http://www.csemag.com/ en http://www.csemag.com/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.csemag.com/ 18 16 TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 24 May 2013 09:10:00 -0400 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/nebb-building-enclosure-seminar/5013fee64cb77fa45098c988ccd149f8.html NEBB's seminar on building enclosure testing is being held Sept. 9 to 11, 2013, in Washington, D.C. NEBB's building enclosure testing (BET) seminar focuses on current codes and standards for enclosures as well as current issues. The 2-day seminar consists intensive instructional review seminar followed by written and practical exams. The seminar is Sept. 9 to 11, 2013, and will be held at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington, D.C. The seminar will provide an introduction to building enclosure testing concepts. This will include discussions of environmental safety enclosures, such as air barrier enclosures, and review of the various testing methods that are currently being specified. The basic operation of the blower door equipment and their respective applications and features will be presented. The NEBB Procedural Standard for Building Enclosure Testing will be reviewed with emphasis on the requirements for firm certification, certified professional certification, instrumentation and reporting requirements, and testing procedural requirements. Detailed presentations will be provided for the two primary performance tests: Blower Door and HVAC Utilization Tests. In addition to the presentations addressing the procedural requirements of these tests, hands-on demonstrations on operating the blower door and thermal imaging cameras will be performed. The seminar will emphasize the testing procedures, reporting requirements and the evaluation of test results.  Learn more about the seminar.]]> Industry Roundup Upcoming Events SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) SyndicationSource: Content Partner - NEBB Education Center Videos SyndicationType: Press Release - Non-Commercial Syndication: HVAC/R (heating ventilation air conditioning refrigeration geo-thermal under floor air distribution building enclosures) Syndication: Green and Environmental (USGBC LEED AP Dept. of Energy Energy Information Administration EPA photovoltaic solar panels wind turbines) Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:20:00 -0400 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/cyber-security-understanding-spear-phishing-and-defense-techniques/08a75043d47cc8cf54d4800f84666b4e.html Since defending against social engineering is more training than technical, your people have to... Spear phishing is a social engineering tactic used to prey upon individuals who have access to resources that a hacker has targeted. It has a high success rate and has become a preferred method where the hacker entices a victim to click on a link, open a spreadsheet, or access some other document. This simple click opens the electronic door to the attacker after he has already mapped out your internal vulnerabilities. He can now reach the vulnerabilities because you just let him in, and he can begin mining for information and authorized access. How do hackers do this, and how can you defend yourself against this tactic? The U.S. ICS-CERT has become aware of and notified the public regarding a recent rash of spear phishing campaigns targeting a variety of personnel and industrial control system sectors. Ultimately the attacking entity wants to gain a foothold in the facility—the closer the foothold is to the target the better, but often any foothold will do. Therefore, no one can be considered immune from a targeted spear phishing campaign:

• A process engineer receives an e-mailed notice from an automation partner or vendor that appears legitimate
• A financial analyst receives e-mailed spreadsheets pertaining to a current project’s analytical data, or
• An executive receives a link to a website containing information about a competitor’s recent acquisition.

The goal of the attacker is to lure the victim to an untrusted cyber location, typically by opening a malicious PDF, text document, spreadsheet, Java application, or website. The process engineer’s, financial analyst’s, and executive’s data request transits outbound from the protected networks to the untrusted zones of the Internet allowing the intruder to get in. The attacker chooses his victims by using resources like LinkedIn and Facebook to understand social relationships; job and message board websites to understand vendor relationships, roles, and responsibilities; and even technical tools to scrub authorized files located on public websites to understand what versions and security patch levels of Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and Java are used in the targeted organization. Other open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources and topics can include:

• PR and media releases
• Business M&A, stock, and financial statements
• Natural disasters
• Government and industry events and conferences
• Government databases
• International or political events
• Vendor success stories and awarded contracts
• Social media websites, and
• Job and message boards.

