The oil and gas industry is going through challenging times. Clearly the reduced price of oil is top of mind, and organizations are therefore accelerating their move towards digital business to address major business concerns such as profitability, market share, cost controls as well as safety and security. Here is a guest blog from our Global IoE Solutions Lead for oil and gas, Serhii Konovalov that addresses many key areas of concern for our clients:

When our energy customers discuss business issues, two areas of concern often come up. Across the board, physical and cyber security are top-of-mind. They are also concerned that worker productivity levels should be higher.

Together with Schneider Electric, we have developed a Smart Connected Pipeline solution, which addresses both of these areas of concern. This solution helps to make pipelines more efficient and safer, and can reduce costs from losses and leaks. It will be of interest to oil and gas customers looking to implement green field (new) installations, or brown field (established) installations where they are looking to upgrade existing pipeline infrastructure.

This new solution addresses the broad pipeline infrastructure, including the control center and converged telecommunications systems. Schneider Electric is particularly versed in pipeline control systems and leak detection systems. They've combined their strength in operational technologies with Cisco's experience in IT networking, security, and enterprise infrastructure. Together we've developed a solution tailored for the pipeline industry that:

• Provides pipeline automation across a unified end-to-end network providing improved visualization in real-time, reducing accidents and detecting leaks faster
• Can be implemented faster and delivers earlier return on investment because it is pre-engineered and validated.
• Works with third-party intrusion (TPI) prevention and leak-detection systems (LDS)
• Offers real-time control room visibility and response to out-of-line situations

Who's using Connected Pipelines today?

A major integrated European oil and gas company that operates in around eighty-five countries around the world is using the solution to address some critical concerns.

The first concern was the risk of leaks: they wanted to detect and manage leaks better along the pipeline.

The second concern was security: they wanted to implement new physical security services along the pipeline itself, reducing theft and lowering losses. They also wanted to optimize the maintenance downtime to improve product throughput.

They had a mature infrastructure, about twenty years old, and wanted a more agile, responsive, and up-to-date digital solution.

They chose Cisco not only because of our existing IT relationships but also because of our strong relationship with partners such as Schneider. The Cisco and Schneider validated design was key to winning the hearts-and-minds of the customer as we showed a cost-effective converged IT/OT approach. The customer is now enjoying:

• Improved real-time detection and remediation of leaks and losses
• Higher levels of cyber and physical security
• Lower downtime owing to optimized planned, and reduced non-planned, maintenance

To gain a broader perspective, make sure you catch the Tony Shakib blog that addresses Cisco's Solution Framework for the Digital Journey. He talks in detail about Cisco having a robust portfolio of industry solutions that provide value in a range of industries where digitization provides critical value. In particular, Tony references the Cisco Digital Industry Solutions announcement, which highlights our unique approach to help customers capture the promise of digitization.

To find out more about the Connected Pipelines solution, go to www.cisco.com/go/oilandgas. For more about the Cisco and Schneider solution, click here.

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