Cisco launches Industrial IoT security architecture

As reported earlier this month, industrial Internet of Things technology comes with a great deal of cybersecurity risk. However, a large portion of the world’s critical infrastructure now relies on industrial IoT .In an effort to better protect this technology and the industrial processes it underpins, this week, networking company Cisco launched a new Industrial IoT security architecture. The new architecture, which combines new and existing Cisco products, including the recently acquired Sentryo, with promises to enhance visibility across information technology and operational technology environments.

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“Networks have become the foundational backbone for the operational technology (OT) that underpins critical infrastructure including energy, transportation, and manufacturing. Organizations increasingly require real-time access into the data these systems hold to improve production, manage costs, and enhance safety metrics,” Cisco says in a press release. “Cisco’s new solutions enable the collection and extraction of data from the IoT edge so organizations can increase efficiencies to make better business decisions and accelerate digitization projects.”

According to a report released by analyst firm ARC Advisory Group, cybersecurity risks are impeding digital transformation in industrial and critical infrastructure organizations. ARC asserts that the volume of cybersecurity threats within critical infrastructure environments is increasing. Cyber attacks on critical infrastructure can have devastating consequences and pose significant risks to human safety and financial stability.

“Changes in devices and connections need to be detected rapidly, assessed for vulnerabilities, and addressed before the organization’s security erodes,” ARC Advisory Group Vice President, Sid Snitkin said in the release.

In order to combat the risks associated with industrial IoT, ARC recommends continuous IoT/ICS network security monitoring to help security teams  identify suspicious or unauthorized network traffic and unexpected device changes.

Cisco’s new architecture, allows for real-time detection of cyber security threats to industrial assets with advanced anomaly threat detection. It combines Cisco Talos’ threat intelligence, Edge Intelligence data extraction tool, and a new industrial IoT network security product called Cyber Vision.

“Organizations need complete visibility into the most disparate of network environments in order to secure their industrial edge, lower the risk of cyber threats, and optimize industrial processes,” said Liz Centoni, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cloud, Compute and IoT at Cisco.

Cisco’s new architecture, allows for real-time detection of cyber security threats to industrial assets with advanced anomaly threat detection. It combines Cisco Talos’ threat intelligence, Edge Intelligence data extraction tool, Sentryo OT security solution and a new industrial IoT network security product called Cyber Vision.

Working in tandem with the other solutions is Cisco Edge Intelligence which simplifies the extraction of data at the network edge. It streamlines the data delivery to multi-cloud destinations and other physical locations. Cisco says this will help “to improve the competitiveness of an organization and helping businesses better manage data throughout critical aspects of its life cycle from start to finish.”

“Cisco has removed the complexity of a multi-vendor, multi-data, and multi-asset infrastructure to deliver simple IoT cyber security solutions that can be managed on any of Cisco’s gateways, switches, or routers, bringing end-to-end security and simplified data management together,” the release says.

Rebecca Addison

Industrial Cyber Editor. Rebecca Addison is a former newspaper editor with a decade of experience in the media industry. During her career, she has interviewed world leaders and corporate CEOs, and covered topics ranging from blockchain and CBD to healthcare and education.