Atos and Siemens enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and will reportedly leverage their portfolios to help customers establish an integrated first line of defense against cyber-attacks. The Atos and Siemens partnership in the U.S. is part of a global agreement around cybersecurity including common go-to-market and shared research and development efforts to target information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) security. Atos, with capabilities including identity access management, real-time security analytics, next-generation cryptography and software-defined security architecture, and Siemens, with deep domain know-how and solutions for OT cyber including security program design, security life cycle management, plant security monitoring and incident response, will work to help companies with an integrated approach to protecting against, detecting and correcting threats, according to Atos.
As utilities increasingly use software to become more efficient and reliable, there is a corresponding need to boost cyber defenses – going beyond compliance regulations to secure operations. In oil and gas, digitalization brings a convergence of IT and OT connectivity that enables data to travel from the field, to the control room to the enterprise network – underscoring the need for solutions to address the crossover between IT and OT, according to Atos. A recent study from the independent Ponemon Institute reportedly shows that nearly 70% of U.S. oil and gas cyber managers said their operations have had at least one security compromise in the past year, resulting in the loss of confidential information or OT disruption.
"As the energy industry benefits from digital technologies and solutions, there is a need to guard against growing cyber threats. This new cooperation is part of our broad effort to deliver cybersecurity solutions to America's energy sector,” says Judy Marks, CEO, Siemens USA and executive vice president of New Equipment Solutions for Dresser-Rand. “By bridging operational technology and information technology capabilities, we can strengthen our customers' defenses against costly and disruptive attacks."
For more information, visit: www.atos.net
