Frost & Sullivan Lauds Waterfall Security for Developing FLIP, a Revolutionary Network-Perimeter Security Offering for the Oil and Gas Infrastructure Market
Waterfall FLIP leverages all existing Unidirectional Security Gateway server replication software components and their features
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the oil and gas infrastructure security market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Waterfall Security with the 2014 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation Leadership. The company demonstrated strong innovation credentials with the introduction of its Waterfall FLIP™ solution. Waterfall FLIP is a Unidirectional Security Gateway that securely integrates information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) control system networks, and blocks network-oriented cyberthreats targeting control systems and plant networks at critical industrial infrastructures.
Uniquely, Waterfall FLIP allows the orientation of the Unidirectional Security Gateway to change periodically. While information flows unidirectionally out of a protected network almost all of the time, the technology can change directions to also flow back into a protected network to allow, for example, anti-virus signatures and control recipes to re-enter the protected network.
"Waterfall Security has adapted its existing inventory of server replication solutions to recognize the orientation of the Waterfall FLIP and use changes in orientation to trigger data movement," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Katherine Evans. "For example, a once-daily reversal of the FLIP can trigger an operation that pulls the latest anti-virus signature files from an anti-virus server or from the anti-virus vendor across the Internet, checks the cryptographic credentials of the file, and transfers it back to a protected network. The same is possible with batch control recipes, software security updates and other information."
Waterfall FLIP's Unidirectional Security Gateway hardware disables advanced-style remote control attacks via Internet command and control centers, while enabling critical operational and business processes.
Waterfall Security solutions provide the largest set of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) unidirectional industrial server replication solutions to customers operating industrial control systems. The Waterfall FLIP is particularly well-suited to midstream and downstream operations, where instructions from business systems in the form of deliveries contracts, production orders and control recipes must be communicated to industrial operations several times a day.
The Waterfall FLIP allows oil and gas sites to enjoy the stronger-than-firewalls protections of Unidirectional Security Gateways, without the accompanying labor costs, security vulnerabilities and inaccuracies involved in manual processes for carrying data back into protected networks. The Waterfall FLIP also makes the most of data filtering and content-checking technologies built into the existing suite of server replication capabilities.
"The FLIP 'Unidirectional Security Gateway' is in a very competitive position in the market, as Waterfall Security solutions already support leading cross-vendor industrial solutions such as OSIsoft PI and OPC, as well as leading proprietary solutions such as AspenTech, Wonderware's Archestra, Siemens S7 and GE's IFix," noted Evans. "Although the FLIP is a relatively new innovation in a growing market segment, Frost & Sullivan believes that its list of installed sites is set to grow quickly."
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed an innovative element in a product by leveraging leading-edge technologies. The award recognizes the value-added features/benefits of the product and the increased ROI it offers customers, which, in turn, increases customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.
About Waterfall Security
Waterfall Security Solutions Ltd. is the leading provider of stronger-than-firewalls solutions for industrial control networks and critical infrastructures. The company's products are deployed in utilities and critical national infrastructures throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Israel. Waterfall's technologies reduce the cost and complexity of compliance with NERC-CIP, NRC, NIST, CFATS and other regulations, and include support for leading industrial applications, including the OSIsoft PI™ Historian, the GE Proficy™ iHistorian, Siemens SIMATIC™/Spectrum™ solutions and GE OSM™ remote monitoring platforms, as well as OPC, Modbus, DNP3, ICCP and other industrial protocols. Frost & Sullivan describes Waterfall's solutions as ensuring "optimum security for networks across user verticals" and awarded Waterfall the 2012 Network Security Award for Industrial Control Systems Entrepreneurial Company of the Year and the 2013 North America Award for Customer Value Enhancement. For more information, visit www.waterfall-security.com.
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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
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