SparkCognition and Siemens to Deliver New AI-driven Cyber Defense System for Endpoint Energy Assets

AUSTIN, Texas, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SparkCognition and Siemens today announced a new collaboration on a cybersecurity system, DeepArmor Industrial, fortified by Siemens, which is designed to protect endpoint, or remote, operational technology (OT) assets across the energy value chain by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor and detect cyberattacks. The innovative AI-driven system will deliver next-generation antivirus, threat detection, application control, and zero-day attack prevention to endpoint power generation, oil and gas, and transmission and distribution assets, which for the first time brings fleet level cybersecurity monitoring and protection capabilities to the energy industry.

"Cyberattacks on the energy industry are on the rise in volume and in sophistication, and they increasingly threaten companies' physical safety and security, business operations, and the critical infrastructure that powers communities throughout the world," said Leo Simonovich, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity at Siemens. "Many energy companies with remote, endpoint assets have struggled to defend their environment because they either lacked the visibility to detect, or the agility to mitigate, cyberattacks that threaten operational technologies. This new partnership combines Siemens' cybersecurity expertise in securing operational technology with SparkCognition's expertise in artificial intelligence to deliver the energy industry's first solution capable of detecting and protecting remote assets against cyberattacks."

"Through our extensive work with the energy industry, we've seen the pain points and challenges the industry is facing right now," said Sridhar Sudarsan, Chief Technology Officer at SparkCognition. "The industry needs security solutions that can both operate autonomously and are designed with the modern industrial environment in mind. Together with Siemens, we are excited to bring next-generation endpoint protection that is specifically designed to increase the cyber resilience of OT networks and prevent advanced threat actors from impacting critical infrastructure."

The threat of mega cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure is worsening, according to a joint study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and Siemens that surveyed global energy industry executives on a wide range of threats, vulnerabilities, and strategies required to protect oil and gas assets. The study found that 67 percent of respondents believe the risk level to industrial control systems over the past few years has substantially increased because of cyber threats. The study also found that 61 percent of respondents said their organization's industrial control systems protection and security was not adequate.

OT assets operating in the field today are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks as much of the energy industry's critical infrastructure was engineered before the widespread digitization of industrial control systems. This leaves portions - or entire fleets - without the ability to be patched or cost effectively updated with new security defenses.

To learn more about SparkCognition and AI-powered cybersecurity, visit https://www.sparkcognition.com/deeparmor-industrial/.

For further information on Siemens Gas & Power, please see www.siemens.com/energy.

For further information on Siemens cybersecurity for energy, please see www.siemens.com/cybersecurity-energy.

About SparkCognition
With award-winning machine learning technology, a multinational footprint, and expert teams focused on defense, IIoT, and finance, SparkCognition builds artificial intelligence systems to advance the most important interests of society. Our customers are trusted with protecting and advancing lives, infrastructure, and financial systems across the globe. They turn to SparkCognition to help them analyze complex data, empower decision-making, and transform human and industrial productivity. SparkCognition offers the products: Darwin(TM), DeepArmor((R)?), DeepArmor((R)?) Industrial, DeepArmor((R)?) Small Business, DeepArmor((R)?) SDK, ( )SparkPredict((R)?), and DeepNLP(TM). With our leading-edge artificial intelligence platforms, our clients can adapt to a rapidly changing digital landscape and accelerate their business strategies. Learn more about SparkCognition's AI applications and why we've been featured in CNBC's 2017 Disruptor 50, and recognized four years in a row on CB Insights AI 100, by visiting www.sparkcognition.com.

Siemens Gas and Power GmbH & Co. KG is the global energy business of the Siemens group, which has been working with its customers on solutions for the evolving demands of industry and society for more than 150 years. With planned stock listing, Siemens' energy business will operate independently as Siemens Energy in the future.

It will offer broad expertise across the entire energy value chain, along with a comprehensive portfolio for utilities, independent power producers, transmission system operators, the oil and gas industry, and other energy-intensive industries. With its products, solutions, systems, and services, Siemens Energy will address the extraction, processing, and transport of oil and gas as well as power and heat generation in central and distributed thermal power plants, and power transmission and technologies for the energy transformation, including storage and sector-coupling solutions. The majority stake in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy will round out its future-oriented portfolio. With its commitment to leading the way in decarbonization of the global energy system, Siemens Energy will be a partner of choice for companies, governments, and customers on their path to a more sustainable future. With around 90,000 employees worldwide, Siemens Energy will help shape the energy systems of today and tomorrow. www.siemens.com.

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed company Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. In fiscal 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, Siemens generated revenue of EUR86.8 billion and net income of EUR5.6 billion. At the end of September 2019, the company had around 385,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

For Media Inquiries:

Michelle Saab
SparkCognition
VP, Marketing Communications
msaab@sparkcognition.com
512-956-5491

Amy Pempel
Siemens Energy
amy.pempel@siemens.com
407-408-1932

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