HOUSTON , Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- As the deadline for NERC CIP compliance draws near, GarrettCom(TM), Inc. today announced enhanced features for its CrossBow(TM) NERC CIP Solution, including enhanced server redundancy; additional options for meeting requirements for system backup and recovery; and easier management and administration for NERC CIP reporting and scheduling requirements. The announcement was made during a presentation at the ABB EMS Users Group meeting here.
A core component to the enhanced solution is the newly released CrossBow 3 Secure Access Manager from Bow Networks. GarrettCom is the exclusive distributor of CrossBow software to power utilities in North America .
Among the new features are:
-- Additional redundancy and database mirroring options via a move to Microsoft(R)'s SQL Server(R) database, to provide enhanced uptime and additional tools for meeting CIP-009 requirements for system availability and recovery.
-- End user interface enhancements that allow users to organize authorized IEDs in easily accessed user-defined graphical directories.
-- Enhanced password administration to automate password updates across a large community of IEDs or other Critical Cyber Assets (CCAs). NERC CIP requires periodically updating device passwords, and the populations of IEDs and other critical Cyber Assets (CCAs) such as Magnum DX router/firewalls in substations may number in the thousands, making automated update tools a necessary administrative aid.
-- New event scheduler capabilities to facilitate collection, archival, and review of files from remote systems, and to automate the centralization of event records in a common database. For example, CrossBow will automatically consolidate security and activity event records from distributed Magnum DX routers with stateful firewall and Virtual Private Network features to enable auditing of substation Electronic Security Perimeter effectiveness.
-- Simplified reporting schemes that provide a range of tools that will satisfy CIP requirements in an automated manner.
"Meeting the initial CIP compliance deadline is not the end of the process," said John Shaw , Executive Vice President of GarrettCom. "Utilities are looking beyond that deadline to the ongoing administrative processes and the need for solutions that make 'life under CIP' simpler and less intrusive. CrossBow 3 shows our commitment along with Bow Networks to focus on both ease of implementation and ongoing use."
"Secure access management is becoming a mission critical application," said Jeff Gill , President of Bow Networks. "The latest enhancements to the CrossBow NERC CIP solution provide the necessary tools to assure availability of secure access to critical substations and to meet 'best in class' standards for systems reliability and recovery."
About Bow Networks
Bow Networks Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada , is the primary developer of CrossBow Secure Access Manager, a proven secure access management solution designed to provide NERC CIP compliant access to Intelligent Electronic Devices. The company delivers solutions that enable utility-wide real-time acquisition and management of substation and field information. Since 1986, the company has assisted many utilities worldwide to achieve better asset utilization and superior quality of service levels. For more information on Bow Networks and its products, visit http://www.bownetworks.com.
About GarrettCom
GarrettCom, Inc., Fremont, Calif. , USA, is the exclusive North American distributor for the CrossBow(TM) NERC CIP solution that includes Bow Network's CrossBow(TM) Secure Access Manager, GarrettCom's Magnum DX and DynaStar substation router/firewalls, and other supported substation gateways. GarrettCom is an industry leader in providing networking solutions for challenging industrial environments, including manufacturing, power utility substations, telecommunications, oil and gas facilities, traffic control and video surveillance. The company's products provide a comprehensive industrial network architecture encompassing a switched Ethernet core, distributed edge devices for both Ethernet and Serial protocols, and secured connections to various WAN services. For more information on GarrettCom and its products, visit http://www.garrettcom.com.
Magnum and GarrettCom are trademarks of GarrettCom, Inc. CrossBow is a trademark of Bow Networks Inc. Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox Corp. Microsoft and SQL Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
Contact: Barbara Kline, Jim Krachenfels, Breakthru Communications GarrettCom, Inc. 650-868-5804 510-580-2767 [email protected] [email protected]SOURCE GarrettCom, Inc.
