On May 9th of this year, GE announced an agreement to acquire privately held Wurldtech, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based company and recognized leader in cyber security solutions.
This move is one of many by GE to protect critical infrastructure and advance cyber security efforts globally for key industries.
While traditional information technology, or IT approaches for securing systems and data are already challenging, when applying these to the operations technology (OT) world, it can be even more difficult.
"The world of OT security needs to be foundationally different from traditional IT detection systems. Securing connected machines has a unique set of complexities that are very different from protecting a datacenter," said Bill Ruh, vice president at GE Software.
Wurldtech solutions and services are used in currently complex environments such as oil refineries, power transmission grids or for individual assets like medical devices or smart meters.
The company offers a strategic approach to cyber security that is projected to protect the OT that connects people, data and machines - maximizing system uptime and mitigating exposure to vulnerabilities.
"At GE, we are focused on software platform security, protecting critical infrastructure and helping to ensure the reliability of Industrial Internet operations for our customers and industries. The acquisition of Wurldtech is a perfect fit for addressing all of these big challenges," said Ruh.
Wurldtech said that the acquisition will help to enhance the reliability of Industrial Internet operations. Â Wurldtech's technology and professional services are designed to Assess, Protect and Certify. This strategic approach to cyber security is performed using:
•   Achilles Test products to discover operational vulnerabilities in products and critical infrastructure and then assess the root cause, •   Achilles Threat Intelligence product to secure OT networks with an industrial firewall, and •   Achilles Communications and Practices Certifications to evaluate device communications and best practices.
CEO Neil McDonnell from Wurldtech said, "the company looks forward to accelerating key programs as we advance cyber security for system operators and device manufacturers across the industry."
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