Audit trail meets NERC CIP requirements

An Emerson Process Management - Power + Water product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 12, 2007

The engineering tools within the Ovation expert control system have been enhanced with audit trail capabilities.

Emerson Process Management has announced that the engineering tools within the Ovation expert control system have been enhanced with audit trail capabilities.

This feature automatically tracks engineering changes made to the Ovation system, providing utilities with a better way to manage system security, and troubleshoot and quickly identify the root cause of abnormal conditions that can impact operational performance or result in loss of generation.

The Ovation system is a key technology that powers Emerson's PlantWeb digital plant architecture.

Ovation's audit trail capability is particularly timely in light of the North American Electric Reliability Council's (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards.

These standards, which were adopted in 2006, require the power industry to identify and protect critical cyber assets related to the reliable operation of bulk electric systems.

The audit trail feature helps power generators address NERC requirements for auditable records of control system changes.

Through this tracking feature, all actions that modify the configuration or performance of the Ovation control system are automatically monitored and logged into a database.

These actions may include loading, clearing, reconfiguring and rebooting Ovation drops; database import operations; as well as changes to the configuration of system process data, custom graphics and/or control sheets.

The audit trail capability within Ovation is flexible and user friendly.

Engineering changes can be viewed, filtered and sorted several ways: by person, date, location or by the nature of the change, itself.

Furthermore, the active auditing level can be custom configured and adjusted (high, medium or low) to provide the desired degree of granularity.

This self-documenting capability eliminates the need for maintaining paper records.

It also removes the possibility of human error/omission, as well as gaps in information that could occur when long-time plant personnel retire, taking with them years of knowledge about control system modifications.

These latest enhancements to the Ovation system are part of Emerson's ongoing commitment to providing customers with comprehensive solutions that address the power industry's evolving security challenges.

Earlier this year Emerson formed a strategic alliance with Symantec, which includes integration of Symantec AntiVirus software for the Ovation control system.

As part of its SureService customer support programme, Emerson also offers security assessments and audits, as well as a signature update service.

"Our customers can rest assured that we are fully plugged into this critical area, ensuring we will continue to offer them a combination of products, services and expertise that enhances the security of their operations", said Bob Yeager, President of the Power and Water Solutions division of Emerson, who describes Emerson's role as a nonvoting member of the NERC Cyber Security Standard Drafting Team as an illustration of the company's involvement.

"Helping our customers operate their plants securely, reliably and efficiently has always been - and will continue to be - a top priority for Emerson".