GE to acquire Wurldtech to bolster its cyber security capabilities

GE announced on May 9 its plan to acquire privately-held Wurldtech, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based company that specializes in cyber security solutions.

This move is one of several by GE to help protect critical infrastructure and advance cyber security efforts globally for key industries. Wurldtech solutions and services are used in complex environments, such as oil refineries, power transmission grids or for individual assets like medical devices or smart meters.

“At GE, we are focused on software platform security, protecting critical infrastructure and helping to ensure the reliability of Industrial Internet operations for our customers and industries. The acquisition of Wurldtech is a perfect fit for addressing all of these big challenges.”

Traditional information technology (IT) approaches for securing systems and data are challenging when applied to the operations technology (OT) world. Wurldtech solutions offer a strategic approach to cyber security that help to better protect the OT that connects people, data and machines — maximizing system uptime and mitigating exposure to vulnerabilities, says a GE press release. This acquisition will help to enhance the reliability of Industrial Internet operations.

Wurldtech’s technology and professional services are designed to assess, protect and certify. This strategic approach to cyber security is performed using:

• Achilles Test products to discover operational vulnerabilities in products and critical infrastructure, and then assess the root cause;
• Achilles Threat Intelligence product to secure OT networks with an industrial firewall;
• Achilles Communications and Practices Certifications to evaluate device communications and best practices.

Wurldtech will retain its name and operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary to continue providing the necessary focus on services to its broader customer base.

“The world of OT security needs to be foundationally different from traditional IT detection systems,” said Bill Ruh, vice president, GE Software. “Securing connected machines has a unique set of complexities that are very different from protecting a datacenter. At GE, we are focused on software platform security, protecting critical infrastructure and helping to ensure the reliability of Industrial Internet operations for our customers and industries. The acquisition of Wurldtech is a perfect fit for addressing all of these big challenges.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to be part of GE and continuing to develop our strategy to provide best in class cyber security protection solutions for critical infrastructure markets,” said Wurldtech CEO Neil McDonnell. “We look forward to accelerating key programs as we advance cyber security for system operators and device manufacturers across the industry.”