IT businesses have a variety of tools for gathering asset information. The sensitive nature of the devices and physical processes controlled by assets is important.
Critical infrastructure organizations must lay a future-proof foundation. This is done by identifying, monitoring, and managing changes for every OT asset in their infrastructure. OT security helps to ensure the security of their workers and the general public. It does this by developing an efficient cybersecurity program. and get ready for upcoming regulatory requirements.
Real-time, automated asset inventory management software is the key to a successful (OT) security program. Every asset category has different security flaws. You can better defend your network from assaults by being aware of the assets you have, how they are set up, and how crucial they are to operations.
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What is Operational Technology (OT) Security?
Computer systems used in manufacturing, and vital infrastructure are operational technology (OT). To interact with historical and proprietary systems, they use specialized protocols and software. This helps to automate, monitor, and oversee the operations of industrial machinery.
Measures and procedures put in place to safeguard OT systems are known as OT security and can automate industrial processes to protect against cybersecurity threats using custom software.
The Significance of Operational Technology (OT) Security for Industrial Assets
OT security provides OT asset management solutions that are beneficial for industrial assets in the following ways
1. It Helps Audit Assets
You can audit which assets move around your system by using real-time data from automated asset inventory solutions. Additionally, it monitors third-party or vendor hardware that connects to your network. This information may be essential in pinpointing the point of an intrusion in the event of a cyberattack.
2. It Helps With Malicious Asset Detection
Maintaining the integrity of your system depends on identifying newly connected assets. Real-time OT inventory software provided by OT security vendors occasionally finds newly anticipated assets on the network. OT security offers real-time identification of all unauthorized assets.
As a result, risks are rapidly discovered before they develop into serious or even life-threatening situations.
3. It Helps To Find Threats Through Network Segmentation
Network segmentation is used by many OT systems to reduce risk and safeguard their assets from threats. Owners of OT assets can safeguard themselves against improperly networked devices. This is done by learning about their assets and the networks they are connected to with the use of automated asset discovery software tools. Owners now have improved real-time visibility, allowing them to address these problems rapidly.
4. Safety and Disaster Control
Digital assets have an impact on the real world in OT contexts. OT asset management aids in ensuring safety if an unintentional or unauthorized alteration is made to a device or system.
A solid cybersecurity program is built on accurate asset data and security baselines. Historicizing asset modifications offers a model for backup and recovery in the event of an incident.
5. It Helps With Compliance
You may get ready for upcoming compliance laws that may have an impact on your industry by putting in place an OT asset management foundation.
Data must be accurate and timely for compliance. Efficiency in data collection and management is also necessary for compliance. Insurers want accurate and current OT security asset management data. This is even for firms without regulatory requirements.
To do this, OT security solutions do not rely on human data collecting or the whims of network traffic. Automatic time-based updates are made to the data. There is no need to rely on the unknown of whether the data for an asset is picked up in the packet. This is because the system goes directly to the endpoint and obtains the data.
You may get ready for upcoming compliance laws that may have an impact on your industry by putting in place an OT asset management foundation.
6. It Provides Asset Maintenance
OT asset management software notifies you in advance of impending maintenance so you don’t have to manually keep track of it. It protects property from unplanned malfunctions.
Their performance is optimized, and the return on investment rises as well when maintenance is current.
Additionally, if an asset has had problems for a long time, you may use this program to determine whether the problem is the same. You can discover what was done so that, if the issue reappears, you can try a different remedy.
Simply said, asset inventory management software facilitates efficient asset maintenance. It also helps reduce significant maintenance costs.
7. It Provides Risk Management
OT security demands a thorough understanding of asset hazards, patches are frequently unable to be administered regularly. This is because they may disturb older systems’ operations. Or because it necessitates reboots, which are impossible for devices whose operations are continuous.
These particular elements necessitate what we refer to as a 360-degree approach to security management. OT asset management approaches collect all the necessary asset data for this thorough 360-degree analysis. It can then offer a thorough risk score for each asset.
8. It Helps To Forecast Demands and Asset Trends
When you have a thorough history of an asset, you can determine when it should be sold. Accurate asset appraisals can be made using this kind of information, and you can adjust your budget as a result.
Forecasting aids in spotting commercial trends. This may give your company a competitive advantage. For instance, if an asset begins to perform poorly after 1.5 or 2 months. You can then schedule maintenance for that asset at the end of that period to ensure that its performance is not harmed.
9. Improved Productivities
You can improve an asset’s performance and keep track of inventory with asset inventory software. You can obtain data with the program that you can use to raise the productivity of the equipment and goods. Inventory that was not used can be tracked so that wasteful expenditures are avoided.
With the help of data, you may determine whether assets require more care than is necessary and their remaining lives.
Conclusion
Real-time automated operational technologies and inventory technologies have many advantages for your industrial assets. Once implemented, you’ll see right away increased accuracy and less staff workload. It also provides transparency via audit trails. It enables quicker threat detection and simpler ways to discover devices. All of this leads to enhanced network and OT security.