Regulatory Expert Certrec to Showcase New Capabilities at the 2013 ANS Utility Working Conference August 11-14

Fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) July 31, 2013 — Certrec, a leading licensing and regulatory compliance provider for NRC and NERC compliance, announced today its participation in, and exhibition at, the 2013 American Nuclear Society Utility Working Conference, August 11-14 in Hollywood Florida. 

“Nuclear utilities are recognizing that teaming to address the future of nuclear power is imperative,” says Ted Enos, President and CEO of Certrec. “Post-Fukushima, utilities are looking for new strategies to deal with a broad and diverse landscape of issues – such as future generation challenges, small modular reactor licensing, emerging regulatory issues that have long term implications, and improving safety culture in a time of increased retirement. 

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to share our expertise again this year at the ANS Utility Working Conference with licensing, compliance, and training managers who are seeking better ways to manage risk, assure data security, and use new technologies to improve plant operations,” notes Enos. 

Certrec’s Office of Licensing and Compliance (OLC), Office of Assessment and Recovery (OAR), Office of NERC Compliance (ONC), and Office of New Plant (ONP) services are used by utilities and entities across the United States to help manage the regulatory process to their advantage. 

“With over 800 cumulative years of nuclear industry experience, Certrec is able to provide broad support to utilities dealing with the complexity of Combined Operating License Applications (COLA), Reliability Standard Audit Worksheets, 9500X recovery, Mitigating System Performance Index (MSPI) requirements, and effectively communicating with NRC inspectors who may be new to the nuclear industry,” states Enos. 

“Additionally, there’s always pressure to keep the plant running while ensuring a safety conscious work environment,” says Enos. “Our web-based regulatory licensing, compliance, project management, and notification solutions cost-effectively help nuclear utilities to better manage root cause, correct action, and safety culture programs, keep abreast of changing regulations, and cope with too much information.” 

On July 25, 2013, Certrec announced that its Information Security Management System had received ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certification. An independent, third party audit found Certrec to have technical controls in place and formalized IT Security policies and procedures. Certrec has implemented several physical security measures and countermeasures that protect it from unauthorized access or compromise and IT personnel were found to be conscientious and knowledgeable in best practices. This certification demonstrates Certrec’s continued commitment to information security at every level. Compliance with this internationally recognized standard confirms that Certrec’s security management program is comprehensive and follows leading practices. This certification provides more clarity and strength of Certrec’s security practices. 

“We take threats to the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of our clients’ information seriously,” says Enos. “We’re excited that Certrec’s information security management system has received third-party accreditation from the International Standards Organization.”

A recent report (“Electric Grid Vulnerability”) released by Congressmen Ed Markey (D-MA) and Henry Waxman (D-CA), May 21, 2013, found that the US power generation and transmission industry is under near constant attack from malware and cyber-criminals. The report found that many utilities were under “daily,” “frequent,” or “constant” attack each month, yet few implement only the barest minimum of security standards. 

“In contrast, our clients are assured that our web-based tools and information storage solutions are certified to be protected by comprehensive information security controls, risk management practices, and the prevention of IT architecture security risks,” says Enos.