to validate or unvalidate the initial results shown in this release. The details are below, and they need YOUR help. I support this survey and would hope that Tony Christian at Cambashi will get many more responses. This is critical support data for the idea that real-time operations management works, and also pays dividends.

The October issue of Control begins with a view of real-world security in process automation, discussing how real companies are addressing the complex issue of securing their operations. It goes on to explore a systematic way to herd all those variable “cats” and achieve plant-wide control, how Iggesund Paperboard uses data-logging and supervisory control software modules to simulate and control pulp and paper production and predicatively control pH levels, and how the FAA uses ultrasonic flowmeters to regulate the cooling of vital high-powered computers.