If you realize you have been targeted, make certain you retain the e-mails. Also monitor your e-mail and network activity. Don’t assume that the thing you have identified is an isolated incident—it is most likely only one instance of a much broader campaign within your organization. Recently PhishMe and Critical Intelligence teamed up for a study and released their results at the annual S4 conference in January 2013. You can watch the presentation of their results, but the point is spear phishing works. Defending yourself The only practical defense is training your people to recognize when it’s happening. You can’t keep such messages out, so you must jump ahead and attempt to target your own workforce before real attacks commence. You must attempt to fool your own people and see who falls victim. Individuals who open the bogus attachments need to be trained on what they did wrong. This exercise will provide active security awareness for your personnel. Someone or many will fall victim, and then it will be up to you to ensure that the real education process begins. Immediately you have a choice: Do you outsource the process to an organization like PhishMe or do it internally? If you choose to keep it in-house, here are a few tools you can try:

• Maltego – OSINT and forensics 
• Social Engineering Toolkit – Commonly used social engineering attacks and data collector 
• Metagoofil – Information gathering tool to extract document metadata 
• Foca – Online document metadata extractor
• USB Rubber Ducky – Covert data extracting USB flash drive 

Of course, don’t just start using these tools without the appropriate training and authority—it may even be simpler to contract an outside consulting company to perform the more targeted campaign.     Security vendors such as PhishMe provide a structured mechanism to target organizational e-mails and produce result reports. You can then couple this activity with security awareness initiatives such as the SANS Institute’s Securing the Human. Matt Luallen is the founder of Cybati, a security training and consulting organization.  Online https://cybati.org/ http://www.digitalbond.com/blog/2013/01/30/s4x13-video-ics-spear-phishing/ Go to Control Engineering's media library to see a cyber security training series with Matt Luallen.]]> Manufacturing IT Plant Safety and Security April SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) Syndication: Manufacturing Methods (Quality Six Sigma Kaizen Kanban Lean Manufacturing Project Management) ArchivedSyndication: Safety Security (Intrinsic Process Machine Plant Arc Flash OSHA Personal Protective Equipment) Industry Roundup Education Center Videos Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:04:00 -0400 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/business-travel-mitigating-a-necessary-evil/77749b8df257a6f08a2557e01f498617.html Make travel easier, more efficient, and more relaxing I just completed a multi-month binge of business travel—the first time in my career when a lot of trips occurred over a short time. In moderation, business travel is OK. But a lot of travel over a short amount of time, with the frequent flight delays and cancellations, cramped conditions, loud airports and hotel rooms, rude people, and increasing competition for increasingly rare electrical outlets eventually becomes quite a strain. So, midway through my travel binge, I put some time into making things simpler, more efficient, and more relaxing. Here’s a rundown of some of these techniques, which I hope you find useful.  Electronica: Having a cell phone, computer, and broadband Internet contraption have become essential for working on the road, and all of these things have separate chargers. Throw in a set of headphones or earbuds, and you’ve just built a backpack full of spaghetti. Except for the computer and cell phone, I keep everything else together in a large, resealable plastic bag. I also throw in an extension cord so I can connect everything at one time when in a conference room or airport, and it makes it easier to reach seats so I don’t have to sit on the airport floor. Medications: I keep a handy assortment of painkillers, sleep aids, and stomach relief all in one pill bottle. A few packets of instant spot cleaners, eyeglass cleaner, and a small sewing kit are like spare tires and jumper cables—you’re so glad you have them when the occasional need arises. Food: After going hungry a few times on airplanes and in hotel rooms, I now travel with trail mix and power bars stuffed into my briefcase. And after I land, I buy water at the airport so can rehydrate in the cab, because 9 times out of 10, I don’t make it to my hotel room until late.  Movie pack: I have a CD/DVD case that has room for a dozen discs. Having a few favorite movies and music CDs helps pass the time in an airport during inevitable flight delays; rental cars have CD players and a lot of hotels have DVD and/or CD players in the rooms. While most of us have music and video on our cell phones or computers, having a few discs handy sometimes is just the right thing at the right time.  Lose the hotel clutter: When I’m going to be in a hotel room for more than a day or two, I put all the signs, booklets, and cluttery stuff in a drawer. It makes it a lot easier to relax without all the suggestions and reminders of what I should be doing or buying.  Disposable ear plugs: The next time you see foamy disposable ear plugs, buy a couple and throw them in your travel bag. They can really help you get through crying babies on airplanes, and hotel rooms with loud HVAC systems or an ice machine, elevator, or traffic noise outside your room. Boxed shirts/blouses from the dry cleaner: I don’t know why it took me this long in my life to learn about “boxed” shirts and blouses. Instead of putting these articles of clothing on hangers, dry cleaners will fold them flat, bag them, and stack them in a cardboard box. When you pack, you deal the ones you want into your suitcase like cards, and they remain “good enough” wrinkle-free most of the time. And hey—no more wire hangers!  One last tip: Always have a good book or magazine. Reading reduces stress, there’s no electronica requiring batteries, chargers, headsets, and annoying flight attendants demanding you turn it all off a half-hour before the plane lands. And if you leave one on the plane or in the hotel room, it’s not a big deal.  I hope you’ve found one or more of these tips to be new and useful. Feel free to share your own travel tips at Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s LinkedIn Group at http://tinyurl.com/CSElinkedin. Those of you who travel internationally undoubtedly have much to share!

