Today’s most successful organizations are facing a wide variety of new challenges: a need for increased flexibility, a push toward more sustainable operations, a shrinking experienced workforce, and more. Meeting those challenges will require unlocking the next generation of automation, such as a Boundless Automation vision for unshackling data and driving efficiency from the field to the edge and throughout the enterprise.
However, as Emerson’s Alexandre Peixoto shares in his recent article in Hydrocarbon Engineering magazine, in unlocking that next generation of automation, operational technology (OT) will no longer be able to hide from the internet. Connectivity is the key to increasing operational efficiency, and that connectivity needs to come with a cybersecure backbone. Peixoto shares,
“While implementing and maintaining secure yet connected operations is not a simple task, neither is it an insurmountable one. To succeed, teams must start by charting their journey, while also not being afraid to make course adjustments along the way. Several strategies can help them start and maintain those goals.”
New generation, new expectations
A new generation of workers is entering the process manufacturing industry, and they weren’t raised on isolated grayscale computers. They are used to a constant stream of data at their fingertips, presented via intuitive dashboards. As digital natives, they can use that data to drive optimum performance, if the tools are effective and secure. Peixoto explains,
“This new connected, mobile workforce is the solution to increasing efficiency in the modern era, but it cannot work when companies must fear that bad actors may be able to insert themselves in the middle of the communication networks and wreak havoc.”
Critical steps to success
Peixoto shares a number of strategies companies should use as they undertake their cybersecurity journey. Knowing the team’s starting point is a critical first step. Taking the time to perform a cybersecurity assessment, Peixoto explains, can be the difference between developing a long-term, sustainable cybersecurity posture and installing a series of disparate, complex solutions that need to be replaced every time the automation architecture or the threat environment changes. Peixoto explains,
“A cybersecurity assessment can help teams put a frame around existing solutions to determine what is working and what is not, and to show what is missing.”
Once a team has identified its starting point and used that knowledge to determine its needs, the organization can begin to determine the path forward. However, such a solution should be about more than just technologies to identify threats,
“As a team builds out its cybersecurity implementation roadmap, it is important to consider not only the solutions they will put in place, but also a plan to monitor those solutions.”
Even the best cybersecurity appliance will have little impact if it simply sits in a closet unmonitored. Teams not only need hardware and software, but also a plan to carefully monitor those solutions and a response plan for when they detect threats. Building an effective plan not only means documenting and scheduling policies to install, monitor, update, and maintain cybersecurity solutions, but also training the company’s personnel to build a cybersecurity culture. This critical step, Peixoto explains, is often overlooked. He shares,
“Cybersecure behavior is not intuitive—it is learned. A key part of any cybersecurity journey should be developing training to teach personnel how to properly use the new solutions that are put in place. Moreover, part of that training should help users understand how cybersecure operation protects and supports them. When technology, process, and people are all working together, users are more alert to how global changes may impact their ability to operate securely, and how that secure operation improves their own lives.”
A long journey begins with a small step
Peixoto leaves readers with no illusions—cybersecurity is a long and complex journey because the threat landscape continually changes. No effective cybersecurity plan is set and forget. An effective team is constantly evolving its threat protection strategies. However, with the help of expert automation partners, the journey is often a much smoother one. By enlisting the help of an automation solutions provider, OT teams can more easily select cybersecurity solutions designed to work with their unique architectures. Moreover, the team will have a resource to help plan a long-term strategy instead of continually patching holes in their security fabric.
Peixoto shares a number of other key strategies to help OT teams on their cybersecurity journey in his full article over at Hydrocarbon Engineering. The tips are applicable to any team in any industry—there’s something there for everyone. Check it out today to take your first steps on the path to a more cybersecure future!
