Frequent updates to your OT cybersecurity systems are necessary to ward off attacks. Many of the team members rely on cybersecurity managers to keep their key assets well-protected. To ensure optimal protection, it is crucial to use the ideal OT security system.
In this article, we’ll get to learn what things you need to consider when selecting an OT cybersecurity system for your business.
OT Security: An Overview
Operational Technology is a collection of assets that a business uses. These include processes, tools, and materials that team members use and have access privileges. Keeping these assets safe is a company’s top priority in ensuring their business stays afloat.
What keeps these assets safe is OT Security, a set of processes and practices meant to maximize the protection of business assets. They are commonly used in the industrial sector, such as manufacturing plants and energy grids. These processes and practices also help mitigate any damage to the assets, ensuring smooth business operations.
How to Choose the Right OT Security System?
Finding the ideal OT security system is tricky at first but there are ways to make the search easier. Take note of the following methods on how to select that system for your business, and here they are as listed:
1. Look for a Developer That Creates Its Own Products
The first way to find the ideal OT cybersecurity provider is to know whether the developer is the creator of its products. There are two reasons behind this. The first is that some companies have a weird tendency of slapping their logo on someone else’s product which is a questionable practice.
The second reason is to ensure quality, this is for companies that need a security system that can meet all their specific expectations. As developers know where all data is compiled, and they can explain its parts, and even implement modifications based on business expectations.
2. Does it Offer Secure IT and OT Convergence?
The debate between IT and OT is becoming less prominent these days as security systems can now monitor both environments. The ideal security system should have the capability to even keep tabs on both OT and IT environments and protect them. Additionally, the security system should be capable of linking up and integrating with other security solutions.
Click here – 8 Reasons To Pursue A Master’s In Homeland Security
3. Know Your Business’s Weak Points and Improve Them
Selecting an OT security system should address your vulnerabilities. But, you will need to identify which business assets require the most protection. For example, external assets tend to be exposed to the public eye. The external assets can become a potential target for hackers. By knowing that is your business’s weak point; you can prioritize the protection of your external assets.
If you are unsure about which business assets require the highest level of protection, consult your cybersecurity provider for guidance.
4. Know the Developer’s Approach Towards Threats
Cybersecurity providers must have an approach to dealing with many cybercrime threats that could harm your business. The ideal OT security provider should have the resources to patch up data holes and block off malware. Also, the best platforms for OT and IT security must have up-to-date databases regarding various online threats.
You can inquire about this information to a cybersecurity provider, assuming that you haven’t chosen or settled down on an OT cybersecurity platform.
Questions to Ask Your OT Security Developer
The criteria mentioned above might not be enough for you and you might still be on the fence about getting an OT security software for your business. If that’s the case for you, then you can ask the developer some additional questions before settling down on their product. Here are some questions that you can ask the security software developer:
1. Can You Keep Tabs on the Usage of Removable Media?
Removable media, such as USB drives, are commonly used to expedite information movement in systems. However, there’s one caveat in using it; it is a bit risky as removable media has a history of being used in Cyberattacks.
Inquire with your developer if the provided OT security system can monitor removable media activity. Take note that without this feature, you lose a huge chunk of your asset’s defenses.
2. Can You Monitor Key Files from Your Endpoints?
It is common with OT systems for file exchanges to need a lot of clearances before they move forward. For this, it’s advised that you ask your OT cybersecurity provider or developer if they have tools that can monitor file changes. This is mainly because malware attacks often involve extensive data overwriting, which can be devastating to businesses.
3. Can You Detect Users on Endpoints Passing Through Authentication?
OT systems use a lot of Multi-factor authentications to ensure that key assets are kept safe. However, knowing who’s coming in and out of the more restricted areas needs to be known by the organization. Ask your cybersecurity developer and provider if their platform offers logs of users getting authenticated.
The main reason for this is to maintain the integrity of communications between higher-ups and employees assigned to pivotal tasks.
4. Does the OT System Provide Reports and Dashboards?
You can also inquire whether the OT security system provides reports and dashboards. After all, to ensure security; there needs a form of visibility. Data visualizations can provide insights into the level of protection for different aspects of your organization.
Check and Ask to Find the Right OT Security System
As said, finding the right OT cybersecurity system can seem tedious at first. However, this is only because there are many factors you need to consider in choosing one. Thankfully, you can take steps to narrow down your options. Besides this, you can ask your chosen OT software developers or vendors additional questions on their security platform.
Once you have selected the ideal OT security system, your business is well-positioned to operate at its optimal condition.
FAQs
1. Why Inquire With Developers on OT Protection and Security Platforms?
Inquiring with the software developers ensures the authenticity of the program. You don’t want to end up with a product that’s released by a company but isn’t their work. On top of that, developers can provide top-notch support and troubleshooting if necessary.
2. Why Logging Activity is Necessary?
OT security platforms need to track every activity to maximize the protection of key assets. If ever trouble rises, logs can be used as evidence to show which assets need repairs right away. Logging also minimizes the likelihood of suspicious activities. If a user would intend to do something sketchy in your operational technology network, they’ll be caught in the act.
3. Why is it Necessary to Know Your OT Software Developer’s Approach Towards Cyber Threats?
Knowing the developer’s approach towards cyber threats is necessary so you can have a baseline of their software’s capabilities. Aside from that, you can know which threats can their security platform can handle right away.