---

Amy Smith is an associate professor at Concordia University Chicago. She has more than 20 years of experience in management and leadership. She was a presenter at the 2012 Career Smart Engineers Conference.]]> April SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) HVAC Electrical Fire & Life Safety Lighting Plumbing Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Automation & Controls Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:49:00 -0400 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/june-merger-acquisition-seminar-scheduled/e89d8f506a62cdcdb3f26687871803ba.html Morrissey Goodale is holding a seminar on the M&A marketplace on June 5, 2013, in Denver. Session... Morrissey Goodale is holding a one-day seminar designed specifically for architecture and engineering (A/E) decision-makers who are interested in learning more about the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) marketplace and deal structuring in the current economic environment. The event will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, at The Westin Denver Downtown in Denver. This full-day educational seminar is designed to deliver the most up-to-date information on critical M&A trends and topics facing A/E firm leaders and principals and is being offered for the first time in Denver. Session topics will include an overview of Mergers and Acquisitions in the A/E Industry, which will focus Global and domestic trends with a special focus on Mountain, Inter-Mountain and Western States. Another topic will be drivers of A/E M&A Activity, strategic and cultural considerations. The facilitators for the event are Mick Morrissey and Nick Belitz. Morrissey is the Managing Principal and co-founder of Morrissey Goodale. He has advised architecture, engineering, planning and environmental consulting firms for over twenty years.  Belitz is the Principal Consultant of Morrissey Goodale’s merger and acquisition practice in the firm’s Denver office. Belitz specializes in financial analysis, negotiations, deal structure, and strategic business analysis. Registration and seating is limited – reserve by Wednesday, May 31, 2013. Learn more and register here. ]]> Industry Roundup Education Center Videos Upcoming Events SyndicationType: Article SyndicationType: Press Release - Non-Commercial SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) SyndicationSource: Content Partner - Morrissey Goodale Syndication: Education (CEU PDH class training) Syndication: Architectural Engineering Firm Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:39:00 -0400 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/preserving-your-firms-tribal-knowledge/408bc94cdb1262c6a1681abbeaa5a4bc.html Succession planning is key to ensuring your firm’s future success. Every firm has at least one—the guru, the expert, the handful of specialists who are the go-to people in the organization. Their combination of intellect, experience, and customer management skills have allowed them to build a reputation in the industry and made them very valuable to the firm. These individuals are the holder of your firm’s tribal knowledge—the project history, unique expertise, and approaches that make your organization successful. They know it. Encouraging these individuals to mentor and develop the next generation of tribal knowledge keepers can be tricky. Several years ago, a client asked me to do a “voice of the customer” project for it where the goal was to better understand where young engineers go for information. I surveyed about 20 engineers under the age of 30 from mechanical, electrical, and fire protection engineering disciplines from across the country. I was pretty shocked to learn that often these young engineers go to sources outside their firm when they have questions or challenging design problems—first to their friends, then to their college professor or a fellow association member, and then to a colleague in their office. When I probed for more information, I learned that when this occurs, the engineer doesn’t want to reveal he is struggling, or the individual in his office with the knowledge has been reluctant to share due to fear of losing his or her importance. Since completing this work, it has become a topic I often probe with clients to better understand how pervasive the problem. And while my results are hardly scientific, I have found that about 80% of the people I work with are in this situation. The reason is pretty consistent: Between fear of losing one’s job in this economy, the rapid expansion of electronic tools, and the collaborative approach of the younger staff, the communication gap between the experienced engineers and the younger engineers is creating a dangerous gap in sustaining and growing a firm’s tribal knowledge. If you are concerned about preserving and growing your business’s tribal knowledge, where do you start? Begin with documenting the key aspects of that knowledge you desire to preserve: who holds it, where it fits within the organization, why it is valuable, and what would happen if the knowledge keeper were to leave the company. Then do an honest assessment of the ability of knowledge keepers to mentor or develop your next generation of leaders. This can be done via one-on-one interviews or a roundtable discussion with your next generation of knowledge keepers. If they are reluctant to reveal their true feelings, consider using an outside resource to facilitate the discussion. Next, consider ways to harness and sustain the tribal knowledge. Consider the following options:

• Develop an apprentice program to pair a less-experienced staff member with the knowledge keeper. Let the apprentice acquire the knowledge through working closely with the knowledge keeper.
• Establish a knowledge center, an in-house “ask the expert” where staff can post questions and issues that are answered by the knowledge keeper.
• Develop a schedule of monthly lunch-and-learns led by your knowledge keepers for the younger members of the staff. Consider having questions submitted anonymously in advance that the knowledge keeper will address during the training session.
• Consider a team approach to developing new tribal knowledge. Put together a group of your best and brightest talent and have them become the in-house experts on a new topic. In other words, set up a “hack” session and let the team develop new and possibly better approaches. Developing a team approach limits the risk associated with knowledge held by a single individual.

