Study to explore use of open source software in energy industry

8-8-11

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Energy Sector Security Consortium and the Open Source Lab at Oregon State University will work together to study the use of open source software in the energy sector, especially as it relates to computer security, officials announced today.

Case studies and baseline data will be developed of organizations using open source software in the energy industry, its use in cybersecurity, and challenges being faced. The work is being funded through the National Electric Sector Cybersecurity Organization, a program partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

“With their earned reputation as a trusted, independent institution with expertise in open source software, we expect the findings will provide us with objective information on the use of open source technology in the energy community,” said Steven Parker, vice president of technology research and projects for the consortium. “This will allow us to better inform and serve our member organizations.”

The studies will be conducted over the next 10 weeks. Organizations interested in participating may contact principal investigator Deborah Bryant, at energystudy@osuosl.org.

“Open source software may offer new and exciting solutions to this vital sector,” said Curt Pederson, director of the OSU Open Source Lab.

About the OSU Open Source Lab: The Oregon State University Open Source Lab is the home of growing, high-impact open source communities. Its world-class hosting services enable the Linux operating system, Apache web server, the Drupal content management system and more than 50 other leading open source software projects to collaborate with contributors and distribute software to millions of users globally. Through custom software development, vendor partnerships and industry events like the Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON), the Lab's staff and students encourage open source adoption in education, government, health care and other sectors. For more information, visit http://osuosl.org/. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Drupal is a trademark of Dries Buytaert. Other company and project names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and projects.

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