Keep Out(2)

In tomorrow's plant, where machines, sensors, instruments, and other devices will be networked, simply locking down the perimeter with technologies such as firewalls won't be good enough. The future will require a highly layered approach to plant security.


Companies Mentioned
Posted on Nov 03, 2008

No doubt, you have read about the high-end, Internet-connected coffee machine that comes complete with downloadable drink recipes and a gaping security hole that reportedly allows it to be taken over by hackers.

A hackable coffee machine may seem innocuous. But it is an example of the new ultra-connected and much more insecure electronic era we've entered, an era some call "the Internet of things," when all kinds of Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled devices communicate over cellular networks, WiFi, Ethernet (wired and wireless), and, in the industrial setting, sensor-based networks.

According to Harbor Research, there will be anywhere from 500 million to 1 billion devices communicating continuously over the Internet by the year 2010. These devices — many of them on the factory floor — will enable new services, including status monitoring and usage tracking of assets, materials replenishment, remote diagnostics, and automated repair. Collectively, this will enable about $500 billion in value-added revenue from services provided by vendors and manufacturers alike, Harbor estimates.

But this world of hyper-connectivity, where virtually any industrial machine, instrument, or sensor can be networked, comes with a cautionary caveat: Managing this ever-increasing "network of things" will require new types of security tools and strategies. That's because, as the number of networked devices grows, so does the risk that there could be a security breach caused by the inadequately protected coffeemaker in the kitchen or the gauge in the refinery.

Top Enterprise Software Planning (ERP) Comparison