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FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY


sponsored by EXPLORING THE CYBER SECUR


Feature


Tim Harrison, customer success manager,


SolutionsPT, examines why machine builders and OEMs need to show potential customers how seriously they take cyber security


amounts of legacy equipment and devices are connected to digital systems, there are more and more potential points of attack. With cyber security regularly cited as industrial


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business managers’ number one concern, it has become a central factor in any buying decision. For Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) there is a competitive advantage to offering products that allow for simple and secure integration into existing end-user systems. The nature of modern industry is such that


OEMs cannot sell machines as if they operate in isolation. Nearly all new products are now joining a complex system of machines, and each new addition to a network is a new point of potential weakness in its enterprise-wide cyber-security posture. In the highly competitive world of machine building, bringing the cost of a component to its absolute functional minimum


s reliance on digital systems grows, the potential consequences of cyber-attacks are magnified. In fact, as increasing


must now include cyber-security provision. Similarly, OEMs must continuously review


their own cyber security to ensure their product doesn’t have vulnerabilities that could leak into a wider system. OEM products have successfully been exploited by nefarious hackers as a pathway to other targets within the end-user’s organisation, so OEMs must consider each of their products as links in a security chain that bears a huge weight of responsibility in the modern world. To mitigate risk and differentiate themselves in the market, OEMs must show potential customers how seriously they take cyber security, not just at the point of sale but for the lifecycle of the asset – and they can do this in a number of ways.


BRINGING IN THE RIGHT EXPERTISE We always recommend that OEMs engage with experts in cyber security when taking a product to market, especially in the changing landscape of the digital transformation era. It is only by


18 DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEPTEMBER 2024


having access to cyber security expertise that OEMs can offer and maintain resilient architecture. With the combined knowledge of the OEM and


dedicated cyber security expertise, companies have the tools to understand risk and how critical products are to a strong cyber security posture for the end user. This means thinking beyond the product itself, to consider how it integrates with the wider system. Having security partners close by adds an extra safety net to an OEMs offering as if a breach occurs there is a system in place to rectify it as quickly as possible. This sense of security is added value that an OEM can package and pass on to their customers when engaging with the right experts.


BEST PRACTICES & TRAINING THE WORKFORCE It isn’t always obvious where a cyber threat will come from and, in some cases, the biggest threat to security is not an ingenious digital attacker getting through a system, but an opportunist slipping through a weakness caused by a human error. For this reason the human operator will always be the most important security element of any manufacturing facility. A properly trained workforce is less likely to leave opportunities for hackers, they are aware of the latest techniques relating to phishing emails and follow all best practices when it


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