Strengthen the Security of Your Industrial Network for a More Robust IT/OT Convergence

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the past couple of years have been marked by a swiftly shifting global landscape. Businesses are now facing unprecedented uncertainties like material scarcities and disruptions in the supply chain, prompting business proprietors to boost their operational resilience to stay competitive. For many sectors, the way forward towards improving resilience is through IT/OT convergence. To ensure a smooth convergence, establishing a dependable and secure network infrastructure is paramount.

Citing the IDC Technology Spotlight, successful IT/OT convergence hinges on amalgamating network and cybersecurity disciplines and capacities. Nevertheless, the consolidation of IT and OT also leads to a more intricate industrial network. An escalating number of field devices now necessitate connection to the network. Hence, it is crucial to enhance network capabilities to handle the increasing volumes of data reliably and accurately. Furthermore, security apprehensions should not be disregarded. As the count of connected devices rises, so do the potential access points for intruders to breach your network. Prioritizing security principles is the initial step towards constructing a sturdy base for your network infrastructure. However, implementing cybersecurity within the OT domain can be challenging as networking and cybersecurity stipulations for industrial applications typically vary. This article delves into ways to advance industrial network security to erect a robust network groundwork for achieving prosperous IT/OT convergence.

Industrial Network Security: Areas to Assess

Interrupting OT operations is intolerable. Even a slight system downtime could result in substantial losses. Nevertheless, cybersecurity protocols often necessitate operators to consistently update their systems to fortify network defenses against constantly evolving cyber threats. This reluctance of OT operators to enforce cybersecurity measures stems from the fact that each system update requires halting segments of their operations, thus diminishing production efficiency. To strike a balance between uninterrupted operations and beefing up cybersecurity measures, we advocate a two-phase strategy to boost your network security. Initiate the process by outlining and constructing a layered shield for critical operations to safeguard against cyber threats, succeeded by crafting secure networks that align with your operational requisites. The subsequent sections elaborate on this approach.

Implement Comprehensive Security for Your Industrial Functions

The principle of a comprehensive security approach is to establish multiple protective layers by embedding cybersecurity measures at every tier to minimize security vulnerabilities. In the event of a breach, the chances of swiftly detecting and mitigating the threat are higher, thereby reducing potential damage. Establishing a robust defense starts with a meticulous security evaluation of your institution. Based on the evaluation findings, you can enforce multi-tiered protection and integrate cybersecurity protocols for every facet of your industrial entity, encompassing physical security, ICS networks, and device security. To simplify the implementation of the comprehensive security approach, you can refer to global security benchmarks tailored for industrial automation and control systems. Particularly, the IEC 62443 standard furnishes exhaustive guidelines for integrating comprehensive security into industrial processes to foster a resilient security infrastructure.

Create a Secure Network Infrastructure That Aligns with Your Operational Needs

While creating a secure network infrastructure, especially for converged IT/OT networks, it is vital to ensure that your network connections at the OT site are both secure and dependable. In the ensuing sections, we aim to spotlight some critical considerations when enhancing network security for your OT network infrastructure.

Opt for Secure Devices to Reinforce Your Network Edge

Historically, the security of OT systems mainly relied on air gaps, sometimes disregarding security altogether. Once your field devices are connected, your networking devices must exhibit industrial-grade reliability to avert unforeseen downtime and should possess basic security features to counter cyber threats. Security functionalities like user authentication mechanisms help govern user access to the network. Another pivotal security attribute, secure boot, guarantees the integrity of your networking devices. Formulating a security checklist to ensure the protection of your networking devices is crucial for maintaining a secure networking environment. Alternatively, ascertain if your networking devices conform to internationally recognized security standards such as the IEC 62443 standard. Compliance with this standard indicates that these devices are fashioned based on the secure product development lifecycle guidelines of IEC 62443-4-1 and are equipped with security features to shield the networking devices and elevate overall network security.

Safeguard Your Network with Varied Security Capabilities

To bolster the protection of your OT network, implementing a stratified defense is crucial to ensure that if one safeguard fails, the subsequent layer remains operational. Partitioning your OT networks into distinct zones aids in enhancing network security and averts threats from impacting other systems. Functions like VLAN and firewalls heighten security by segmenting your network into isolated zones and filtering out malevolent or unauthorized traffic. For proactive defense, industrial intrusion detection/protection systems (IDS/IPS) identify and contain threats within a specific area in case a network node is compromised. Adding access control is another effective means to strengthen network security. Through the utilization of authentication protocols like IEEE 802.1X, you can authenticate users accessing your OT networks. Various other access control functionalities are available to empower authorized users, identified through MAC address or other forms of identification, to access specific zones of the network through designated ports based on their assigned roles.

Enhance Network Visibility and Simplify Management

As the number of field devices burgeons, efficiently configuring, monitoring, and upkeeping the network becomes increasingly challenging. Supplying OT users with tools to swiftly configure the security settings of multiple devices reduces the complexity of network management. Moreover, you require a streamlined approach to monitor and sustain the security level of each networking device for daily operations. While selecting devices for your industrial networks, focus on obtaining user-friendly and easily manageable OT network management tools that streamline the process of managing security settings and monitoring the security status of your networking devices.

Harness Networking and Tailor-made OT Security for Your Network Infrastructure

When constructing a secure network infrastructure, the selection of apt devices as the building blocks of your network is pivotal. Moxa’s EDS-4000/G4000 Series stands out as a range of Ethernet switches certified under IEC 62443-4-2 designed to bolster the security of your industrial network while accommodating a wide range of networking requirements. The design of the EDS-4000/G4000 Series aligns with the stringent IEC 62443 security protocols to create a versatile and security-enhanced networking solution that clears the most rigorous cybersecurity assessments across diverse industries, including critical infrastructure.

In addition to enhancing cybersecurity, the EDS-4000/G4000 Series also offers robust networking functionalities to aid in crafting future-proof networks and expediting your IT/OT convergence with heightened reliability and security. Visit the microsite to delve deeper into our cutting-edge EDS-4000/G4000 Series industrial managed Ethernet switches.