Book excerpt: If there exists a single term that summarizes the key to success in modern industrial automation, the obvious choice would be integration. Integration is critical to aligning all levels of an industrial enterprise and to optimizing each stratum in the hierarchy. While many books focus on the technological components of enterprise information systems, Integration Technologies for Industrial Automated Systems is the first book to present a comprehensive picture of the technologies, methodologies, and knowledge used to integrate seamlessly the various technologies underlying modern industrial automation and information systems. In chapters drawn from two of Zurawski's popular works, The Industrial Communication Technology Handbook and The Industrial Information Technology Handbook, this practical guide offers tutorials, surveys, and technology overviews contributed by experts from leading industrial and research institutions from around the world. The book is organized into sections for cohesive and comprehensive treatment. It examines e-technologies, software and IT technologies, communication network-based technologies, agent-based technologies, and security in detail as well as their role in the integration of industrial automated systems. For each of these areas, the contributors discuss emerging trends, novel solutions, and relevant standards. Charting the course toward more responsive and agile enterprise, Integration Technologies for Industrial Automated Systems gives you the tools to make better decisions and develop more integrated systems.