Invensys announces three new performance improvement services

Three new services from Invensys Process Systems are designed to help customers maximize performance of their installed distributed control systems and other automation assets.

By Control Engineering Staff October 21, 2004

Three new services from Invensys Process Systems are designed to help customers maximize performance of their installed distributed control systems and other automation assets. The offerings, part of the company’s expanding suite of LifeTime Performance Improvement Services , include Loop Management Services , Network Security Services , and Alarm Management Services.

Loop Management Services are said to thoroughly evaluate all current plant or unit control loops with the best-in-class diagnostic software tools. Comprehensive on-line diagnostics of all control valves is included. Loop and valve diagnostics are performed using models created from a combination of real-time data and historical information. The service is available for virtually all process control systems and field devices. Critical under-performing loops are prioritized for remediation. If the user desires, Invensys specialists will perform actual loop tuning and recommend appropriate valve maintenance activities.

Network Security Services include Site Security Review Service and System Security Hardening Service . They are designed to help users develop an effective security plan, identify specific site vulnerabilities, and protect against potentially catastrophic intrusions. The industrial automation industry has been moving to more open and interoperable control systems, notes Ernest Rakaczky, director of process control network security at Invensys Process Systems, a trend that increases the potential vulnerability of these systems to cyber attacks. “We strongly encourage users not to become complacent,” says Rakaczky. “It is becoming increasingly important to carefully evaluate potential vulnerabilities and then take appropriate steps to further harden these systems against potential threats.”

For complimentary copies of Invensys white papers on these topics— Intrusion Prevention in a Control Systems Environment and Process Control Network—Reference Architecture —email csc@invensys.ips.com

Alarm Management Services lets companies establish, implement, and maintain consistent alarm management philosophies and policies across a multi-vendor process manufacturing plant, complex, or global manufacturing base. Invensys’ process control specialists are said to use best-in-class alarm diagnostic software to provide expert alarm rationalization, re-engineering, and ongoing support services to help process plants achieve and maintain a high level of safety and regulatory compliance without compromising production or product quality. Application engineers work with plant operators and engineers to identify, implement, and maintain alarm system improvements.

For more coverage of Alarm Management Services from Control Engineering , click here .

To read more on these services from Invensys Foxboro, click here .

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com