Though long recognized as a critical technology requirement for industry, cybersecurity has been well acknowledged but not so much invested in over the past decade—in comparison to other automation technologies. Fortunately, that seems to be changing.
New research into 2021 automation technology spending plans across the discrete, batch and continuous process industries conducted by Automation World shows that cybersecurity now ranks among the top areas for investment. More specifically, 84% of suppliers to the discrete manufacturing and continuous processing industries expect increased spending by end users on cybersecurity software in 2021, as do 74% of suppliers to the batch manufacturing industries.
The response from technology suppliers to this increased focus on industrial cybersecurity can be seen in recent moves by ABB and Tempered Networks to partner with well-known industrial cybersecurity provider Nozomi Networks.
In ABB’s case, the company is integrating Nozomi’s technology into its distributed control system (DCS) to address the growing demand for improved operational technology (OT) cybersecurity in the energy, process, and hybrid/batch manufacturing industries. Details of this agreement include:
- Integration of Nozomi Networks technology into ABB’s DCS architecture to provide ABB customers with increased OT and IoT (Internet of Things) security and visibility;
- ABB consultants will be trained to present and deliver Nozomi Networks’ products to support customers with their cybersecurity needs such as threat hunting and forensic analysis; and
- ABB customers can review Nozomi Networks’ real-time network visibility and cybersecurity solutions via live threat scenarios running in ABB laboratories and integrated staging centers around the world.
Such partnerships are becoming increasingly common across industry, as Nozomi already has a partnership with Schneider Electric to incorporate Nozomi’s Guardian platform into its EcoStruxutre IIoT process automation and industrial control system. Likewise, cybersecurity software supplier Claroty has partnerships with Cisco and Belden.
The agreement between Nozomi and Tempered involves integration of Nozomi’s network visibility, threat detection, and incident response system with Tempered’s zero-trust policy enforcement and centralized software-defined perimeter management console. This integration allows Airwall to mirror Nozomi’s secure traffic through an encrypted overlay for greater analysis and insight, meaning that Airwall users can take remediation steps or refine Tempered security policies through the Airwall Conductor management console API (application programming interface).
Jeff Hussey, founder and CEO of Tempered Networks, said “The AI-powered network analysis and anomaly detection Nozomi provides can drive more accurate micro-segmentation and security policy enforcement into our Airwall platform, providing a more secure, rapid response approach against industrial-grade network attacks.”
