How to securely drive digitalization on the shop floor
The digitalization of production and the efficient use of a wide range of machine data requires the connection of machines and equipment on the shop floor to the Internet. However, as soon as a machine is integrated into a network, it becomes a potential gateway for a cyberattack.
Therefore, industrial cybersecurity is more important than ever before, as is also evidenced by the EU’s latest initiatives: the NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). Cybersecurity is not only a topic for machine manufacturers, but along the whole supply chain, as it touches the entire lifecycle of the machine, its software, and its configuration.
Cybersecurity measures are needed throughout the company at different levels, but it all starts at the entry point of data into the network – at machine level. In a recent article, we highlight three key aspects of this topic:
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Importance of secure machine connectivity
Machines on the shop floor come from different suppliers and are often used for many decades, which means that control systems often do not have the security level of modern IPCs. How these machines are connected to the internet and how data is made available to service personnel and customers, is therefore an essential part of cybersecurity measures.
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Basics for secure remote access to machines
While a direct connection of the machine to the network is the simplest way, it can also be a risky approach. The implementation of role-based access control concepts or centralized remote access via an edge computing platform have proven effective in establishing secure connectivity on the shop floor.
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Secure remote access with an IIoT platform
TTTech Industrial’s Nerve is a cloud-managed, scalable edge computing platform that helps to establish secure remote access and supports the systematic implementation and management of measures related to cybersecurity in IIoT projects. TTTech Industrial was certified according to IEC 62443-4-1 last year, and Nerve is currently undergoing IEC 62443-4-2 certification on product level.
The implementation of cybersecurity across a company requires time and investment. TTTech Industrial can support the setup of secure digitalization processes and shop floor connectivity.
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