Industrial Equipment & Network Security - A Growing Concern

Increasingly our industrial world is adopting Information Technology (IT) advances such as networking, remote control via the web, mobile interfaces, 802.11 wireless, USB support,  and now cloud based applications in the race to stay ahead in this competitive world. This application of technology may be coming a a cost of vulnerability and we need to look at this.

At the recent International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS 2014) in Chicago, exhibitors showed how they could leverage every advance in the IT world on to the factory floor. At the leading edge 100,000 sq ft DMG MORI booth, amazing new controllers and machines with remote OEM support options and high tech interfaces made in their new Davis, California plant were highlighted.

Following DMG MORI's lead, every manufacturer wants to reduce costs and yet enhance customer service - and leveraging IT is a great way to do so. That said, this openness cannot be done at the cost of making the system less secure and opening up the potential for a cyber attack and disaster.

Anyone in the defense industry (especially in the US) has heard of the International Treaty of Arms Reduction (ITAR) and the many security requirements that this program entails. Right now security on the factory floor is focused on perimeter control (network, magnetic card locks, video surveillance, etc) and the human element (checking out each worker and contractor). This may not be good enough in the future - we must get security into each machine.

The opportunity here is to investigate Machine to Machine (M2M) security systems - having part programs secure right to each machine (and perhaps once in them). Machine protocols like open source XML-based MTConnect need a secure version to be considered for ITAR or even cloud-based machine monitoring and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) programs.

In the days to come, Nexas will be looking into just what would be needed to provide secure factory communications to enable mobile, wireless and cloud-based applications. If factory floor network security is not yet a concern - I think it should be. This may indeed be the "next big thing" in the manufacturing sector worldwide...

Reference Links You Should Check Out...

1. 2014 Kaspersky Industrial Security Review
2. LoJack System for Cargo
3. IMPERVIO Information Rights Management System
4. Finding Your Cyber-Security Weak Spots
5. Tofino Factory Automation Security

MTConnect - A New World of Factory Floor Connectivity is Here

Submitted Online: Oct 20, 2011 by Tom Gaasenbeek 

Event: Call for Speakers - 2012 SME Annual Conference in Cleveland June 3-5

 

Biography - Who Are You:

As the CEO of Nexas Networks Inc., I am focused on providing Computer Integrated Manufacturing solutions. Since 1992, I have been striving to optimize manufacturing operations and provide innovative solutions for CNC control networking - first with Memex, then a public company called e-Manufacturing Networks and now with Nexas. Over 10 years, I was instrumental in developing the OMAC XML Schema for inter-machine connectivity - today that is a reality with MTConnect and I am excited to say ready for adoption. The world of Machine 2 Machine (M2M) connectivity is about to take off and we are dedicated to making this happen with MTConnect.

Why this topic is important to this audience: Please provide any history, trends, etc. that make this presentation vital to current users or new users of the technology. *

Manufacturers today are in an intense battle - competing 24/7 with every corner of the world. As such, they know that real-time information and nimble systems are needed to profitably respond to market. Expectations are higher and so it is necessary to have everything under control - this needs real-time data gathering. Excellent communication is at the heart of manufacturing today. Legacy machines need a common language to talk and with MTConnect - an open source XML schema is now available with legacy machine adapters - to make this feat happen. This talk is about sharing the exciting world of MTConnect and the advances in Machine 2 Machine connectivity. 

Abstract: Please provide a 100 to 200 word abstract describing your presentation. Please be specific as possible as to what you will discuss—technologies or strategies covered, case studies cited, etc. *

1. The Case for M2M Communications - After a brief intro, I intend to start the presentation with a definition of M2M and current state of communications on the factory floor. We all know that real-time information is needed to make a profitable company, but rarely is the "automation" actually "automated" and communicating easily. JIT needs real-time information as do many other systems - but up to now that has been hard to achieve. Discussion here will highlight the cost of legacy systems and the desire to bridge this gap sooner than later.

2.  Factory Floor Communications - A survey of the various silos of data gathering such as Quality, Production, DNC, MES, MRP, ERP etc will highlight the challenges manufacturers have had over the years with management and the application of information technology on the factory floor. A consolidated approach is need - the stumbling block has been a common language. The Open Modular Architecture Controls (OMAC) group addressed this in the late 1990's, but it was not until MTConnect in 2007 that the movement gathered steam with the sponsorship of the American Machine Tool Association.

3. Introducing MTConnect - The Standard for Real-Time Connectivity - Today MTConnect offers a universal connectivity option for almost all factory floor equipment and instrumentation. This ease of use and implementation - like OPC was in the process control world - will usher in new capabilities of interactive, responsive controls, nimbleness in operation and vigilance. 

4. Implementation of MTConnect - Today & Tomorrow - As a visionary and founder of this movement, I see an exciting future for the adoption of MTConnect on the factory floor. From Overall Equipment Effectiveness to Lean Manufacturing, the benefits of a common language with legacy machine support will help today's manufacturers survive and thrive in this every-changing world.