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Inclusiveness helps CSIA deliver on its mission

By Michael Miller posted 07-01-2016 16:41

  

Last month, I shared my thoughts with you regarding the role end-user clients play in getting CSIA Certification commonly required in the marketplace. This month, I want to share my thoughts regarding inclusiveness for CSIA and why it is important for us to pursue.

System integrators are a key element within a broad ecosystem of players. This ecosystem includes providers of automation hardware, software and services such as engineering, maintenance and consulting. It also includes the end-user clients, who benefit from the successful implementation of these automation solutions at their sites.

The strategic objectives, or focus points, that help us deliver on our mission to advance the industry of control system integration, are the following:

  1. Help system integrators be more professional and build better businesses.
  2. Be a forum for all members to network, train, discuss common issues and share best practices.
  3. Influence the marketplace so that CSIA Certification becomes commonly required by end-user clients.

CSIA is an association centered around the system integrator. CSIA increases its ability to deliver on its mission and strategic objectives through inclusiveness of the full automation ecosystem. A few years after the founding of CSIA, our association opened the door to automation equipment providers and allowed them to join as Partner members. While CSIA board positions remain reserved for Certified Integrator members, today, Partners have voting rights just like any other member, Certified system integrator or not. Partner membership has enriched our association and has allowed Partners to see the value CSIA, and in particular, Certification, provides to their system integrator networks. Several Partners have waived part of their qualification requirements for CSIA Certified integrators and others have gone all the way to require CSIA Certification for their top tier of SIs. It is hard to imagine that this would have taken place had CSIA not allowed Partner membership.

As I explained last month, CSIA is working to set up an End User Advisory Board (EUAB). After years of trying, we hope to be able to finally deliver on our third strategic objective of influencing the marketplace so that CSIA Certification becomes commonly required by end-user clients. While a motion to allow membership for end-user clients was denied at the association’s business meeting during the 2016 Executive Conference, the CSIA board hopes that by running a successful EUAB, we can revisit end-user membership in a few years. No rush, for the time being.

In summary: While CSIA is, and will remain, an association with the system integrator at its core, inclusiveness of the broader automation ecosystem will allow us to gain a more relevant position to meet our objective to advance the control system integration industry. Inclusiveness increases the value of CSIA membership. 

 

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