EP&T: How to secure tomorrow’s connected industrial systems

CHART 1 Security vulnerabilities can result from implementation flaws, design flaws or failure to properly enable and use security features.

There is a lot of chatter and concern about how to protect our smart homes and cities, our cars and planes, in short, all of our connected and IoT devices and systems against cyberattacks. The best way to protect these application spaces is by building security into the devices, starting at the factories and the assembly plants where these devices and sensors are developed and made.

Manufacturers of control systems for industrial systems have long been aware of the need to address safety in their designs, but the focus on security has often lagged. However, by ignoring security, safety is compromised.

Developers designing connected industrial systems and IoT devices face a host of challenges in addition to security. Which of the emerging IoT standards should they embrace? Which IoT protocols should be used? How can they distinguish their IoT and IIoT products in this competitive emerging field? How can they meet time-to-market challenges?

Read more on EP&T, one of Canadian Manufacturing‘s sister publications.