Smart Industry: What is a common security mistake in the manufacturing world and what is a simple remedy?
Kevin: Many folks don't enable encryption when it's very easy to turn on in modern SCADA, MES and IIoT software. Follow your software's guidelines on how to enable encryption. Encrypting manufacturing-network traffic helps protect from a wide variety of potential security issues.
Smart Industry: How can shoring up security boost efficiency and generate revenue?
Kevin: Better security means that certain activities that were previously dangerous can now be seen as a possibility. Remote access to your systems? Visibility from an app on your phone? From your vacation in Jamaica? Adding solid security to your systems enables you to do more than you could before, which can help boost individual and company efficiency, affecting your bottom line. Secure data access also opens up possibilities for ways to service customers or provide additional connected offerings to sell to your customers. It also allows secure data streams to certain tools like AI and machine learning, which can provide feedback and efficiency insights for your organization.
Smart Industry: Do manufacturers over-estimate their security status? Are we more vulnerable than we suspect?
Kevin: I think all of us like to believe our systems are secure, so long as we've never had an incident. My alarm system at home makes me feel more secure. However, there's part of me that knows a sufficiently motivated criminal could still break in and take valuables. Systems in the manufacturing world are no different, and it's certainly best to be vigilant on this front.
Smart Industry: Industrial security is often a gloomy topic. What is something encouraging in this space?
Kevin: I'm glad you asked! There is some positive movement in this space. One specific recent movement that is one of the best things to happen to the security world is zero trust. Putting in procedures in your organization that keep systems protected—even from local bad actors—helps significantly with reducing risk. We'll be talking about zero trust and more in the upcoming webinar…join us!
