OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) is a platform-independent, service-based architecture. A successor to Classic OPC, the aim of OPC UA was to eliminate the drawbacks of Classic OPC, especially its dependencies on Microsoft and COM/DCOM. The OPC Foundation, the same organization that developed Classic OPC, is also responsible for the development and management of OPC UA. The first specification release took place in 2008 and was IEC-certified (IEC 62541). OPC UA, referred to as an architecture rather than a communication protocol, delivers a complete ecosystem for implementations. This ecosystem is so flexible that OPC UA will be able to bind and use new technologies within the existing system as future technologies emerge. 