This article was printed in CONTROL's May 2009 edition.
Infrastructure security provider Byres Research and certification and research firm exida have merged to form what company spokespersons say is the world’s first company offering functional safety and security certification and consultation. Because weaknesses in safety and security can lead to the same negative consequences, the intersection of safety systems and cybersecurity has been gaining increasing attention among companies operating critical petroleum and energy generation facilities.
“The philosophy of ‘Secure by Design’ is broadening to ‘Safe and Secure by Design,’” says Eric Cosman, Dow Chemical engineering solutions consultant and co-chair of the ISA99 Committee on Control System Security. “Rather than putting band-aids on systems after the fact, the trend now is to design security and safety in at the beginning. This announcement makes perfect sense because it brings safety and IT security together under one roof.”
Eric Byres, chief technology officer, Byres Research, an expert in the field of critical infrastructure security, says, “There is much to learn from safety engineering on how to provide sound security analysis and services. “It is a perfect synergy—a mature market joining with an evolving market to get the best from both worlds.”
Byres Research will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of exida.
