Method for operating an automation system, comprising at least one automation plant to be controlled, installed at a plant location and also at least two control applications configured for control of the automation plant, forming a part of a Cloud computing structure of which the computing resources are provided at different locations and which are connected to each other and to the automation plant for communication purposes via a network that has a plurality of communication node points and communication paths connecting said points to one another, - wherein a first control application of the control applications acts as a primary and at least one second control application of the control applications as a backup (BU; BU1 - BU4), - wherein the primary receives via the network a first data packet emanating from the automation plant comprising an input value (Ewl - Ew4) of the automation plant, - wherein the primary processes the input value (Ewl - Ew4) in accordance with specific program instructions of a control program (P1 - P6) comprised by the control applications, at least essentially present in identical form in the primary and the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) and creates from these an output value (Awl, Aw2) for an actuator comprised by the automation plant, - wherein a second data packet comprising the input value (Ewl - Ew4) is transmitted via the network to the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4), - wherein an enabling signal (F1, F2,...) is transferred from the primary to the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4), - wherein, as a result of the enabling signal (F1, F2,...), program instructions of the control program (P1 - P6) to be processed by means of the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) are processed that correspond to the specific program instructions already processed of the control programs (P1 - P6) to be processed by means of the primary, and from these the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) likewise creates the output value (Awl, Aw2) for the actuator comprised by the automation plant, - wherein third data packets comprising the respective output value (Awl, Aw2) are sent both from the primary and also from the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) to the automation plant and - wherein the third data packet arriving first at the automation plant is used for control of the actuator. - wherein a first control application of the control applications acts as a primary and at least one second control application of the control applications as a backup (BU; BU1 - BU4), - wherein the primary receives via the network a first data packet emanating from the automation plant comprising an input value (Ewl - Ew4) of the automation plant, - wherein the primary processes the input value (Ewl - Ew4) in accordance with specific program instructions of a control program (P1 - P6) comprised by the control applications, at least essentially present in identical form in the primary and the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) and creates from these an output value (Awl, Aw2) for an actuator comprised by the automation plant, - wherein a second data packet comprising the input value (Ewl - Ew4) is transmitted via the network to the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4), - wherein an enabling signal (F1, F2,...) is transferred from the primary to the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4), - wherein, as a result of the enabling signal (F1, F2,...), program instructions of the control program (P1 - P6) to be processed by means of the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) are processed that correspond to the specific program instructions already processed of the control programs (P1 - P6) to be processed by means of the primary, and from these the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) likewise creates the output value (Awl, Aw2) for the actuator comprised by the automation plant, - wherein third data packets comprising the respective output value (Awl, Aw2) are sent both from the primary and also from the backup (BU; BU1 - BU4) to the automation plant and - wherein the third data packet arriving first at the automation plant is used for control of the actuator.