• Company introduces world's first integrated industrial cyber security solution with the launch of its Co-Managed Security Services (CMSS)
MANSFIELD, MA, May 15, 2007 -- Industrial Defender Inc., the global leader in Cyber Risk Protection™ previously known as Verano Inc., today announced its company name change, signified by the launch of the world's first completely integrated cyber security solution for critical infrastructures. Industrial Defender's new Cyber Risk Protection Lifecycle solution culminates years of experience in protecting critical infrastructure systems in the power, water, energy, transportation and chemical industries.
Based on its flagship Industrial Defender technology suite that established the company's leadership in critical infrastructure protection, the complete cyber security solution now includes a three-pronged "Defense in Depth" approach to securing real-time process control/SCADA environments. To assess risk, Industrial Defender offers comprehensive cyber security consulting services, followed by the Industrial Defender technology suite that is deployed to mitigate risk. The final element of the Defense in Depth strategy is the company's new Co-Managed Security Service (CMSS) which provides outsourced risk management to monitor and remediate cyber security threats. CMSS is now fully integrated into the Industrial Defender offering, completing the company's Cyber Risk Protection Lifecycle platform.
"With nearly two decades of experience in the process control/SCADA environment and all of the security components in place now, Industrial Defender is the only company that can fully protect these industrial environments against increasing cyber security threats and meet upcoming global regulatory compliance deadlines," said Brian M. Ahern, president and CEO of Industrial Defender. "The return on investment of Industrial Defender is the cost savings that one cyber attack might have on a critical infrastructure system."
In recent history, many process control/SCADA issues have impacted critical infrastructures, costing millions of dollars and risks to public safety. Propagated by a failed critical infrastructure control system, the Northeastern U.S.-Canada blackout of 2003 had a $6 billion economic impact and affected more than 50 million people. More recently, a teenage hacker shut down a major shipping port in Houston, halting all inbound and outbound traffic. Critical infrastructure systems also face threats from computer virus proliferation. In 2003, the Davis-Besse nuclear plant's safety monitoring system was shut down for more than five hours by the Slammer Worm. Fortunately the nuclear units were offline however if they had been operational there would have existed the possibility of compromising public safety.
With more than 60 process control/SCADA security assessments and more than 1,100 Industrial Defender deployments in this environment, Industrial Defender is the expert in protecting these types of critical infrastructure systems. In addition, 150 process control and SCADA networks in 21 countries are co-managed by CMSS. Organizations such as Avista Utilities, City of Boca Raton, Constellation Energy, Drax, DuPont, PPL Generation LLC, RWE and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association trust Industrial Defender to protect their real-time control environments, along with organizations globally, including:
• One in five power plants in the United Kingdom
• The largest single power plant in Western Europe
• The longest and most advanced metro line in Europe, estimated to carry more than 90-million passengers annually
• Network power to more than 1.6 million customers in Australia
• One of the largest chemical companies in the world
According to recent market analyst reports, approximately 11,000 global sites have process control/SCADA systems in the chemical, power, oil and gas, refining, and water, yet CXOs, IT and production staff are just now contemplating the best approach to control system/SCADA security in response to increased cyber security threats, as well as regulatory compliance, corporate governance/Sarbanes Oxley requirements and other global mandates. Legacy SCADA and process control systems implemented in the late 1980s and early 1990s were not designed with cyber security in mind. The convergence of corporate IT infrastructure, business application and the mission critical operational layers has significantly increased operation system cyber security risk.
"While it may be inconvenient to lose access to your e-mail, or even your ERP system, losing control of your manufacturing systems invariably leads to significant lost revenue, potential loss of credibility with your stakeholders, and, in the worst-case scenario, loss of life," said Alison Smith, senior research analyst, AMR Research Inc. "Industrial Defender is a pioneer in this area, offering network monitoring and perimeter intrusion detection for asset-intensive manufacturers for nearly five years."
For more information on Industrial Defender Inc. or the company's Risk Protection Lifecycle solution, please visit www.industrialdefender.com.
Industrial Defender Inc., a global leader in Cyber Risk Protection, is the first company to offer a completely integrated cyber security solution designed to protect the real-time process control and SCADA environment in a flexible and cost effective platform. This comprehensive Cyber Risk Protection Lifecycle solution enables the efficient assessment, mitigation and management of cyber security risk within the critical infrastructure network domain.
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