International Society of Automation

What International Society of Automation does

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1945 and headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, serving engineers, technicians, and managers engaged in industrial automation across manufacturing, cybersecurity, supply chain, and critical infrastructure sectors worldwide. ISA's core products are its consensus-based standards portfolio (150+ standards including the globally recognized ISA/IEC 62443 cybersecurity series, ISA-95 enterprise integration, ISA-88 batch control, and the newly published ANSI/ISA-112.00.01-2025 SCADA standard), professional certifications (CAP, CCST, ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Certificate Program), conformity assessment programs (ISASecure, ISA100 Wireless), training courses, publications (InTech magazine, ISA Transactions journal), and the ISA Connect member community. Underlying technology includes the Mimo AI-powered large language model trained on ISA's content corpus and the Automation.com digital publishing platform reaching 1.4 million users annually.

ISA's business model is multi-stream and membership-anchored. Primary revenue comes from annual membership dues (professional $158/year, student $15/year), training and certification fees, standards sales, conference and event registration (Automation Summit & Expo, OT Cybersecurity Summit), publishing royalties through the Wiley co-publishing partnership, and licensing/assessment fees from conformity programs. The organization serves a distributed customer base of 14,935+ professional members across 108 sections in 31 countries, plus 50+ institutional ISAGCA members representing $1.3 trillion in aggregate revenue. Go-to-market operates through direct sales via isa.org, phone, and mail; community-led engagement through geographic sections, technical divisions, and the ISA Connect forum; and event-driven activation through conferences and webinars. Leadership is provided by CEO and Executive Director Claire Fallon and the volunteer Executive Board.

Name

International Society of Automation

Legal name

International Society of Automation

Website

https://isa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1945 that develops consensus-based industrial automation and cybersecurity standards, provides professional certifications and training, and serves automation engineers and technicians worldwide through membership, publications, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Standards

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Endpoint Protection (PLC/HMI/Engineering Workstation EDR) (HDADAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Identity & Access Management (IAM) (EDAOAIAF), Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN)

Keywords

• Industrial automation standards
• Professional certification programs
• Automation training courses
• Cybersecurity certification
• Industrial control systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Eindhoven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from professional, student, senior, and life members. Professional membership is $158/year with reduced dues of $79/year for eligible countries. Student membership is $15/year.
2. Training and Certification: Revenue from instructor-led, online, and in-plant training courses, plus certification and certificate program fees including CAP, CCST, and cybersecurity certificates.
3. Standards Sales: Sales of ISA standards, technical reports, and recommended practices. Members receive free online viewing of most standards.
4. Publishing Partnership with Wiley: Wiley assumed control of ISA's backlist of approximately 70 titles and publishes 5-8 new books annually. ISA receives revenue through this co-publishing partnership.
5. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from the Automation Summit & Expo, OT Cybersecurity Summit, Automation & Leadership Conference, and various webinars.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ISA is a non-profit professional association that develops and disseminates consensus-based industrial automation standards (150+ standards), delivers professional certification programs (CAP, CCST, ISA/IEC 62443 cybersecurity certificates), and provides training, publications, and conformity assessment services. Revenue is generated through membership dues, training fees, standards sales, certification fees, event registration, and a co-publishing partnership with Wiley.

Product overview

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is a non-profit professional association that operates as a multi-faceted platform offering standards development, professional certification, training, publications, events, and community engagement. The core portfolio includes over 150 consensus-based standards (ISA-5 through ISA-112 series), professional certifications (CAP, CCST), cybersecurity certificates (ISA/IEC 62443 program), training courses, and publications including InTech magazine, ISA Transactions journal, and Pub Hub digital platform. The organization also provides conformity assessment programs (ISASecure, ISA100 Wireless), hosts major events (OT Cybersecurity Summit, Automation Summit & Expo), operates the ISA Connect community platform, and recently launched Mimo, an AI-powered knowledge retrieval tool. These products collectively serve automation professionals across manufacturing, cybersecurity, supply chain, and critical infrastructure sectors worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mimo: AI-powered large language model (LLM) educated on ISA content including standards, training, reports, articles, and presentations. Functions as both an AI assistant and the ISA mascot.
• ISAGCA
• ISASecure
• ISA100 Wireless
• Pub Hub
• ISA Business Academy
• Podomation
• InTech

