What is the Purdue Model ?

PERA Model is the short name for the Purdue Reference Model for Computer Integrated Manufacturing (ISA Publication). This is a reference model for enterprise architecture developed in the early 1990s by Theodore J. Williams and members of the Industry-Purdue University Consortium for Computer Integrated Manufacturing. It provides a framework for modeling people, facilities and systems in multiple architectural levels and through all phases of the enterprise life cycle.

PERA has evolved through application on hundreds of projects and enterprise designs, and is currently being updated to address new technologies and terminology.

Key Components of PERA.

  1. Enterprise Life-cycle Framework: This life-cycle helps in planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining enterprise systems.
  2. Levels of Automation: PERA defines Control and Information System levels from control and interlocking of physical equipment to business systems.
  3. Physical and Logical Architectures: It divides enterprise systems into physical and logical architectures.
  4. PERA 4Rs are Response, Resolution, Reliability, and Resilience. They are used to place systems, devices and networks at the appropriate Level in the physical architecture.
  5. Reference Data Flow Models: Example reference data flow models are provided for different industries.
  6. Example System Architectures: Example logical and physical system architectures are provided from various industries.
  7. Hardware and Software Mapping: Mapping of example hardware and software products are provided within the PERA framework.

Typical Levels of the Purdue Model
Although 5 levels is most common, larger corporations or consortiums may define more.

- Level 0: The physical process (equipment that produces products).
- Level 1: Intelligent devices (sensing and manipulating physical processes).
- Level 2: Control systems (supervising, monitoring, and controlling physical processes).
- Level 3: Manufacturing operations systems (managing production workflow).
- Level 4: Business logistics systems (managing business-related activities).
- Level 5: Enterprise networks (corporate-level services).

The Purdue Model is widely used in industrial control systems (ICS) and cybersecurity to segment and secure networks. It helps in creating a defensible environment by segmenting industrial control system networks from corporate enterprise networks and the internet. Sometimes additional "DMZ zones" may be identified such as Level 3.5 for plant/office "firewalls".


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