Released on: September 23, 2008, 4:42 am

Press Release Author: Colin Saldanha

Industry: Software

Press Release Summary: Paramount launches new division for SCADA and Process Control
Security, providing world leading technology from Industrial Defender

Press Release Body: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 23, 2008: Paramount, the
leading regional provider of products and services for securing the Information
Assets of Enterprises in the Middle East, has floated a new business division for
Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Process Control security and
have signed a partnership agreement with Industrial Defender, the global leader in
Cyber Risk Protection™.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Premchand Kurup, CEO of Paramount said, “Across the
world in recent times, as a result the of migration of control networks from obscure
to IP based, vulnerabilities in these networks are being exploited increasingly by
hackers, terrorists and individuals bent on disruption and destruction. These
systems face threats from computer virus proliferation as well as human error. Many
process control/SCADA issues have impacted critical infrastructures costing millions
of dollars, loss of credibility with company stakeholders and risks to public
safety.
As the leading IT security systems integrator in the region, we realized that we
needed to dedicate a specialized division to provide consultancy and technology to
the Oil and Gas, Real Estate, Transportation, Heavy Industries, Chemical and Defence
industries and critical government infrastructures, that needs a different approach
than traditional IT security. Hence our decision to open a new division for SCADA
and Process Control Security”.

With nearly two decades of experience in the process control/SCADA environment and
all of the security components in place now, Industrial Defender is a pioneer and
the only company in the world that can fully protect industrial environments against
increasing cyber security threats and help companies meet upcoming global regulatory
compliance deadlines. “Paramount is proud and happy to partner with a world leader
like Industrial Defender and we believe that this association will add a significant
value to our customer engagements”, added Mr Kurup.

Mr. Matt Auer, Director-International Operations, Industrial Defender commented on
the partnership, “Paramount has an illustrious list of clients and project
implementations in the region, a large number of certified technical staff and is
the only regional IT security company in the Middle East providing a holistic
solution encompassing all three aspects – technology, process and people. We thus
see Paramount as the perfect partner to help Industrial Defender achieve it’s
business and marketing objectives in the Middle East”.

A SCADA system collects data from various remote sites and makes it available in a
central location for subsequent processing. Because of the distances involved and
obstacles along the path, data is typically transmitted over radio, microwave or
satellite links, over a dial-up or leased landline. Apart from the different media,
a whole range of mostly proprietary protocols exist. SCADA architecture provides a
platform for improved access to real-time measurements and instrument diagnostics at
remote locations. Critical business data and information that is extracted from the
industrial control system environment is used to maximize production lifecycles,
profit margins, and the return on corporate assets.

The convergence of the enterprise IT domain, and the real-time process control and
SCADA domains is introducing significant cyber security risk. The proliferation of
IT business system integration, internet usage, remote access, outsourced services,
and terrorist threats is significantly elevating the cyber security risk threat
within the critical infrastructure domain. A cyber security incident within the
enterprise IT domain may create an intangible consequence of inconvenience for an
employee, department, or organization with a disruption to an email server,
database, or web site. The consequence of a cyber attack in a real-time process
control or SCADA environment is more tangible and significant and may have a far
reaching physical, economic, and social impact on the population.

-Ends-

About Paramount
Founded in 1992, transformed in 1999 and re-invented in 2007, Paramount as a company
is “Work in Progress”. Paramount is the leading regional provider of Technology and
services for securing the Information Assets of Enterprises. From the development of
a Security Policy, Security Awareness Training, through to the delivery of complete
end-to-end solutions that encompass Perimeter Security, Secure Content Management,
Identity and Access Management, Vulnerability Assessment, Risk, Policy and
Compliance Management. Paramount helps leading organizations in the Arabian Gulf
Region, understand monitor and mitigate the risks in their IT infrastructure. For
further information on Paramount, please visit http://www.paramountassure.com/

About Industrial Defender, Inc.
Industrial Defender, Inc., the global leader in Cyber Risk Protection™, is the first
company to offer a completely integrated Defense in Depth™ cyber security solution
designed to protect the industrial control system and SCADA environment in a
flexible and cost effective platform. This comprehensive Cyber Risk Protection™
lifecycle solution enables the efficient assessment, mitigation and management of
cyber security risk within the critical infrastructure network domain. Formerly
known as Verano, Inc., Industrial Defender is a privately held company with over 17
years of industrial control system and SCADA industry experience, and more than 6
years of industrial cyber security experience – recently recognized by Frost and
Sullivan’s 2008 Company of the Year Award. Industrial Defender has completed more
than 90 process control / SCADA cyber security assessments, more than 2,000 global
technology deployments in securing critical infrastructure systems, more than 3,000
mission critical SCADA deployments and provides managed security services for 160
process control plants in 21 countries. For more information on Industrial Defender,
please visit http://www.industrialdefender.com/




Web Site: http://ww.paramountassure.com/

Contact Details: Media Contact:
Mr. Colin Saldanha
PR Consultant
OAK Consulting
Email: colin@oakconsulting.biz
Tel: +971506400762