A gateway device, comprising: a control system interface component that is operable to provide a bidirectional communication between at least one external control system and said gateway device; a field device interface component that is operable to provide a communication between at least one external field device and said gateway device; a direct data channel that is operable to exchange data between the control system interface component and the field device interface component; a communication interface component that is operable to provide a bidirectional communication between at least one external communication device and said gateway device; a splitting unit that is connected to the communication interface component and the direct data channel, wherein said splitting unit is operable to receive first data from the field device, the field device interface component, the control system interface component, or the control system via the direct data channel and send the first data via a non-time critical channel to the communication interface component; and characterized in that: said communication interface component comprises a processing unit that is operable to validate, sort, summarize, aggregate, compress, filter, reformat, contextualize, and/or classify the first data to yield a set of processed data, and the splitting unit is further operable to receive second data from the communication interface component via the non-time critical channel and send the second data via the direct data channel to the control system interface component, the control system, the field device interface component, or the field device. a control system interface component that is operable to provide a bidirectional communication between at least one external control system and said gateway device; a field device interface component that is operable to provide a communication between at least one external field device and said gateway device; a direct data channel that is operable to exchange data between the control system interface component and the field device interface component; a communication interface component that is operable to provide a bidirectional communication between at least one external communication device and said gateway device; a splitting unit that is connected to the communication interface component and the direct data channel, wherein said splitting unit is operable to receive first data from the field device, the field device interface component, the control system interface component, or the control system via the direct data channel and send the first data via a non-time critical channel to the communication interface component; and characterized in that: said communication interface component comprises a processing unit that is operable to validate, sort, summarize, aggregate, compress, filter, reformat, contextualize, and/or classify the first data to yield a set of processed data, and the splitting unit is further operable to receive second data from the communication interface component via the non-time critical channel and send the second data via the direct data channel to the control system interface component, the control system, the field device interface component, or the field device. said communication interface component comprises a processing unit that is operable to validate, sort, summarize, aggregate, compress, filter, reformat, contextualize, and/or classify the first data to yield a set of processed data, and the splitting unit is further operable to receive second data from the communication interface component via the non-time critical channel and send the second data via the direct data channel to the control system interface component, the control system, the field device interface component, or the field device.