Risk is often defined as the likelihood that something will occur multiplied by the impact it would have. In the world of automation, some of those possible impacts are unexpected downtime, loss of data, theft of information, damage to people and products, and inaccurate data – not to mention the fines and penalties when government regulations are not met.
At Software Toolbox, we understand that data availability, integrity, and confidentiality are of the utmost importance. As the adoption of IIoT grows, so does network exposure, increasing the likelihood of potential security issues. Implementing safe protocols and practices are essential to mitigating these risks.
Compliance with government regulations, such as those discussed in our Earth Day blog last year and the NIS 2 directive in the EU, is both essential and mandatory. While compliance ensures that key security measures are implemented, it does not guarantee complete system security on its own.
There are many standards, best practices, and frameworks available—such as ISA, IEC, CISA, NIST, NIS. While we recommend consulting these resources and recommend working with your IT department to address cybersecurity within your systems, our software offers several security-enhancing features you can leverage. Additionally, we provide guides to help align your industrial automation practices with your wider company cybersecurity initiatives.
Tracking who makes changes can help your team identify potential threat factors.
If you are familiar with OPC UA, you know it was built with security in mind. Unlike OPC DA, OPC UA offers enhanced security with fewer challenges arising during implementation. As a member of the
When accessing data from the Cloud it’s essential to do so securely.
Configure your industrial software securely, no matter where you are.
Securely tunnel OPC DA data to avoid DCOM headaches.
Reducing exposure is essential to reducing risk. Keep your attack surfaces small with configurable user management and outbound-only ports.
Still using OPC DA? Don’t worry!
It is critical to keep your software up to date. Software releases include continuous improvements and changes to address and stay ahead of emerging threats. As a part of our Support and Maintenance agreement, you have access to free upgrades for the latest release of your software. We always recommend running the latest release of our solutions when possible and testing thoroughly before any upgrade. Best practices for upgrading, such as our TOP Server Upgrade Best Practices, can be found at our support site.
Has your support and maintenance agreement lapsed? Not sure if your support and maintenance agreement is active? Reach out to our team to renew and get a quote today!
We hope you find these resources useful in keeping your systems secure! Subscribe to our blog for more resources like these and to keep up with product releases.