Why Is Cybersecurity Important In Factories?

The future seems rosy for smart manufacturing, but there is a downside. Cybercrime is on the rise, and though it might not seem as though industry presents a particularly valuable target, hackers think otherwise. Once your automation and control systems are fully automated and connected to the IIoT, you immediately open yourself up to the predations of cybercriminals. Hackers can get access to all sorts of information by breaking into a vulnerable part of your system, including not only production and design secrets, but also sensitive data relating to your customers and your finances. For this reason, it's important to think carefully about cybersecurity in factories when making the transition to smart manufacturing.

What Are The Challenges?

Some manufacturers are reluctant to enter the world of digital industry for fear of these very risks. Even those who are making the transition may be vulnerable to a lack of synchronisation between their operational technology (OT) and their information technology (IT). This applies particularly to areas where there is an overlap between the OT and IT ecosystems, where the various decision-making strategies tend to be dispersed. OT investment decisions don't usually take corporate IT and security into account, so that a hotchpotch of different technologies have to be integrated after the event, and their cybersecurity streamlined.

What To Do About It

Manufacturers need to be more aware of cybercrime and how to prevent it. This means stringent staff training on the types of threat they might encounter, and planning what to do in the eventuality of a cyber attack. It includes identifying threats, protecting your systems and staff against them, planning your response to threats, and working out how you would recover from an attack. If you're about to switch over or have already made the transition to the smart factory, you should incorporate an integrated programme of cyber management that covers both the IT and the OT aspects of your business.

The first steps to effective cybersecurity in factories also include carrying out a cybersecurity risk assessment that takes all levels of your systems into account, including the legacy OT and the new IT. You should build in security protocols to all your existing and projected systems, and establish a formal programme of cybersecurity governance that will help you deal with any threats. Any and all actions you take in the business should then be prioritised according to their risk profiles.