exida explains Blog

Cybersecurity incidents have shown that there can be major consequences for automation systems. There have been incidences where attackers have been able to manipulate the human resource interface console directly. It was only by chance that an operator in one particular instance happened to notice that his mouse pointer…

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Before you can dive in and look at the core concept of automation cybersecurity, it's helpful to first define it. Automation cybersecurity is the prevention of intentional or unintentional interference with proper operation of automation systems including industrial controls, smart manufacturing,  and IIOT systems through the use of computers,…

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As the inventor of the FMEDA process, our experts planned a series of eight webinars introducing FMEDA concepts and methods available in the Youtube playlist below.

The series starts with an introduction for the beginner, quickly moves to medium level topics, and finally, at the end, covers the more…

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In the 1980’s, there was a raging debate in the functional safety committee about redundancy versus diagnostics. Some said functional safety could only be achieved with redundant systems. This was strongly supported by Triple Modular Redundant (2oo3) safety PLC vendors. 

Others argued that diagnostics would be an equal or…

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Internet of things or IoT can be defined as the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects enabling them to send and receive data. The Internet of Things is revolutionizing the way we operate our systems today. As IIoT (Industrial IoT) devices and gateways populate the industrial…

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Let me be the first to say that I don’t normally do book reviews.  Frankly, I thought I left them behind years ago when they were required assignments for my undergraduate classes.  Nevertheless, I find myself writing one today, not because I must, but because there are so many cybersecurity professionals…

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The alarm system is a daily encounter for most operations across different industries. For oil and gas, the alarm system alerts and reminds the operation to take action(s) to revert the process back to the normal operating range. For pharmaceuticals and batch operations, the alarm system can be used…

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I’ve been teaching our FSE100 course now for nearly 10 years and it always amazes me that when teaching the course, the number of times I find that end users in the class are not really measuring the performance of their SIS.  In most cases, they are doing…

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The New Year is a great time to make resolutions, but often as the weeks pass, these resolutions fall to the back burner. A study completed in 2016 showed that less than 25% of those who set a resolution successfully followed that resolution for a year.¹ When we think about…

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First off, an introduction is in order. My name is Greg Houser, and I’m one of the new fish here at exida (no, that’s not a typo – the ‘e’ is lowercase in “exida”).  And…

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Engineers and managers who work with safety equipment have likely seen a failure rate of some kind quoted for the equipment.  Some equipment even comes with a safety certification stating the failure rate given certain assumptions about how the equipment will be used.

The numbers sometimes turn out to be…

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I recently studied the design changes made on the T series of old British cars (a hobby) made by the MG Company in England from 1936-1955.  Models progressed over that time period including the TA, TB, TC, TD, and TF.  I noted a strange looking two position switch on the dash…

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It’s an interesting fact that many end users and engineering companies that I’ve talked to have not or do not undertake Functional Safety Assessments (FSAs).  Why is this?  My view is that many do not realize and/or understand the true purpose of and benefit of performing FSAs.  The IEC61511 standard identifies 5…

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Realistic component failure rate data is critical to an effective Failure Modes, Effects, and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA). This failure rate data can eventually be obtained from component parts manufacturers, research and field failure data analysis. For example, exida’s Component Reliability Database (CRD) has been built from internet research, technical…

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TL;DR Tools used in developing safety related automotive systems do not receive an ASIL. Some tools and the way they are used may not be suitable for the development of automotive safety electronics and this depends on the ASIL. When a tool vendor mentions an ASIL they might be…

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