Awareness towards industrial cybersecurity continues low!

While traditional manufacturing industries were not designed with security in mind, the proliferation of networks and devices, disparate communication channels, and the use of off-the-shelf software has thrust cybersecurity into the spotlight. Safety and security concerns associated with the high levels of connectivity and integration are surfacing as the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) takes shape in the industrial networks and manufacturing plant floors. The alarming frequency of sophisticated and targeted advanced persistent threats has given further weight to the safety argument across both process and discrete industries. 

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New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, The Safety-Security Argument: Expanding Needs in a Connected Enterprise, finds that the global cybersecurity market for control systems is expected to grow at a rate between 20to 25 percent every year till 2021. North America and Europe will remain at the forefront of creating awareness and initiating technology advancements that address attacks from advanced persistent threats. 

“Enterprises currently employ a broad, layered approach towards protecting cyber assets while industry organisations work on establishing suitable standards,” said Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation and Process Control Senior Research Analyst Sonia Francisco. “Partnerships among government, industry and research institutes will be vital in forming robust, industry-based standards that will speed up the development of comprehensive security management solutions.” 

As the IoT concept transforms plant architecture, defence-by-default security strategies will give way to defence-by-design solutions. In-built security solutions that can sense, adapt, modify and respond to threats based on various ecosystem parameterswill gain traction. 

Creating industry- and application-specific solutions will also be crucial as information technology (IT) solutions continue to stream into the operational technology (OT) space. Solution providers in the IT and the OT ecosystems must join hands to deploy end-to-end cyber security solutions for industrial systems. 

“Such extensive integration will require a new age workforce with both IT and OT expertise,” noted Francisco. “Cybersecurity service providers can provide training and change management solutions that will bridge the knowledge gap.” 

As a majority of industries upgrade to smart systems and processes, industrial cybersecurity will soon make the inevitable shift from a reactive operating model to a proactive design philosophy. 

• The Safety-Security Argument: Expanding Needs in a Connected Enterprise is a Market Insight that is part of the Industrial Automation & Process Control Growth Partnership Service program. This study provides a strategic outlook of cyber security requirements and best practices in the era of connected assets and connected enterprises. The Insight sheds light on the challenges, opportunities and strategies in the cybersecurity space evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.