Through its Cyber-Security Program, the forum is charged with evaluating the wide variety of recommendations and tools that exist today to determine a common industry standard. The goal is to achieve the complex task of enhancing cyber-security for intellectual properties while simultaneously enabling broad-based multinational collaboration. Adoption of the forum's recommendations by individual chemical companies is voluntary.

The forum consists of 10 chemical industry trade associations representing more than 2,000 chemical companies, each with diverse needs based on their size and the systems they employ.

"In helping the forum craft these important security standards, IBM is leveraging a substantial body of knowledge acquired during years of working with the chemical industry," said Rusine Mitchell-Sinclair, General Manager of IBM Safety and Security Services. "Together, we will develop benchmarks that will help raise the security of the industry's vital information and manufacturing control systems."

IBM's Safety and Security practice will help the forum by working with CIDX as part of the newly formed CIDX Cyber-Security Practices, Standards and Technology Initiative.

The program has endorsed the ISO/IEC International Standard 17799 as voluntary guidance for companies in the industry to follow in devising risk-based cyber-security plans for their organizations. ISO 17799 will be the framework for establishing cyber-security management practices for program participants. IBM will act as a consultant to help the companies participating in this initial benchmarking to assess themselves against the standard. The self-assessments will provide the basis to establish benchmarks by which cyber-security practices can be measured within the industry.

"We anticipate more than 20 chemical companies will participate in assessing themselves against the ISO 17799 standard in this first round, which will provide us with a look at the level of cyber-security in the industry today." said Patricia B. Simmons, Executive Director of CIDX. "It will also give us a foundation upon which we can build our cyber-security practices in the future."

Christine Adams, Program Manager, Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Program, said IBM's involvement brings substantial knowledge to the effort. "The expertise IBM brings to the program will enable us to efficiently and cost-effectively improve our practices and set the standard for cyber-security in the chemical industry," she said.

The Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Information Sharing Forum, a group of industry trade organizations committed to the continued enhancement of cyber security within the industry, was created to implement a cyber-security program focused on risk management and reduction to provide open, secure information and process control systems. The Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Program includes five key initiatives: fostering involvement and commitment across the sector; establishing a program to advocate the establishment of sector practices and policies; establishing sector practices and standards; establishing an information sharing network; and encouraging acceleration of improved security technology and solutions development. For more information visit the CIDX Web site at www.cidx.org.

The IBM Safety and Security practice includes technology specialists in addition to consulting and implementation professionals. This team addresses wireline and wireless security through the following offerings: assessment and planning to determine the current security of status customers today; architecture and design to develop plans for more secure environments; implementation services to put those plans into effect; and management to monitor ongoing activity and response. The practice is part of IBM Global Services, the world's largest information technology services provider. IBM Global Services integrates IBM's broad range of capabilities -- consulting, IT services, hardware, software and research -- to help companies of all sizes realize the full value of information technology.