FOCUS ON DIGITALISATION
The Digital Factory collects a significant amount of data . Setting specific KPIs will help users make more agile decisions .
What are the dangers of connecting our systems and machines ? companies ’ security policies had not kept up with the past decade ’ s rapid changes relating to the use of digital technologies and tools , and that they apparently acted in the belief that a cyberattack could only ever affect others . The sheet metal processing sector is no exception to this reality .
In most cases , concern over the security of systems becomes more pressing when
Many SMEs are now facing the challenge of securing their systems
a company decides to increase its level of digitalisation , for example by transferring tools to the cloud . This is when many companies start thinking : What are the dangers of connecting our systems and machines ? What about networking with external systems ? And what are the risks of using cloud-based systems ?
In this article , we outline some answers to these very pertinent concerns .
What risks are involved in networking systems ?
The transition from manual or automated manufacturing to a smart factory , involves the interconnection of software systems ( digital factory ), both on-site or in the cloud . Together with the IIoT infrastructure , these allow realtime information on what is happening to be accessed from wherever required , paving the way to much more agile decision-making .
This reality is already within reach for many small and medium-size enterprises . Only a few years ago , this level of digitalisation was accessible only to a handful of companies . However , because of the democratisation of systems and , above all , because of the
widespread use of pay-as-you-go and cloud systems , many SMEs are now facing the challenge of securing their systems .
The first basic and essential step is the implementation of cybersecurity policies that include training for users and that are based on an in-depth understanding of a company ’ s partners , especially in the cloud , to ensure that they meet the required standards .
The establishment of these policies must be combined with systems that provide security all the way from the design stage right through to their implementation and maintenance .
What is security by design ?
The security of systems has ceased to be a matter that is addressed only at the outset , as used to be the case when systems were installed on-site and were not networked . However , once we start connecting systems with each other ( either within our own environment or with third parties ) security should be treated as a priority issue that must be considered during the development of a system as well as every subsequent modification .
This results in the ‘ security by design ’ concept , which consists of basing the development process on fail-safe security measures . This is the only way we can ensure that development is backed by the latest technologies and best practices in software architecture and design . Design of this nature caters for secure communications outside the system itself , including the appropriate identification and registration of all the components and users .
It should provide the ability to define access permissions for different roles and be capable of monitoring each component by logging events . Due to increases in the number of system components , each component needs to be updated individually while also maintaining the stability and reliability of the system as a whole .
The following principles underpin security by design :
■ Implement security by default .
■ Principle of in-depth protection .
■ Principle of minimum privileges .
■ Separation of functions .
■ Do not trust devices .
■ Keep security simple .
■ Properly resolve security issues .
The key to a Smart Factory is the interconnection of machines and different software systems .
ISMR March 2022 | sheetmetalplus . com | 49