Remember, this tribal knowledge is part of your firm’s secret sauce—the knowledge and expertise that makes your business unique in the market. If you don’t carefully cultivate and share that knowledge within the organization, one day it will be gone—and with it, your competitive advantage.

---

Jane Sidebottom is the owner of AMK LLC, a management and marketing consulting firm that provides market development and growth expertise to small- and medium-size firms. She has 20 years of management and leadership experience in both consulting engineering and Fortune 100 organizations. Sidebottom is a graduate of the University of Maryland.]]> March SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) System Integration Tutorials Share on CE HVAC Electrical Fire & Life Safety Lighting Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:19:00 -0400 http://www.csemag.com/media-library/upcoming-webcasts/2013-webcasts/41113-webcast.html Achieving good indoor air quality (IAQ) in nonresidential and low-rise residential buildings... Industry Roundup HVAC Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Slider Homepage Item - CSE Webcasts & Webinars Education Center Videos SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) Syndication: HVAC/R (heating ventilation air conditioning refrigeration geo-thermal under floor air distribution building enclosures) Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:07:00 -0500 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/ashrae-protocols-for-measuring-building-performance-published/b877936812dfd975fab013a22b7b29a6.html ASHRAE has published the "Performance Measurement Procedures for Commercial Buildings: Best... ASHRAE. “Performance Measurement Procedures for Commercial Buildings: Best Practices Guide” serves as the how-to guide for continuously evaluating and improving the performance of commercial buildings throughout their service life. Published by ASHRAE and funded in part through a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the book provides specific best practices in the areas of energy use, water use and four elements of indoor environmental quality (IEQ): thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ), lighting/daylighting and acoustics. Using this guidance, owners can be proactive on an ongoing basis to reduce costs through measurement and verification of their buildings’ environments. The book is a companion to the 2010 publication, “Performance Measurement Protocols for Commercial Buildings,” which identifies what to measure, how to measure it and how often it is to be measured for inclusion in buildings’ operation and maintenance plan. The Guide presents step-by-step procedures at three process levels of performance, which are intended to match the level of cost and intensity of effort for a range of types and sizes of facilities. An accompanying CD contains a report template and standardized forms, worksheets and checklists for use by the building in implementing the procedures.]]> Industry Roundup Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Education Center Videos SyndicationType: Article SyndicationType: Press Release - Non-Commercial SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) Syndication: Codes and Standards (federal state AHJs third-party associations) Syndication: Green and Environmental (USGBC LEED AP Dept. of Energy Energy Information Administration EPA photovoltaic solar panels wind turbines) Syndication: Energy Management (modeling audit tax credits) Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:34:00 -0500 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/finding-a-leadership-and-management-balance/7dae3eb2c7a90c6ecdfce5c7af9146b6.html Balancing leadership through management is critical. When you’re asked to take a supervisory position at any level, finding the right balance when interacting with those for whom you are responsible is a constant challenge. How do you manage without “micromanaging”? How do you promote your team members’ motivation and ownership of tasks, yet maintain awareness of what is going on? The answer is not black-and-white, so let’s look at some practical ways to strike a balance to be effective. One great way of looking at leadership is to observe others, both those you consider good leaders and those you consider poor ones. Do others follow these leaders because they want to rather than because they have to? If you were in a war, would you put your life on the line and follow these people into battle? If the answer to those questions is yes, why do you and others feel that way? If the answer is no, the same question applies but obviously results in a different answer. Leadership is often strongest when people intuitively sense that leader has the broader organization in mind over his or her personal agenda. People feel “protected” or that the leader “has their back,” giving them courage and comfort to do what needs to be done and not try to satisfy internal politics as the primary driver. While leadership is inspirational, balancing it through management is critical. That means doing “mundane” activities like following up, holding people accountable for commitments, monitoring how things are really going, having regular communication, and so on. Consider these four tasks: 1. Leading: Creating an environment in which others are compelled to follow (see the story in the last paragraph) 2. Managing: Monitoring, overseeing the many tactical actions in all our workplaces 3. Delegating: Handing off an assignment, following up to ensure it was done and done correctly 4. Abdicating: Handing off an assignment, not following up to see if and how it was done. An effective leadership style employs enough management tools to allow you to monitor what’s going on, without micromanaging. For example, consider limiting project review meetings to 5-minute summaries whose purpose is not for the presenter to go into excruciating detail but for you to find problems that need your time after the review. Think about using a standard format focusing on cost and schedule compared to the original plan, the last review, and current status in addition to any barriers the project is encountering. Supervising people at any level requires a balance between knowing what they’re doing and doing it yourself. It’s easy to micromanage without realizing it, but it should be avoided because it can destroy people’s pride in their work. It’s also easy to delegate a task so that it’s out of sight, out of mind. Not following up on or not appropriately monitoring delegated work is called abdicating. One particularly great leader for whom I had the privilege to work told me that I was being too conservative as a first-time manager, that he wanted me to take on more risk. He suggested that after I had taken a risk and found I’d made a big mistake—not a small one but a really big one—to walk into his office and tell him about it. He said, “I’ll be the first to shake your hand and congratulate you that you’re taking more risk for the good of the business.” Imagine the release from the fear of making mistakes when your boss makes that kind of statement. That is leadership.

