Security software: Verano changes name, relaunches Industrial Defender product, services

By Control Engineering Staff May 22, 2007

Mansfield, MA —Verano has relaunched its suite of cyber security products and services under its best known brand name,

Industrial Defender

. Henceforth the company will use that name for all its properties and allow the Verano name to fade away. This change is designed to emphasize the scale of its co-managed security services offering, which it bills as the “first integrated industrial cyber security solution.”

Industrial Defender’s new cyber risk protection lifecycle solution is the product of years of experience in the power, water, energy, transportation, and chemical industries. “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, in a May 15 announcement.

The Industrial Defender software suite has been Verano’s leading product, hence the reason to apply that name company wide. The software now includes a three-pronged defense in depth approach, which is reportedly aimed at securing real-time process control and SCADA environments. To assess defenses, the company first consults with a client, and then deploys the technology suite to mitigate risk. When this is in place, the company offers its co-managed security service (CMSS) which provides outsourced risk management to monitor and remediate cyber security threats. This CMSS service is now fully integrated into the larger Industrial Defender package offering.

According to recent market analyst reports, approximately 11,000 global sites have process control / SCADA systems in the chemical, power, oil & gas, refining, and water industries. Many of these are running control systems designed in the 1980s and 1990s when such systems were isolated from outside networks and there was little concern for cyber security. The convergence of corporate IT infrastructure, business applications, and mission critical operational layers has significantly increased security risks for manufacturing control systems, according to AMR Research.

“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,” says Allison 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.”

— Edited by Peter Welander , process industries editor, Control Engineering Weekly News ( Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free.)