Powernet School
28/05/2024
In the industrial and business world, Operational Technology (OT) plays a crucial role in maintaining the efficiency and security of operations. The adoption of standards and business continuity planning are essential to protect these critical technologies against various threats and ensure that operations are not interrupted. In this post, we will explore the importance of OT, relevant standards and how to implement effective business continuity strategies.
Read on!
Operational Technology (OT) refers to hardware and software that detect or cause changes by monitoring or controlling physical devices, processes and events in industrial environments. These systems are fundamental to the day-to-day operation of factories, power plants, distribution networks and other critical infrastructure. The importance of OT lies in its ability to ensure that these environments operate efficiently, safely and without disruption.
In addition, digitisation and IoT are transforming OT management by providing greater visibility, optimisation and security of operations. These advances enable organisations to operate more efficiently, reduce costs and improve operational resilience, while opening up new business opportunities.
Aunque OT e IT (Tecnología de la Información) pueden parecer similares, tienen diferencias clave. OT, por un lado, se centra en el control y monitoreo de dispositivos físicos y procesos industriales, mientras que IT gestiona datos y sistemas informáticos. OT trata con sensores, actuadores y sistemas de control industrial, mientras que IT maneja servidores, redes y aplicaciones de software. La convergencia de OT e IT es cada vez más común, lo que plantea nuevos desafíos y oportunidades para la seguridad y la eficiencia operativa.
La convergencia de la Tecnología Operacional y la Tecnología de la Información está estrechamente vinculada con el auge del edge computing. Este concepto implica mover los recursos informáticos más cerca de la fuente de datos o del usuario, como ocurre con el análisis de datos en plantas industriales.
La integración de software tradicionalmente utilizado por equipos de TI para respaldar procesos de OT es cada vez más común. Esto facilita la unificación de diferentes sistemas de datos que se utilizan tanto en operaciones comerciales como industriales. Este cambio permite que procesos previamente aislados ahora se interconecten, mejorando la eficiencia y la utilización de datos.
Las empresas pueden aprovechar estos datos integrados para implementar modelos de inteligencia artificial y aprendizaje automático (IA/ML) en manufactura para mejorar el control de calidad y el mantenimiento predictivo. Las plataformas adaptativas permiten desplegar estas aplicaciones de manera uniforme en múltiples ubicaciones, optimizando así los procesos industriales y comerciales.
The adoption of norms and standards is crucial to ensure that OT systems operate securely and efficiently. Some of the most important standards include ANSI/TIA-942 (a standard that ensures the availability and reliability of these critical environments) and ISO/IEC 27001, which helps protect data integrity and confidentiality.
Implementing ANSI/TIA-942 and ISO/IEC 27001 standards in OT environments is crucial to ensure security and operational efficiency. ANSI/TIA-942 ensures a robust data centre infrastructure with high availability and physical security, while ISO/IEC 27001 establishes an Information Security Management System to protect critical assets and manage risks. Together, these standards integrate IT and OT practices, improving operational resilience and adapting to the specific needs of industrial systems.
In order to make business continuity feasible with Operational Technology, it is essential to develop a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Business Continuity Plan (BCP). On the one hand, the BIA is a critical assessment that identifies the essential functions of an organisation and, in addition, analyses the effects that a disruption could have on them. This process involves several detailed steps, including identifying critical processes, assessing the impact, ranking priorities, identifying dependencies and developing mitigation strategies for identified risks, such as network segmentation and continuous monitoring and anomaly detection.
On the other hand, the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a comprehensive strategy that describes how an organisation will continue to operate during and after a disruption. An effective BCP for OT should include risk assessment and business impact analysis (BIA); identification of critical assets and processes; response and recovery strategies; resource planning; communication and coordination; training and simulations; continuous monitoring and updating; change management; disaster recovery planning (DRP); and regulatory and security compliance.
Implementing a robust BCP and following established standards is crucial to the resilience of any organisation that relies on Operational Technology. Through careful planning and the adoption of best practices, companies can protect their operations against disruptions and ensure a quick and effective response to any incident.
All in all, Operational Technology (OT) is an essential component of industrial efficiency and safety. The adoption of standards and the implementation of business continuity strategies are fundamental to protect these critical systems against various threats. The convergence of OT and IT, along with the use of technologies such as edge computing, offers new opportunities to improve operational efficiency and security. In addition, through careful planning and the adoption of best practices, businesses can protect their operations against disruption and ensure a rapid and effective response to any incident.