---

John Suzukida was Trane’s senior VP of global marketing and strategy prior to founding Lanex Consulting in 2002, which focuses on energy efficiency, product-to-solutions transitions, and strategy. He has facilitated meetings for the West Coast Zero Net Energy Coordinating Council, Daikin, Danfoss, and the National Conference on Building Commissioning, and has written articles for industry publications. He was a presenter at the 2012 Career Smart Engineers Conference. ]]> Industry Roundup HVAC Electrical Fire & Life Safety Lighting Plumbing Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Automation & Controls Power Commissioning Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/nebb-basic-building-systems-commissioning-seminar-exam/364817ecf1c06802976fbbdbb6a85117.html NEBB is holding a seminar and exam on building systems at IAPMO's world headquarters in Ontario,... Registration is open for the National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) Basic Building Systems Commissioning Certified Professional Seminar and Exam at IAPMO's headquarters in Ontario, Calif.,  April 10-13, 2013. It is for individuals looking to enhance their knowledge of the commissioning process for building systems at their respective companies. This program is designed for management-level personnel who meet the prerequisites for the NEBB Building Systems Commissioning Certified Professional credential. The seminar will cover the following:

• Review of the NEBB's Building Systems Commissioning program 
• Review of the commissioning process with emphasis on:
  • Development of commissioning plans
  • The commissioning schedule
  • Marketing commissioning services
  • Estimating commissioning services
• Technology reviews of HVAC, controls, equipment, and control components.

 For more information about the seminar, download the brochure.]]> Industry Roundup Commissioning Upcoming Events SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) SyndicationSource: Content Partner - NEBB Syndication: Education (CEU PDH class training) Education Center Videos SyndicationType: Press Release - Non-Commercial Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:30:00 -0500 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/nebb-retro-commissioning-seminar-exam/ac6e03e2f8be9d4ea373d7c7f3fe1c84.html The NEBB Technical Retro-Commissioning Seminar and Exam is being held July 17-20, 2013, in... The Retro-Commissioning Technical Seminar is exclusively designed for an individual interested in becoming a National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) Retro-Commissioning Certified Professional. All passing grades will count toward NEBB Retro-Commissioning Certification. This seminar will give each participant important input into the final NEBB Retro-Commissioning Procedural Standard that will be issued later in the year. As with its other programs, NEBB has set stringent requirements for NEBB Retro-Commissioning Certification. A key requirement for Retro-Commissioning certification is to:

• Pass the NEBB Retro-Commissioning Fundamental exam
• Pass the Retro-Commissioning Seminar exam

All attendees must also own a copy of the NEBB Design Phase Commissioning Manual prior to the seminar. The seminar will be held at Portland, Ore., in the Congress Center Mt. Rooms on the 18th floor July 17-20, 2013. Click here to learn more about the seminar.]]> Industry Roundup Commissioning Upcoming Events SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) SyndicationSource: Content Partner - NEBB Syndication: Events and Awards (40 Under 40 Product of the Year MEP Giants Career Smart Conference) 2012 POY Syndication: Education (CEU PDH class training) Education Center Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:23:00 -0500