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Read Charlie Gifford's article What’s Interoperability and Why Is It Important?

What Are “Interoperability” and “Integration”?

Interoperability and integration are defined by ISO Technical Committee 184, Subcommittee 5 (ISO/TC 184/SC 5), “Architecture, Communications and Integration Frameworks” as follows:

Interoperability

• Two or more entities (devices, equipment, machines, people, processes, applications, software units, systems, enterprises) can exchange items (information, material, energy, control, assets, ideas) in order to perform their respective tasks.
• Items exchanged according to a set of rules and mechanisms implemented by an interface in each entity.
• Inter-operating entities have a common understanding of the properties of the items exchanged.

Integration

• Two or more component entities (each with a distinct structure, behavior and boundary) form a system that exhibits its own distinct structure, behavior, and boundary.
• A task is perceived to be accomplished by a system and not by component entities performing individual tasks.
• Component entities cooperate, collaborate, coordinate and exchange items as needed to perform a system’s task.
• Interoperability among component entities is a pre-requisite to system integration.

Why Should End Users Join IICI?

For end users’, IICI key benefits include:

• Public list of certified products and system integrators
• Single unbiased point of compliance testing and certification
• IICI certified products save lifecycle integration time & costs
• Reduced costs and time in product selection and deployment
• Improved system reliability and responsiveness assured by interoperable products…‘out of the box’ to known high degree
• Provides a “Voice of the Customer” and “Voice of the Market”
• A voice in IICI and into form of adaptive manufacturing for global economic growth