You may be very familiar with the idea of IT security, but you may not be as familiar with OT security. If you want to keep your company protected, securing OT networks are an essential part of this. By reading on, you can learn about OT visibility as well as everything that you need to know about OT security. This is something that will be of great help to you as a business leader.
The first thing to talk about is what OT security is. OT, which is short for “Operational Technology”, refers to software and hardware. This is commonly used for Industrial Control Systems, like SCADA systems. OT refers to software and hardware that can detect or cause changes through direct monitoring or control of the physical devices, events, and processes in the enterprise. OT can be used in critical infrastructure to control public transportation or power stations. This technology is always improving and becoming more important to businesses, which makes security even more important.
OT helps industrial systems become more connected, which offers convenience for businesses but cause these systems to be more vulnerable. If this security is breached, this can cause devastation at your business. One of the biggest concerns is that your data gets exposed and released to 3rd party, which is particularly concerning if this is very sensitive data. Fortunately, there are things that you can do that will secure your OT networks.
The best place to start for your OT security is to develop an operational technology security policy. Some businesses may try to save time and rush through the setup process that they skip this step. When you develop the security policy, you have a place where everyone in the organization can understand what the security goals are and how to achieve them. The OT team will need to have to understand what controls are needed while the IT team understands where and why the controls will or will not work.
You can start this process by starting with the industry-accepted guidelines for OT security, however you need to be sure that you tailor these guidelines to meet the needs of your company. You need to approach this task from a risk-based perspective, which will help you to see what your vulnerabilities are. Check out NIST Guide to Industrial Control Systems Security. This guide can give you a great idea of where to start. Focus on the small things that you can do to improve your security along the way to help protect your systems.
OT security is essential to the function of your organization. Your business could suffer from devastating results if someone breaks into your OT system. Using the guidelines in place for securing your OT system can help you keep your organization protected. Your team should know what the framework and goals are in order to properly enact these security policies. It is very common for organizations to skip setting up these security policies to save time, but that could be a devastating mistake.
