ARPEL (Regional Association of Oil, Gas and Biofuels Sector Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean) recently signed a memorandum of cooperation with WisePlant Group with the aim to jointly promote projects, studies, events and courses related to cybersecurity in critical infrastructures, seeking to maximize the strengths of each in this issue that every day gains increasing importance in the oil and gas industry.

Under this agreement, both organizations also undertake to exchange information on the development of initiatives that allow strengthening cybersecurity.

The agreement was signed by the CEO of WisePlant, Mr. Maximillian Kon, and the Executive Secretary of ARPEL, Mr. Izeusse Braga.

WisePlant Group LLC is a private company with head office in the United States and regional offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. It aims to promote the use of best global practices in Industrial Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructures, Process Safety, Intrinsic Safety, People Safety and Physical Safety.

WisePlant Group is a licensed trainer and corporate partner of ISA (International Society of Automation), ISA Secure and active member of ICS-CERT.

On its part, ARPEL created the Cybersecurity Working Group in 2015. This Working Group, whose members are experts from the major oil and gas companies in the region, aims to share experiences, best management practices and new technologies in the world related to the new challenges of cybersecurity.

It also seeks to raise awareness about cyber resilience, which implies not only preventing or responding to a cyber attack, but also includes the ability to operate during such an event, adapting and recovering from it.