For companies across industries – including energy and utility, chemical, and manufacturing – the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a topic of growing focus and investment. Over the next five years, Cisco predicts companies leveraging the IoT stand to gain a collective $14.4 trillion in revenue. From streamlining communication and enabling new business models, to improving the efficiency of production processes, the IIoT is benefitting businesses in a multitude of ways.
Such advancements, however, aren’t without their challenges. As more connected devices make their way into the modern industrial IoT ecosystem, the following security obstacles must be addressed.
Secure data: Once confined to data silos and proprietary operational environments, employees across every level of a connected organization can now analyze, access, and share data in real time. But in order to optimize IoT investments and fully realize desired outcomes from their connected environment, data security must remain top of mind – especially when IIoT capabilities are at play. Securing a smart fridge or thermostat is necessary to protect consumers, but the IIoT expands the ecosystem to include industries that involve massive infrastructure which cannot be rebuilt from the ground up. In industrial environments, data breaches go beyond privacy and data loss and can include impacts to human life and the way we conduct daily functions. The most effective way to beef up data security between industrial control systems and enterprise data hubs is to embed trusted identities for devices at the time of manufacturing.
Cars, for example, feature a wide range of electronic control units – each of which contain their own manufactured components. Using trusted identities that are embedded within vehicles, OEMs can guarantee the legitimacy of electronic control units all the way from the supply chain to the assembly line. Businesses that demonstrate similar commitment toward trusted identities will not only improve supply chain integrity, but also set the stage for faster IoT deployment as well as secure data collection and transmission.
Secure command & control: Restricting access to trusted sources is a crucial part of keeping any ecosystem safe and secure. In the same way physical security is dependent upon limiting entry to authorized individuals, digital security must specify which users are permitted control and in what context. Trusted identities allow authenticated users, devices or applications to issue or respond to specific commands. By providing rule-based authorization, companies can better enforce privileges and prevent untrusted people, or “things” from making their way into a secure environment.
A variety of conditions, including the location or type of device, can help businesses implement rule-based authorization. For example, instead of using titles to determine who receives machinery access, companies can also take into account the time of day to help kick security up a notch.
Reliability & availability: When it comes to operational systems, the margin for error is small. However, by assigning a digital identity to a device, application or person, companies can gain the advantage of mitigating risk without impacting uptime and reliability. The pre-integration of identity management and data security create a defined lifecycle, including revocation and replacement, which helps deliver full visibility into the operational environment rather than being in the dark when issues arise.
Constrained networks & protocols: Previously isolated networks, devices and industrial protocols are quickly becoming connected to the internet through enterprise systems. Securing both greenfield and brownfield environments – regardless of protocol – is a goal businesses should strive toward to ensure new implementations work with legacy installations for decades to come. From fewer security risks to new revenue sources, businesses can reap the rewards of security solutions that work across existing systems, new operational designs and multiple protocols.
There’s still plenty of work to be done before businesses fully realize the benefits of increased connectivity. Enterprises that look to solve the fundamental IoT security challenges outlined above will gain strong competitive advantages in their markets – and strengthen their digital strategies along the way.
About the author: Josh Jabs is the vice president in the office of the Chief Technology Officer and the general manager of IoT Solutions at Entrust Datacard. He has more than 20 years of experience gauging the practical impact of changes in the technology ecosystem, most recently with the rise of the Internet of Things.
Edited by
Ken Briodagh
