Technology solutions provider Honeywell, US, formed a new Industrial IT Solutions group on Tuesday.
This group, part of Honeywell Process Solutions, will help industries in the manufacturing and processing space protect themselves against cyber threats.
The integration of a manufacturer's assets to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has, in recent years, exposed the manufacturing sector to a variety of electronic threats.
In 2010, for instance, a new computer worm termed Stuxnet was unleashed. The worm was designed to attack a specific industrial control system, exposing the vulnerability of industrial control systems to cyber attacks.
Vigilance
“Automation network security and performance has become a critical component of plant safety in process industries,” said Mr Jon Lippin, Vice-President and General Manager, Honeywell Lifecycle Solutions and Services for Honeywell Process Solutions.
“As control networks continue to expand and integrate to business systems, the risks and complexity of cyber vulnerabilities must be addressed with the same vigilance as process safety risk assessments.”
Focus
The Industrial IT solutions group will focus on assessing a plant's control systems against industry best practices as well as regulatory requirements and offer remedies for issues identified in the assessment phase.
It will also manage the plant's industrial IT investment with training and support services, besides monitoring the performance and security of the plant solutions.