News from May 2023

Industrial network security is not a luxury option anymore—it is a necessity. A spate of recent cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure has underlined the need for industrial organizations to prioritize cybersecurity. No matter which industry you are in, potential threats are everywhere. Recent incidents include hackers shutting down a fuel pipeline in the USA1 and demanding millions of dollars in ransom payments, and a ransomware attack taking the self-service ticketing machines of a UK railway company 2 offline. 

For decades, serial communication has been delivering reliable connectivity in many factory applications. Although Ethernet communication is more popular these days, a large variety of legacy equipment still relies on serial communication. As factory managers increasingly realize that OT/IT convergence optimizes operational efficiency, it is field engineers and system integrators, however, who are first in line facing the challenges of integrating older and newer systems.

With increasing demands on OT/IT integration, data security is at the forefront of our concerns more than ever. In fact, according to an IDC survey, security is considered the top barrier to OT/IT integration. At the same time, it is also considered a top-five motivator, meaning enhanced OT security is one of the means to bring about successful OT/IT integration.