A collaborative approach to security in a converged world>
Channelwise – Antoine DâHauss
In fact, Forrester research commissioned by Fortinet shows that 66% of industrial firms say their factories now run through IP-connected networks. But the road to the future is also filled with potential cybersecurity challenges â and these are only exacerbated by the longstanding divergence between IT and OT security teams. But as OT operations become increasingly digitalised, their networks are being exposed to more cyber risk. In fact, almost three quarters (73%) of industrial firms believe that the attack surface of their IP-connected factory machines has expanded. The business benefits of converging IT and OT are significant: 66% of firms agree that such collaboration can provide access to real-time data insights from manufacturing operations, while 59% believe it can create new business opportunities via increased insight into production data. OT experiences a longer product life cycle, and has to grapple with a wide breadth of industrial protocols and environmental constraints due to the nature of equipment used. Implementing a specific architecture in-line with industry best practice standards is crucial to making sure OT teams are able to thrive in the new converged environment â and getting all of this in place can be time consuming and complex. Priorities are also different. IT networks prize confidentiality and data integrity over availability, while the nature of production lines and factory floors demands that availability and the security of personnel be at the top. Anyone looking to kickstart this merger will need to sit down and apply their focus to planning strategic alignment on goals. Adopting a âsafety firstâ stance may be more time-intensive, but rushing convergence will only lead to problems down the line.
Link: https://channelwise.co.za/a-collaborative-approach-to-security-in-a-converged-world/