Posts tagged ‘Risk Management’
RSA Announces Solutions for World-Class IT Security
RSA, the security division of EMC, announced new consultative and advisory services to help enterprises implement or improve their security operations to more effectively manage both risk and IT compliance programs. These new services are based on the deep expertise from EMC Consulting and RSA, built through 25 years of customer engagements and combined with best practices derived from EMC’s own world-class security operations function.
As cyber threats become more sophisticated and IT systems more complex, large enterprises are examining ways to improve the performance and responsiveness of IT and security operations. Taking a more advanced approach to security operations, while also integrating key IT operations functions, better enables organizations to identify and manage incidents and protect valuable information and IT assets.
To address these issues in large enterprise environments, EMC and its security division, RSA, are introducing a comprehensive suite of consulting and advisory services and award-winning security solutions to provide customers with a broader set of capabilities to effectively:
- Gather and analyze security data across the enterprise;
- Evaluate risk in order to prioritize remediation;
- Detect and react to security incidents, including first-line response to incidents;
- Monitor the IT environment to ensure effectiveness of security controls;
- Report out on security metrics; and
- Support the organizations’ efforts to address IT compliance requirements.
“Looking beyond the perimeter and integrating technology such as security information and event management with data loss prevention and integrated feeds for threat, attack and mitigation processes, can facilitate a quicker response to attacks and swift, effective decision-making,” said Mischel Kwon, VP of Public Sector Security Solutions at RSA, and the former director of the US Computer Emergency Response Team for the Dept. of Homeland Security. “By delivering comprehensive services and solutions that enable an advanced security operations function, RSA is providing customers with the ability to effectively identify and manage information risk.”
The new consulting and advisory Services include:
- Security Operations Strategy & Assessment – For those with established security operations processes, or who are establishing new ones;
- Security Operations Management – For those seeking to develop more comprehensive policies, procedures, guidelines and documentation to enhance their security operations; and
- Security Operations Analysis & Design – For those seeking a broad evaluation of security operations requirements and recommendations for solution design to meet corporate objectives for security operations and incident management.
“Today’s security challenges are unprecedented in the context of government and industry regulations, cyber attacks, and compliance requirements and the move toward private cloud. By helping to minimize risks and sustain long-term security frameworks, EMC Consulting empowers clients to achieve their ambitions for business and technology,” said Sandra Hamilton, Vice President, EMC Consulting.
AGR Signs Four Contracts for Drilling Risk Mgmt Software
AGR Petroleum Services has announced contract wins totaling more than £600,000 for its cutting-edge software that will allow operators to maximize performance during well construction projects. AGR’s risk management software, P1™ Version 3.8, enables companies to significantly reduce the time involved during well construction phases.
The following oil and gas companies recently signed contracts to use the software:
- NEXEN,
- Fairfield Energy,
- Petro-Canada and
- Sonangol.
AGR’s P1™ director Chris Ferrier said: “We have had a fantastic response to the release of the latest version of our software, and we look forward to working with our clients to help them realize the benefits it brings during activity. We have drawn on our extensive experience of global well construction projects to develop P1™ Version 3.8, which gives engineers the greatest opportunity to capitalize on construction activity. We understand that sometimes the most cost-effective option can bring the greatest risks, and so we have designed the software to offer a range of solutions and highlight the level of risk associated with each of these, thereby giving engineers complete control over their projects.”
Unlike traditional risk management tools, P1 Version 3.8 draws on data from previous well construction projects to offer operators a range of solutions to problems that may arise during construction work. It provides the costs associated with these problems, allowing engineers to understand the financial impact of their decision quickly and generate likely outcome scenarios of particular actions.
P1 Version 3.8 is compatible with Windows and is Vista certified. It enables engineers to compare real-time data with the model to monitor construction work as it progresses. In this way, corrective action can be taken at an early stage, keeping costs and lengthy delays to a minimum.
Graham McLaren, senior drilling engineer at AGR Petroleum Services, commented: “This software is already an integral part of the tools we use during well management projects. It gives us the ability to process information much faster and track performance as the well is drilled. As a result, productivity has increased tenfold.”
Companies of all sizes can benefit from the technology with three different software packages available: Express, Workgroup and Enterprise.
Weatherford Rolls Out Risk Mgmt Online Learning
Oilennium, provider of oil and gas training programs, is rolling out a multilingual Risk Management training program developed for Weatherford International’s Drilling Hazard Mitigation Business Unit (DHM BU). Risk assessment of all drilling operations ensures that every precaution is taken before beginning a task and that every employee understands why work must be planned and that every effort must be taken to eliminate or reduce risk.
The new program offers an overview of Essential Risk Management (ERM) and Operational Risk Management (ORM). Its primary objectives are to introduce the learner to the principles of risk and the tools to manage risk. Available in English and Spanish, the program comprises six modules. It begins with an explanation of risk and how it can be measured. It then goes on to explain how risk is managed through administrative processes. Individual procedures are examined in detail to demonstrate where, when and how they should be used in the workplace. By the time the learner successfully completes the final module, he or she will understand the concept of risk, hazards and a risk matrix and will know how to evaluate risk and how levels of risk can be reduced.
Developed by Oilennium in cooperation with the QHSE department of Weatherford’s DHM BU, Weatherford has just rolled out the Risk Management program globally via Oilennium’s online Learning Management System. Every Weatherford DHM employee can now log in to undertake training relevant to their particular region, while managers monitor their individual progress.
“DHM employees over the last six years have benefited from meaningful and extremely effective risk management training,” said Adrian Houlbrook, Global QHSE Manager, Weatherford DHM. “With the recent global rollout of the program, every DHM employee around the world can take advantage of it using the company intranet, with significant benefits in terms of efficient delivery, cost reduction by eliminating the need for classroom presentations, and ease of monitoring using the Learning Management System,which makes it possible for supervisory staff to check progress. The fact that Oilennium managed to provide us with this valuable resource for a modest investment means that it is very cost-effective, which is critical in this economic environment.”
“The Risk Management program was a massive undertaking, especially in view of the fact that it is a very important and involved subject,” said Kevin Keable, Managing Director of Oilennium. “Only by working closely with Weatherford to develop their risk training requirements could we have achieved this global rollout so efficiently. The partnership approach we rely upon to develop training is a benchmark standard that ensures that we create exactly what the client needs.”
The course content was designed to be generic, and thus it has received much wider use within Weatherford than originally envisaged. It is now a pre-requisite for other classroom courses used as a component of induction training in some regions, and it is included in the Weatherford Competency system for both technicians and engineers. It was even nominated for the prestigious Chairman’s Award.
Looking ahead, the multilingual program is also being considered for use as a component of new hire inductions and for regional staff training.
PetroComputing 