This study was conducted by Control Engineering to acquire information related to the purchasing and specifying habits of automation engineering professionals for programmable controller software and hardware. The sample was selected from qualified subscribers of Control Engineering products with valid email addresses and who are involved in the purchase or specification of control systems, including human-machine interfaces (HMIs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), programmable automation controllers (PACs), distributed control systems (DCS) and single-loop or PC-based controllers.