Asset Guardian Solutions Ltd (AGSL), which specializes in protecting companies' process critical software assets, announced that it has been awarded a key contract by a major North Sea operator in Aberdeen, Scotland.
The contract requires AGSL to provide Asset Guardian, a process software management tool that helps to secure the integrity of process software and the mission critical processes that it controls.
Protecting integrity of process critical software on North Sea assets
AGSL will install Asset Guardian software on all of the operator's assets in the North Sea. Asset Guardian software provides a multifaceted, single point solution to manage the process control software it uses to operate these assets. It also ensures that the company complies with all relevant regulatory standards and government directives on process critical systems, such as IEC61508, 61511, ISO 9001, CPNI and HSE KP4 among others.
By using Asset Guardian, the operator will operate with a single secure repository in which all software and data for its North Sea assets is stored. By doing so, critical information is centralized, providing authorized personnel – both onshore and offshore - with access to one source of data, dramatically enhancing workflow.
In addition to preventing unauthorized access to process software, Asset Guardian makes it possible to retrieve back-up files and data required to update or replace system software that has been corrupted or failed, quickly and efficiently. As a result, negative impact upon production is dramatically reduced.
Improving communications enhances operations
Because these assets operate in the rugged, often stormy North Sea, communication links between the assets and onshore cannot always be relied upon. "To address this, we are also providing AGSync, a software solution that we developed especially for the oil and gas industry that makes it possible to synchronize data and files between locations," said Sam Mackay, Managing Director of AGSL.
In addition to providing Asset Guardian software, AGSL will also assist this customer with the migration of files and data from existing systems into Asset Guardian and provide full training to both Users and system Administrators using the recently launched Asset Guardian Computer Based Training (CBT) program.
Since 2007, AGSL has been supplying the oil and gas industry with the Asset Guardian toolset. The award of this contract follows on the heels of several others, including those from Woodside, Inpex, Stena Drilling, BP, Marathon, and nuclear energy provider EDF Energy
