Abstract
The invention relates to security systems and more specifically to a computer program that calculates gain or loss to stakeholder due to unavailability of an asset. Critical infrastructures, and SCADA systems used therein, are characterized by interdependencies (physical, cyber, geographic, and logical) and complexity (collections of interacting components). The critical nature and the high cost of failures causing unavailability make Econometric Availability (EA) an important metric to ascertain. The classical formula based on time between failure and time to recovery does not adequately convey the stakes (profitability). This invention embodies and shows its utility by adapting the Mean Failure Cost (MFC) metric for quantifying the cost of unavailability. This new metric combines the classic availability formulation with MFC. The resulting metric, called Econometric Availability (EA), offers a computational basis to evaluate a system in terms of the gain/loss ($/hour of operation) that affects each stakeholder due to unavailability.