Industrial Defender and Elster Offer Advanced Solutions for Smart Grid Deployments

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. & RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Industrial Defender, the leading provider of security, compliance and change management solutions for automation systems, and Elster ELT, a global leader in advanced metering technology and Smart Grid solutions, today announced an alliance under which Elster will offer Industrial Defender's solutions to utility customers throughout North America.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will jointly offer and market Elster's EnergyAxis® Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system and Industrial Defender's Automation Systems Manager (ASM) solution, the industry's first unified security, compliance and change management solution specifically designed for automation systems.

This agreement gives utilities the ability to improve their operational systems through advanced cyber security and automation systems management capabilities. With integration between ASM and EnergyAxis, customers can easily leverage their existing investments and infrastructures. The partnership also gives customers flexible deployment options in both hosted and on-premise versions that can adapt as customers' needs evolve.

"Elster is the industry leader in delivering secure advanced metering systems using standards based encryption and authentication. These systems provide secure and reliable collection and transport of vital information. Now, with Industrial Defender, Elster is extending this security coverage to a defense-in-depth model,” said David Hart, senior vice president of systems and products for Elster Solutions.

“Together with Industrial Defender, Elster provides enhanced confidentiality, integrity and availability for critical data and systems, which protects sensitive information,” Hart added.

“For more than a decade, the Industrial Defender team has been exclusively focused on meeting the unique needs of owners and operators of industrial control systems. Their requirements have guided our innovation, the most recent example of which is our outstanding ASM solution,” said Brian Ahern, president and chief executive officer of Industrial Defender.

“Whether they are small or large, gas, electric, and water utilities throughout North America today are facing a range of technology and business issues. Together with Elster, we are helping these utility customers address some of their most pressing operational challenges,” Ahern added.

Elster's EnergyAxis, with enhanced security features, interoperability and a field-proven architecture, empowers utilities to deliver AMI benefits to customers. Additionally, EnergyAxis enables AMI and distribution automation (DA) convergence through built-in applications such as transformer monitoring, load and voltage optimization and load control.

Automation Systems Manager, Industrial Defender's flagship software product, is purpose-built for operators of automation systems, including electric utility companies. ASM integrates asset management, event management, configuration change management, policy compliance, endpoint security, and reporting into one powerful solution. ASM improves operational effectiveness and enhances security by reducing the manual tasks associated with change management and compliance activities while significantly diminishing security vulnerabilities. Implementing the ASM solution enables customers to lower the risk of unplanned outages and reduce both operational costs and complexity.

About Elster

Elster ELT is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Its offerings include distribution monitoring and control, advanced smart metering, demand response, networking and software solutions, and numerous related communications and services - key components for enabling consumer choice, operational efficiency and conservation. Its products and solutions are widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets.

Elster has one of the most extensive installed revenue measurement bases in the world, with more than 200 million metering devices deployed over the course of the last 10 years. It sells its products and services in more than 130 countries across electricity, gas, water and multi-utility applications for residential, commercial and industrial, and transmission and distribution applications.

For more information about Elster, please visit www.elster.com, and follow us on Twitter at http://elster.com/twitter.

About Industrial Defender

Industrial Defender is the global leader in automation system management. For more than a decade, the company has successfully developed and delivered solutions for operators of industrial control systems. With deep domain expertise built in, Industrial Defender products enable customers to ensure the availability and reliability of their key industrial processes. Leveraging the industry's first unified platform for security, compliance and change management, Industrial Defender solutions enable customers to reduce costs and risks, and enhance operational excellence. Over 400 companies in 25 countries rely on Industrial Defender technology to monitor, manage and protect their operations and processes.

For more information, visit Industrial Defender's website, connect on LinkedIn and follow Industrial Defender on Twitter.