A secure medication dispenser or apparatus dispensing only prescribed amounts of controlled medication (e.g., pain medication, narcotics and the like) on a limited, periodic basis. Medication is dispensed through an access slot. The dispenser cannot be opened by the user or any third party except on this limited, periodic basis. The dispenser is manufactured from strong, penetration-resistant material, and cannot easily be broken, smashed, cut, or otherwise opened.

An engineering assistant system 1 includes: an engineering server 10 that issues a work list including information related to work necessary for performing the engineering of a process control system 100; and an at least one engineering client 20 that grants work authority for each worker based on the work list issued by the engineering server 10 and makes it possible to perform work on a constituent apparatus that constitutes the process control system 100 within a range of granted work authority.

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media storing instructions are described for receiving, at a first adapter on a first computer system, a first Enterprise Quality Management (EQM) communication configured to pass EQM data between the first computer system and a second computer system on the computer network, transforming the EQM communication into a standardized data format, transmitting the standardized first EQM communication to a second adapter resident on a second computer system, receiving a second EQM communication comprising EQM response data from the second adapter in response to the first EQM communication, the second EQM communication being transmitted by the second adapter in the standardized data format, determine whether the second EQM communication is interpretable by the first computer system, and transforming the second EQM communication into a data format interpretable by the first computer system when the second EQM communication is not interpretable by the second computer system.

A method for performing a safe guard detection of unexpected operations launched by an operator for a manufacturing execution system (MED system) is based on a first database containing a set of operations, a set of operators, calendar information for a shift and calendar information for the equipment of the MES-system. The MES-systems further has a second database containing a login history of carried out logins of the operator. The detection of a malicious operation is carried out as to whether the operation complies with a set of rules defining allowed operations or with a learning module, in which specific roles of operators are contained and whether an operation complies with a specific role. In case of non-compliance, the operation is stored as an entry in an event trace file for generating alerts.

A span of responsibility access control system for use in plant process management and similar applications. The system leverages span-of-responsibility enabled user accounts and corresponding resource properties to assign, verify, and control access to assets and other resources in the plant process management system on a per user basis. Aspects of the system include configuration of properties for each monitored or controlled asset and association of a span of responsibility based on asset properties, such as asset type and location, with a user account. An access control module compares asset properties to the span of responsibility associated with the user account to determine whether the user is entitled to access any given asset, independent of determining permissions to act on such asset.

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media storing instructions are described for receiving, at a first adapter on a first computer system, a first Enterprise Quality Management (EQM) communication configured to pass EQM data between the first computer system and a second computer system on the computer network, transforming the EQM communication into a standardized data format, transmitting the standardized first EQM communication to a second adapter resident on a second computer system, receiving a second EQM communication comprising EQM response data from the second adapter in response to the first EQM communication, the second EQM communication being transmitted by the second adapter in the standardized data format, determine whether the second EQM communication is interpretable by the first computer system, and transforming the second EQM communication into a data format interpretable by the first computer system when the second EQM communication is not interpretable by the second computer system.

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media storing instructions are described for receiving an Enterprise Quality Management (EQM) communication from a first computer system on the computer network, the EQM communication being transmitted in a first data format and being configured to pass EQM data between the first computer system and a second computer system on the computer network, determining whether the EQM communication is in a data format interpretable by the second computer system, transforming the EQM communication into a second data format interpretable by the second computer system based at least in part on a determination that the EQM communication is not in a data format interpretable by the second computer system, and transmitting the transformed EQM communication to the second computer system.

A method includes requesting a controller, which controls one or more field devices in an industrial control network, to report code currently used by the controller for controlling the field devices. The code reported by the controller is compared with a stored baseline version of the code, and a notification is issued upon detecting a discrepancy between the code reported by the controller and the baseline version.

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media storing instructions are described for implementing bidirectional exchange of quality data using a common protocol. An exemplary method comprises generating, at a first party computer system, a connection request communication including data relating to a project and sending the connection request communication to a second party computer system. The method further comprises receiving, from the second party computer system, a registration change communication comprising the data relating to the project, sending a record communication including a quality object associated with the project to the second party computer system, and sending an update communication updating information in the quality object, the update communication being one of a state changing communication or a non-state changing communication. The connection request communication, the record communication, and the update communication are sent in a first format that the second party computer system cannot interpret without reformatting.

A security unit for an industrial control system comprises an interface adapted to communicate with a plurality of components of an industrial control system via a data network, a security assignor adapted to access a first component among the plurality of components via the interface, and further adapted to assign a first security level pertaining to the first component to the first component. The security assignor is further adapted to access a second component among the plurality of components via the interface, and to assign a second security level pertaining to the second component to the second component. The security assignor is adapted to assign the first security level and the second security level to the first component and the second component, respectively, in accordance with a system security level pertaining to the industrial control system.