When I first heard this phrase, I was working in an R&D group developing electronic DCS. My first interpretation was that until the Sales Department got an order for a new product, new ideas sort of sat on the shelf with low priority… meaning that people were probably working…
exida explains Blog
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Thursday, October 13, 2016
- Functional Safety
Nothing Happens Until Someone Sells Something!
- by Rick Smith
- Thursday, October 06, 2016
- Industrial Cybersecurity
Introduction to ICS Security - Pt. 3 - ISA / IEC 62443 Structure
Over the next couple of blogs, I plan to map out the importance of ISA/IEC-62443/ISA-99 based cybersecurity and how it applies to your work environment. I'll also explain some of our services so that you can see what might pertain to you.
For part 1, I started from the beginning and outlined…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Sunday, October 02, 2016
- Certification
Welcome to my world
Sure, you might think I’ve got it made… sitting here on my perch telling you what you need to do to meet IEC 61508, while you sit there with all the work to do. Well, it wasn’t always that way. I was in your shoes, responsible for achieving functional…
- by Rick Smith
- Thursday, September 22, 2016
- Alarm Management
The Crossroads of Alarm Management and Process Safety
Recently I was reading The Manufacturing Operations Technology Viewpoints blog and came across an interest post on Alarm Management that cites exida’s Alarm Management cheat sheet. The blog post entitled The Crossroads of Alarm Management and Process Safety is a great summary for any one…
- by Rick Smith
- Thursday, September 15, 2016
- Industrial Cybersecurity
Introduction to ICS Security - Pt. 2 - IT versus ICS Security
Over the next couple of blogs, I plan to map out the importance of ISA/IEC-62443/ISA-99 based cybersecurity and how it applies to your work environment. I'll also explain some of our services so that you can see what might pertain to you. For part 1, I started from…
- by Steve Gandy, CFSP
- Thursday, September 08, 2016
- Industrial Cybersecurity
How Secure Is Your Safety Instrumented System (SIS)?
As the cybersecurity threats in the industrial world continue to rise, the automation world continues to grapple with how to address these issues. As such, the newly released IEC61511-1: 2016 edition has included a new clause to address this (Clause 8.2.4). In essence, End Users have to carry out…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Thursday, September 01, 2016
- Certification
FMEDA Predictions
The FMEDA technique is performed on a specific device (e.g., ball valve, pressure transmitter, temperature sensor, electronic module, etc.) specified down to the manufacturer and series/model. Based on the specifics of the design, the parts used to execute the design, the design margins, any automatic diagnostics, the…
- by Rick Smith
- Wednesday, August 24, 2016
- Industrial Cybersecurity
Introduction to ICS Security - Pt. 1 - What is ICS Security and Why it Is Important
Over the next couple of blogs, I plan to map out the importance of ISA/IEC-62443/ISA-99 based cybersecurity and how it applies to your work environment. I'll also explain some of our services so that you can see what might pertain to you.
For part 1, I will start from the beginnning…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Thursday, August 18, 2016
- Certification
Who’s Driving Your Process?
When I start working with new customers for IEC 61508 certification projects, it’s easy to understand why they might not have a compliant development process for functional safety: they’ve never done it before! They understand their market and their products, but they need help to understand the…
- by Dr. William Goble, CFSE
- Thursday, August 11, 2016
- Functional Safety
“Never tell me the odds”
-Han Solo, Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
I have enjoyed watching and reading about the actions of the fictional Star Wars character Han Solo over the years. I recall hearing the above quotation more than once. And as much as I enjoyed watching this character,…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Thursday, August 04, 2016
- Functional Safety
Functional Safety Evolution
Protection systems have been around for a long time, going back to having a canary in the mine, and throughout the Industrial Revolution; so they are not a new thing. Various stakeholders were involved in business enterprises: owners, suppliers, consumers, community members, and workers. Usually the business owners held…
- by Iwan van Beurden, CFSE
- Thursday, June 30, 2016
- Functional Safety
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Practical SIL Target Selection - Risk Analysis per the IEC 61511 Safety Lifecycle
Each month at exida, we strive to spotlight one of our products that makes the job easier for today's industry professional. In this blog, I wanted to talk about the exida publication Practical SIL Target Selection - Risk Analysis per the IEC 61511 Safety Lifecycle which is based on numerous…
- by Rick Smith
- Tuesday, June 28, 2016
- Industrial Cybersecurity
Network Segmentation and the Fragile PLC
One of the best parts of my job is I get to walk around and look over what has been implemented in the way of physical and cyber security. Most of the time I am very impressed by what has been done as more and more companies are realizing…
- by Iwan van Beurden, CFSE
- Tuesday, June 14, 2016
- Software
The Meaning of Tool Integration
What does tool integration mean? One can argue it is the ability for different tools to talk to each other and exchange data. Though this may be true from a typical software tool integration, a common definition of integrate, i.e. to bring together or incorporate (parts) into a whole…
- by John Yozallinas, CFSE
- Wednesday, June 08, 2016
- Functional Safety
Let’s Get Personal… with Risk
We recognize that risk is inherent in many aspects of our lives. And most of us will do what is prudent to avoid unreasonable risk in our activities, such that we are left with some level of tolerable risk. It may be safer to stay home and not travel…