Geo Focus: Asia , Geo-Specific , Governance & Risk Management
Securing IT-OT Convergence With an Industrial Layer
Baidyanath Kumar on Collaboration Between CISOs and OT System Engineers
A secure convergence of IT and OT requires an industrial layer to bridge these systems. This layer ensures safe operations by segmenting networks and isolating legacy OT systems, preventing exposure to attacks, said Baidyanath Kumar, CISO and data protection officer at JK Lakshmi Cement.
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"Your OT systems are connected directly to IT systems without the industrial layer. The need is to focus on creating a good industrial security design, which comprises Level 3.5," Kumar said.
Robust network segmentation to isolation of legacy OT systems from other parts of the network is crucial. "We need to use the correct set of firewalls and secure gateways to create zones of trust," he said, to limit the spread of potential attacks and also reduce the risk of exposure for systems that can't be easily updated or patched.
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Kumar discussed:
- The importance of working closely with OT engineers;
- The effective use of network segmentation and microsegmentation;
- How to implement zero trust principles in OT environments.
Kumar is a cybersecurity professional with more than 12 years of experience in the creation and deployment of solutions protecting networks, systems and information assets for government organizations and corporates.
