Not an April Fool story... this is really important!
BYRES RESEARCH AND EXIDA MERGE TO FORM FIRST SAFETY AND SECURITY CERTIFICATION AND CONSULTING COMPANY
Sellersville, PA - March 31, 2009 - exida, a certification and research firm specializing in safety and high availability automation systems, announced today it has merged with Byres Research, Inc., a leader in critical infrastructure security, to form 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 cyber security 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,” said Eric Cosman, Dow Chemical Company engineering solutions consultant and co-chair of the ISA 99 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.”
While Byres Research will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of exida, the two companies will combine to offer an impressive depth of expertise to end users and suppliers of industrial automation products and systems.
Eric Byres, chief technology officer, Byres Research, is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in the field of critical infrastructure security. “There is much to learn from safety engineering on how to provide sound security analysis and services,” he said. “It is a perfect synergy – a mature market joining with an evolving market to get the best from both worlds.”
“We are pleased to welcome Byres Research into the exida family,” said John Cusimano, exida director of security services. “This merger represents a major step in bringing the safety and security communities together with a common goal of helping to protect our critical facilities.”
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