January 16, 2020: ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance begins the new year with several priority projects underway and an expanded group of companies and organizations as members.  

ISAGCA is organized into four general focus areas for cybersecurity, including: Awareness and Outreach; Compliance and prevention; Education and training; and Advocacy and Adoption.These focus areas or working groups are comprised of subject matter experts from member companies, ISA staff, and external experts who are collectively working on the following projects in 2020:

• A condensed guide to implementing the ISA/IEC-62443 series of standards
• A consolidated matrix that cross-references all cybersecurity-related standards with ISA/IEC-62443 principles
• A roadmap for greater cooperation with world governments that currently reference standards in their regulatory requirements or recommended practices
• A reference guide for the phases of the mapping system lifecycle and stakeholder roles for the cybersecurity automation-specific knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to manage each phase
• Publication of industry vertical overlays to ISA/IEC-62443 standards for building automation, medical devices and other sectors
• A database of speakers with knowledge and experience in automation cybersecurity and associated engagements for speaking opportunities at industry events.

In addition to identifying and starting work on these priority projects, the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance has more than tripled its founding members with the addition of 23 startups and organizations to its members.In late July, ISAGCA announced Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Claroty and Nozomi Networks as its initial founding members.Subsequently, at the end of 2019, the following additional companies joined ISAGCA as founding members:

• aeSolutions
• Bayshore Networks
• Beijing Winicssec Technologies Co. Ltd.
• Digital immunity
• Dragos
• exida
• ISA Security Compliance Institute
• ISA99 Committee
• Idaho National Laboratory
• LOGIIC (Linking the Oil and Gas Industry to Improve Cybersecurity)
• Mission Secure, Inc.
• Mocana Corporation
• Munio Security
• PAS Global
• Radiflow
• Senhasegura (support member)
• Sustainable
• TiSafe
• Tripwire
• WisePlant
• Wallix Group
• Xage Security

End users, asset owners, government agencies and other cybersecurity-focused organizations are welcome to join the ISA Global Cyber Security Alliance.The current list of members includes:

• Idaho National Laboratory, the leading nuclear energy research and development center in the United States
• ISA Security Compliance Institute, which has certified automation products under the ISASecure brand since 2010 through a global network of accredited certification bodies
• LOGIIC, an ongoing collaboration of oil and natural gas companies and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security That it carries out research and development projects in collaboration to investigate and improve the level of cybersecurity in critical systems of interest to the oil and natural gas sector;
• and the ISA99 Committee, responsible for the expansion and promotion of the ISA/IEC-62443 series of standards.

“Unifying and intensifying the work of experts from around the world, regardless of their affiliation, is a key part of ISAGCA’s mission.We believe that automation vendors, cybersecurity vendors, asset owners, government agencies, research groups, and others involved in cybersecurity efforts are stronger together, collaborating to deliver solutions that meet the needs of the industry today and tomorrow,” said ISA Executive Director Mary Ramsey.”We are proud to bring together a diverse group of thought leaders to advance the state of cybersecurity.”

Notable members of the ISA Security Compliance Institute include Chevron, ExxonMobil, Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Yokogawa, Exida, Control System Security Center, YPF, Japan Information Technology Promotion Agency, Royal Dutch Shell plc, TUV Rheinland, DNV GL and TUV SUD. Current LOGIIC members include BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, ConocoPhillips and other large oil and gas companies that operate a major global energy infrastructure.

Learn more about ISA-GCA: https://isaautomation.isa.org/cybersecurity-alliance/

About WisePlant: A WiseGroup Company

From our locations throughout South America—including Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Santiago, Bogota, and Montevideo—and its U.S. headquarters in Pompano Beach, Florida, WisePlant provides technology solutions to all industry segments.Our areas of action and portfolio of solutions and services include process measurement, safe automation, safe energy, industrial cybersecurity, functional safety, intrinsic safety, worker safety and asset safety with many years of experience in multidisciplinary projects. Together with specialized system integrators, we select the technology to be used and provide customized solutions to implement services using world-class best practices and methodologies.Our team of technicians and engineers has experience working on large-scale projects for international companies.Our knowledge and technology are applied in various industries, such as oil and gas, chemical, petrochemical, mining, metals, food, beverage, automotive, pharmaceutical and many more.For more information, visit https://wiseplant.com.

About ISA

The International Society for Automation is a non-profit professional association founded in 1945 to create a better world through automation.ISA advances technical competence by connecting the automation community to achieve operational excellence.The organization develops widely used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; organizes conferences and exhibitions; and offers network and career development programs for its 40,000 members and 400,000 customers worldwide. ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation (www.automationfederation.org), an association of nonprofits that acts as “The Voice of Automation.” Through a wholly-owned subsidiary, ISA bridges the gap between the standards and their implementation with the ISA Security Compliance Institute (www.isasecure.org) and the ISA Wireless Compliance Institute (www.isa100wci.org).

About the author: Maximillian G. Kon

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