For many years, industrial systems relied upon proprietary protocols and software. These legacy solutions lacked automation, required manual administration by people, and had no external connectivity.
Today, the operational technology (OT) landscape is very different. More and more industrial systems are being brought online to not only adopt new capabilities and efficiencies through technological integrations, but also to deliver big data and smart analytics. These modernized systems require off-site vendors, employees, operators, suppliers, and contractors to remotely access these systems.
This transition from closed to open systems has generated a slew of new security risks. Cyberattacks of critical infrastructure are at an all-time high. In the past year, 89% of electricity, oil and gas, and manufacturing firms have experienced cyberattacks impacting production and energy supply. In addition, 72% say they experienced cyber disruption to their ICS/OT environments at least six times during the year.
To better address the risks ushered in by cloud adoption, digital transformation, remote working, and the increasing interconnectedness of everything, enterprises and government agencies are embracing zero trust principles. Yet, almost 80% of critical infrastructure organizations haven’t adopted zero trust strategies.
Enabling secure remote access and upholding zero trust principles to your OT systems is critical to maintaining the productivity and business continuity of your organization.
