Tripwire and NetApp Extend Cyber Alliance Partnership

Tripwire, Inc., a provider of risk-based security and compliance management solutions, and NetApp, Inc. have expanded their current Cyber Alliance partnership to include the adoption by five major federal and nonfederal energy customers.

Five major energy suppliers that provide energy services to more than 70 million customers across 23 states have adopted the Tripwire NERC Solution Suite, in conjunction with NetApp’s storage, virtualization and big data technologies. The suite is a combination of customized tools and services designed to help utilities automate, achieve and maintain North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) compliance.

“NetApp’s partnership with Tripwire helps secure our joint customers’ infrastructure, and we believe they are the industry leader in risk-based security and compliance,” said Lee Vorthman, CTO for federal civilian agencies, NetApp. “Our partnership allows us to provide a full-service offering for energy organizations, including compliance with the upcoming standard, NERC CIP version 5.”

Tripwire has helped more than 140 registered energy entities achieve and maintain NERC CIP compliance. Compliance can be difficult because the requirements frequently change and require continuous monitoring of critical assets as well as periodic collection of detailed compliance evidence. The steps necessary to pass a NERC audit can be  time-consuming and often involve error-prone manual processes.

The NERC Solution Suite is built on Tripwire Enterprise and Tripwire Log Center – security configuration management and lo intelligence solutions – and specialized intelligence including policy rules, correlation rules, tools, templates, customized reports and dashboards. Together with customized services from NERC-experienced consultants, the NERC Solution Suite reduces the time and resources required to pass NERC CIP audits and minimizes audit findings. The suite also helps energy organizations prepare for their upcoming transition from NERC CIP version 3 to NERC CIP version 5.

“We are very pleased to be part of NetApp’s Cyber Alliance,” said Bryce Schroeder, senior director of systems engineering, Tripwire. “The program makes it easy for a variety of businesses to combine industry-leading solutions, providing the best possible security for critical infrastructure and data. The program allows us to enhance NetApp’s vast data-protection foundations with industry-leading security hardening, vulnerability management, continuous monitoring and real-time security data visibility.“