New Things Come With Spring -- Including Good Reads

Katherine Bonfante is senior digital editor for Control and ControlDesign. You can email her at [email protected] or check out her Google+ profile.I love spring! It is the best season of the year. I don't say this because there is more sunlight to absorb, more clean air to breathe in, or more fresh fruits to eat. I love it because during the spring I spoil myself by having a shopping spree and getting new things—new shoes, new purses, new clothing items, new everything.

Don't worry, I'm not selfish. I've also been thinking about you, www.ControlGlobal.com's readers, and I've been preparing our site with online deals for you too. The best part is that what I have online for you is free.

The first item available on our site this spring is the white paper, "How Stuxnet Spreads–A Study of Infection Paths in Best Practice Systems." There have been extensive reports of this worm's internal workings and the vulnerabilities it exploits, but there is little information on how the worm might have migrated from the outside world into presumably secure industrial control system (ICS). This white paper analyzes potential infection pathways in a typical ICS system, and gives designers and operators the appropriate steps to take to make control systems more secure.

This spring you can also learn how to optimize combustion of fuels. Visit www.ControlGlobal.com/combustion.html to read "A Beginner's Guide to Optimizing the Combustion of Fuels." Optimization improves efficiency, reduces environmental impact, reduces maintenance requirements and increases the time between maintenance shutdowns. This guide discusses how best to optimize combustion efficiency in any application that uses combustion plants.

There's more spring reading here in "The Power of Integration." In order to be competitive, various plant entities, departments and personnel have to work as one flexible, integrated team. To do this, an automation platform with connectivity capabilities is necessary. Find out more about integration best practices at www.ControlGlobal.com/integrationpower.html.

During the spring, it's not just the grass that is turning green. Sustainability is a hot topic during any time of the year. Read "The First Step," and learn how global trends, such as higher oil and gas prices and challenges, drive the need to improve energy efficiency. Read this article at www.ControlGlobal.com/firststep.html to identify the process improvement opportunities and see a proposed work process methodology to achieve energy optimization.