TALKING
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While partner relationships are important and sometimes even essential , corporate enterprise leaders must insist on a prudent approach to granting access , outsourcing decisions and identifying situationally ready partners . As Digital Transformation continues to influence this business sector , executing well-defined and strict adoption of best cybersecurity practices will be vital to securing OT systems .
What does it take to achieve OT security ?
• The chance of sensitive or confidential data to be compromised
• Greater regulatory pressures surrounding ISC / SCADA systems
Regulation compliance , in particular , is a common concern . In fact , seven in 10 survey respondents report that they have experienced mounting compliance pressures over the past year and 78 % expect this trend to continue for the next two years . For surveyed organisations , the regulations making the most significant impact are International Society ( ISA ) Standards , the EU Data Protection Directive ( GDPR ) and the Federal Information Security Management Act ( FISMA ).
3 . Business partners often add more risk
For as much as they afford benefits , business partners can also create an additional dimension of risk for OT enterprises . Although granting essential privileged access to key designated personnel is critical , minimising control access is equally important . This is reinforced by the fact that organisations most successful at securing their environments were also 129 % more likely to severely limit or even deny access to partners .
Considering the impact that a cyberattack can have on OT networks , from lost productivity to diminished safety , security teams need all the help they can get – and a shift toward proactive cybersecurity strategy for converged networks enables deployment of optimal solutions . In addition to addressing the specific security needs of these enterprises , the preferred solution should deliver a wealth of features and an agile form factor to account for restrictive space and harsh environmental conditions .
Accomplishing OT solution integration at the core while achieving cost savings and reliable connectivity is tenable by employing a robust next generation firewall ( NGFW ) solution capable of accommodating unique environmental challenges while affording purpose built designed in features like compact SD- WAN solution functionality specifically designed for OT environments .
Foundationally armed with a robust NGFW delivers enterprise architecture protection for the entire converged IT-OT network while eliminating potential OT security gaps that cybercriminals are seeking to exploit .
The convergence of IT and OT
The most successful organisations were found to grant only moderate access to their systems . These same organisations were 45 % more likely to carry out critical security functions in-house rather as opposed to outsourcing this responsibility . Interestingly enough , they were more likely to have outsourced tasks related to network analysis and visibility .
IT and OT leaders must stay abreast of the latest trends and threat intelligence to gain situational awareness and confidence from the point of convergence to the plant floor .
The convergence of IT and OT has clearly revealed significant security risks and complexities that enterprise leaders must actively work to address to avoid the consequences of a cybersecurity event . The stakes in protecting high value cyberphysical assets and intellectual property are high as the rate of OT breaches continue to grow and costly OT business disruption impact revenue , brand reputation and safe operations . Confusion over the appropriate level of access for partners only complicates matters further .
To effectively address these challenges , IT and OT leaders must stay abreast of the latest trends and threat intelligence to gain situational awareness and confidence from the point of convergence to the plant floor . They must also deploy the right solutions – such as a compact , rugged , SD-WAN solution – that will protect their critical assets from any potential threats . p
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