One of the commonly targeted pathways into an Industrial Automation and Control System (IACS) is through compromised remote access such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). During the Stay at Home Orders and other self-quarantining measures around the globe to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, many…
exida explains Blog
- by Patrick O'Brien
- Thursday, May 07, 2020
- Industrial Cybersecurity
With Many Automation Professionals Working From Home Cybersecurity Exposure is Rising
- by Steve Gandy, CFSP
- Thursday, April 30, 2020
- Functional Safety
10 Years After, Has Anything Been Learned from Deepwater Horizon?
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since the Deepwater Horizon incident on April 20th 2010. Even today, the Gulf Coast is still feeling the effects. In its latest estimates, BP is looking at a total loss of $65Bn USD, in settlements, fines and compensation. This latest estimate was published in…
- by Todd Stauffer
- Tuesday, April 14, 2020
- Alarm Management
Which Measure (Rationalized or Annunciated) is More Important?
Get your priorities (distribution) straight
A very common question is posed during alarm management training. Does the recommended alarm priority distribution of ~5% / ~15% / ~80% for high / medium / low priority alarms apply to the rationalized alarm priority distribution (as configured in the control system) or to the annunciatedalarm priority distribution…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Thursday, April 02, 2020
- Functional Safety
Back to Basics: Failure Rates - λD
The Greek symbol λD represents dangerous failure rates in functional safety, usually expressed in the unit of measurement of FITs, and can be determined through FMEDAs. (FITs (λ) are failures per billion hours, expressed by 10-9 hours).
λD is the number of dangerous failures per…
- by Rick Smith
- Tuesday, March 31, 2020
- News
Training in 2020 and Beyond. Adapting to COVID-19 with Online Solutions.
Hey everybody. I hope this blog finds you, your family, and your colleagues well. At exida, we appreciate the trust you place in our solutions and services to support you in achieving your functional safety, cybersecurity, and alarm management needs. We are committed…
- by Todd Stauffer
- Tuesday, March 24, 2020
- Alarm Management
Bow Ties Part II: Do Bow Ties have a place in Alarm Management?
As discussed in Part I, bow tie diagrams provide an easy-to-understand visual representation of risk management information (hazards, potential consequences, barriers, degradation factors and controls). In this article we examine the applicability of bow ties to alarm management.
According to the CCPS book “Bow Ties in Risk Management”,…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Thursday, March 19, 2020
- Functional Safety
Back to Basics: Failure Rates - λ
The Greek symbol lambda, λ, represents failure rates in functional safety, usually expressed in the unit of measurement of FITS.
λ can be expressed as a total failure rate for a device (λT), or it can be broken down into more specific groupings:
- Safe detected (λSD)
- Safe undetected (λSU) …
- by Ted Stewart, CFSP, exidaCSP
- Tuesday, March 17, 2020
- Certification
The CFSE Exam is Now Offered Online!
exida, the global leader in functional safety, industrial automation cybersecurity, and alarm management is thrilled to announce a new online testing platform for their CFSE (Certified Functional Safety Expert) and CACE (IEC 62443 Certified Automation Cybersecurity Expert) Certification programs. This also includes the CFSP and CACS…
- by Casimir-Alvin Musa
- Thursday, March 12, 2020
- Alarm Management
Alarm Philosophy Development – Going to Great Lengths
Creating an alarm philosophy document is often the entry point into the ISA-18.2/IEC 62682 alarm management lifecycle. Many tasked with developing one are discouraged by its length and the barriers it creates. When it comes to using the philosophy document, a common concern is that if the…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Thursday, March 05, 2020
- Functional Safety
Back to Basics: Failure Rates - FIT
Failures In Time or Failure UnIT
FIT is the number of failures per billion hours for a piece of equipment.
It is mentioned in both IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 standards as a preferred unit of measurement expressed by 109 hours.
Example: 5 FIT is expressed as 5 failures within 109 hours .
When you…
- by Dr. William Goble, CFSE
- Thursday, February 27, 2020
- Certification
I Failed the CFSE Exam, HELP!
It is tough to receive an email with this message from a prospective CFSE candidate. I know that when I have failed exams, I want to understand what was wrong so I can study those areas of knowledge more deeply and try again. Given the recognition and prestige…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Tuesday, February 25, 2020
- Functional Safety
Back to Basics: Failure Rates
Failure rates are the number of failures per unit time for a piece of equipment which are usually assumed to be a constant value. They can be broken down into several categories, such as safe and dangerous, detected and undetected, and independent/normal and common cause. Failure rates are often…
- by Todd Stauffer
- Thursday, February 20, 2020
- Functional Safety
Bow Ties Part I: Great for Formal Occasions and for Risk Management
The bow tie methodology, originally developed by ICI in the late 1970’s, has seen increasing industry adoption over the last 20 years. Bow tie diagrams build on the “Swiss Cheese Model” of hazard escalation and causation popularized by James Reason. They provide a powerful means for visualizing how a…
- by Loren Stewart, CFSE
- Tuesday, February 11, 2020
- Functional Safety
Back to Basics 23 – Stiction
What is Stiction?
Stiction is the resistance to the start of motion usually measured as the difference between the external force being applied in order to overcome the static friction and the force to maintain movement between the two contacting or working surfaces.
It can…
- by Steve Gandy, CFSP
- Thursday, February 06, 2020
- Functional Safety
Why Bother With Systematic Issues?
You may be wondering why this question is being asked? Isn’t it obvious that systematic issues are important and need to be considered? It may be that some of you reading this blog may not even understand what is meant by systematic issues. In which case, it may surprise you to know…