Posted on: 3 November 2020
Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification, has awarded type approval certification to ‘VCell’ from IQ Solutions. BV and IQ Solutions’ close collaboration is an example of cyber security contributors building trust and making progress to provide greater cyber security for the maritime sector.
VCell is a fully integrated ICT solution, specifically designed to meet the needs of the maritime industry. VCell provides a smooth, secure, fully controlled, consolidated, centralized and multi-functional IT environment onboard for digital infrastructure and ship-to-shore communications that are managed and administered remotely on a 24-hour basis.
During the early stages of the VCell certification process, Bureau Veritas provided guidance for its cyber security requirements and protection of critical assets, such as component hardening; user profiles; authentication; encryption; storage; connections; and remote access. Bureau Veritas and IQ Solutions have established rigorous evaluation and monitoring procedures of VCell to ensure the integrity and availability of information. A survey was performed to validate specific points such as equipment compliance; accounts and security policies; network architecture and security; as well as recovery and patch management procedures.
Vincent Lagny, Head of Cyber Security for Bureau Veritas, Marine & Offshore, commented: “This certificate is proof that VCell meets Bureau Veritas’s cyber rule requirements. More importantly, this is the result of a fruitful collaboration between the cyber experts from both our companies. Relationships based on trust are the cornerstone to the way we work with stakeholders to build a solid cyber security eco-system.”
“Working with Bureau Veritas and reaching full compliance with BV’s cyber security rules was an unparalleled experience. BV’s professionalism and vast know-how in both ICT and the maritime industry, contributed to the completion of our vision, classifying VCell as fully compliant for a Cyber Safety, 360° vessel ICT ecosystem, for the world merchant fleet to enjoy” said Paris Papanastasiou, Managing Director and CEO of IQ Solutions.
Bureau Veritas is a trusted partner to build and achieve compliance with cyber security best practices for all key stakeholders of the maritime ecosystem: shipowners, shipyards, equipment integrators and manufacturers as well as third-party service providers. BV has developed a comprehensive framework for cyber security based on its NR 659 rules on cyber security for the classification of marine units. This framework addresses and describes comprehensive organizational and technical measures, enabling shipowners to protect their assets, defining expectations for crews, shipyards, and manufacturers.
