NERC CIP change management without the audit-week scramble
Approval, deployment and audit of every PLC, SCADA and HMI change — aligned to NERC CIP from day one, generated as a by-product of the work, not assembled the week before the audit.
What counts as an OT change
PLC code
Logic edits, routine changes, function-block swaps, firmware updates.
SCADA tags
Point database additions, alarm threshold edits, scaling changes.
HMI graphics
Screen layout, button bindings, operator permission scopes.
Recipes
Production recipes, setpoints, batch parameters, ingredient lists.
Machine parameters
Drive parameters, IO config, safety thresholds, network topology.
How VEM aligns to NERC CIP
NERC CIP-010 R1 requires a documented baseline for every BES Cyber System and a controlled change process that updates the baseline whenever the system changes. CIP-010 R2 requires monitoring for unauthorised changes against that baseline at least every 35 calendar days. VEM holds the baseline, ingests configuration on a continuous cadence, surfaces drift between the running asset and the approved baseline, and generates the evidence package CIP auditors expect — without manual baseline spreadsheets. See the broader the complete OT change management guide for the cross-regime crosswalk.
A transmission operator with 140 medium-impact BES Cyber Systems across six substations replaced quarterly manual baseline reviews with VEM's continuous drift detection. The last CIP audit closed with zero R2 findings and a quarter of the prior cycle's engineering hours.
Request → Review → Deploy → Audit
Request
Engineer files a change with the proposed diff attached.
Review
CAB or single approver reviews the diff, risk and deployment plan.
Deploy
VEM pushes the approved version, captures before/after signatures.
Audit
Immutable record links request, approval, diff and deployment.
Other regimes covered
Want the full framework? the complete OT change management guide.