Products and services

• ISA Standards Portfolio
• Certified Automation Professional (CAP)
• Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST)
• ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Certificate Program
• ISASecure Certification
• ISA100 Wireless Certification
• ISA Training Courses
• ISA Business Academy
• InTech Magazine
• ISA Transactions
• ISA Books (Wiley Co-Publishing)
• ISA Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• ISA Transactions achieved top CiteScore in its category from Elsevier
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WileycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Strategic co-publishing partnership where Wiley assumed control of ISA's backlist of approximately 70 titles and will publish 5-8 new books annually. Wiley leverages its global infrastructure and distribution network to expand access to ISA's technical and educational content while ISA retains editorial independence. Wiley views this as strengthening its position in industrial automation, a key strategic growth area.
• SwordminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025Sword joined both the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance (ISAGCA) and ISASecure to support cybersecurity standards and certification programs for industrial automation and control systems, enhancing adoption of ISA/IEC 62443 standards across global sectors.
• ISAGCA Member CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance brings together 50+ member companies and industry groups representing more than $1.3 trillion in aggregate revenue across 2,400+ worldwide locations. Automation and cybersecurity provider members serve 31 different industries.
• ElsevierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElsevier publishes ScienceDirect, the full-text scientific database containing ISA Transactions journal articles. ISA Transactions achieved top CiteScore in its category from Elsevier.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is the world's largest technical professional organization, with societies including IEEE Industrial Electronics Society and IEEE Robotics and Automation Society that directly overlap ISA's automation and control systems domain. Both organizations develop consensus-based standards, publish peer-reviewed journals, offer certifications, and run conferences for engineering professionals globally.
• ISACA: ISACA is a global professional association focused on IT governance, risk, and cybersecurity, offering certifications (CISA, CISM, CRISC, CGEIT) and training programs comparable to ISA's CAP, CCST, and ISA/IEC 62443 certificate programs. Both serve cybersecurity professionals through membership, certification revenue, and global chapters, with overlapping audiences in OT/IT cybersecurity.
• (ISC)2: (ISC)2 is a non-profit membership association offering the CISSP and other cybersecurity certifications, with comparable membership, training, and certification revenue model to ISA. Both serve cybersecurity practitioners globally and compete for the same professionals pursuing industrial/OT cybersecurity credentials.
• SANS Institute: SANS Institute is a major provider of cybersecurity training and certifications including GIAC credentials, with deep penetration into industrial control systems and OT security training that directly competes with ISA's cybersecurity certificate programs. Both monetize through instructor-led training, certifications, and conference-style events (SANS summits vs. ISA OT Cybersecurity Summit).
• IET: Institution of Engineering and Technology is a UK-headquartered international professional society for engineers with membership, publications, standards engagement, and Chartered Engineer registration analogous to ISA's CAP/CCST credentials. Both serve industrial automation and control professionals with overlapping content in cybersecurity and process automation.

Broad incumbents

• ASME: American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a broad engineering professional association that develops consensus-based standards (e.g., ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code), offers certifications, and serves engineering professionals globally. ASME shares ISA's non-profit membership, standards development, and certification business model, but operates in a broader mechanical engineering portfolio rather than automation specialization.
• IEC: International Electrotechnical Commission is the global standards body for electrotechnology and co-publishes ISA/IEC 62443 and IEC 62734 (ISA100 Wireless). While IEC is a standards body rather than a membership association, its role as the international umbrella for ISA's flagship standards makes it both a partner and a structural constraint on ISA's standards authority.
• ISO: International Organization for Standardization is the global standards body that competes with and complements ISA/IEC 62443 via ISO 27001 and related information security standards. Both operate in industrial/OT cybersecurity standards development, and ISO's broader reach and government backing can shift member and regulator preference away from ISA's standards.

Emerging players

• ODVA: ODVA is an international standards development organization promoting CIP (Common Industrial Protocol) and EtherNet/IP for industrial automation interoperability, overlapping with ISA's ISA100 Wireless and enterprise integration (ISA-95) standards. ODVA competes for influence in industrial automation interoperability standards development and vendor adoption.

Others

• NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology develops the Cybersecurity Framework and SP 800-82 (Guide to Industrial Control Systems Security) that compete directly with ISA/IEC 62443 for OT cybersecurity authority in the US market. NIST's government backing and free access make it a structural alternative that could erode ISA's regulatory moat in the United States.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ISA_Automation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/isawebgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/InternationalSocietyOfAutomation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isa-manipal
• Instagraminstagram.com/isa_interchange
• Pinterestpinterest.com/IntlSocietyofAutomation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Society of Automation