What do property protection and OT security mean?
Property protection is the area of security that focuses on the physical protection of buildings, facilities and other tangible assets. It is about ensuring that unauthorized persons do not gain access to critical or valuable objects and that they are protected against physical threats such as theft, sabotage, vandalism or natural disasters. The purpose of asset protection is to minimize physical risks.
OT security refers to the protection of systems used in industrial environments to control and monitor physical processes. OT includes technologies that are used in critical infrastructures such as energy supply, manufacturing, water and waste management or transportation. These systems control physical devices such as pumps, valves, motors or sensors. The aim of OT security is to ensure the safety, availability and reliability of the control systems.
Why are property protection and OT security essential?
Object protection is essential for operational technology (OT) security, as it is often located in unprotected environments. Access to these systems, which are not continuously monitored, creates an attack vector with a high risk potential.
Here are some reasons why both aspects are crucial:
- Protection against physical sabotage: Critical infrastructures such as energy, water or transportation systems are potential targets for physical attacks. Effective object protection prevents unauthorized access and reduces the risks of sabotage or theft.
- Preventing cyberattacks on OT systems: Increasing connectivity with IT networks makes OT systems more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Attackers could manipulate the systems to cause operational disruptions, damage or other catastrophic incidents.
- Maintaining business continuity: System security contributes to uninterrupted operational capability. If OT security measures are compromised, this can lead to production downtime, costly repairs and loss of reputation.
- Protection of sensitive data: OT systems often manage sensitive data, such as production processes, trade secrets or critical infrastructure data. Both physical and digital attacks can lead to this information falling into the wrong hands and being used for industrial espionage or criminal activities.
- Regulatory requirements and compliance: Many industries are subject to strict security regulations that stipulate both physical and digital protection. The EU Cyber Resilience Act or the NIS-2 Directive require companies to implement robust security measures. Failure to do so can have legal and financial consequences.
Our solution - a holistic security concept
Our solution offers a comprehensive and holistic security concept that is tailored to the current challenges faced by many companies in the area of property protection and operational security. Traditional security solutions often require constant presence and monitoring by security personnel, which not only results in high personnel costs, but also makes the scalability of security measures more difficult. In addition, a lack of real-time data and information leads to slow response times, making companies vulnerable to threats. Manual logging of incidents and checks often leads to delays and a lack of transparency. These inefficiencies are further compounded by irregular checks and inspections, which can create security gaps.
Our innovative solution integrates the latest technologies to overcome these challenges. With the combination of our secure IoT platform IoTree® and PHYSEC SEAL®, we rely on radio-based and cryptographically secured alerting, which enables security incidents to be recorded and reliably reported in near real time. Sensor monitoring of systems and security zones ensures continuous monitoring, so that threats are detected at an early stage. In the event of a security incident, our system provides forensic traceability, which enables precise analysis of the attackers' behavior and helps to clarify the situation. In addition, we connect our solution to SIEM/SOC systems to combine cyber and physical security aspects. This integration enables process- and cost-optimized holistic security that helps companies to effectively protect both their physical and cyber-physical infrastructures. With our holistic security concept, we are setting new standards in modern operational security
.Overview of all the advantages:
- ✓Cost savings
- ✓Early threat detection and alerting
- ✓Automated monitoring
- ✓Forensic traceability
- ✓Increased efficiency of your security processes
- ✓Minimizing the risk of operational disruptions and economic damage
- ✓Protection of sensitive data and ensuring data integrity
- ✓Compliance with legal requirements and avoidance of high penalties
What is the difference between OT security, IT security and IoT security?
OT security stands for operational technology security and IT security means information technology security. They differ in their focus, their areas of application and the associated risks. While OT security refers to the security of systems and devices that control industrial processes, IT security is concerned with the security of information systems, networks, computers and data. IT security relates to all areas in which data is processed, stored or transmitted and protects the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data.
OT systems and IT systems are also exposed to different risks and threats. Threats in the area of OT security focus on cyberphysical attacks that could lead to physical damage, such as the shutdown of power grids or the disruption of industrial production processes. Threats in the context of IT security often relate to data theft, ransomware attacks or unauthorized access to confidential information.
IoT security combines the challenges of OT security, as devices and systems are often operated in unprotected environments , and IT security, as remote attacks are possible via the internet . In addition, IoT devices often have limited resources: They have little energy and computing capacity, as the aim is to achieve a long service life with battery operation.
What is IT/OT convergence?
IT/OT convergence refers to the integration of information technology and operational technology in order to link and optimize data and processes. Traditionally, IT and OT were separate domains, but digitalization is increasingly bringing these two areas together. As IT/OT convergence increases, so does the need for holistic security concepts. Not only are data and processes being linked, but the security systems must also work hand in hand. IT and OT are traditionally managed by different teams, with different responsibilities and priorities. Convergence requires close cooperation between the individual departments, which can also mean cultural changes within the company.
Modern threats require the integration of cyber and physical protection. Attackers often use hybrid methods to exploit gaps in the physical and digital lines of defense. A coordinated defense strategy that includes both physical property protection as well as IT and OT security is necessary to provide comprehensive protection. These interrelationships also apply to IoT devices in critical infrastructures, which must be taken into account by the manufacturers of these IoT devices when designing their products. Find out more about convergent security systems.
