Introducing OpenText Industrial Grid

In my previous blogs I’ve mentioned a wide range of technology-driven solutions, from digital twins to collaborative robots that leverage IoT to do business smarter…

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Bob Slevin

July 23, 20194 minutes read

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In my previous blogs I’ve mentioned a wide range of technology-driven solutions, from digital twins to collaborative robots that leverage IoT to do business smarter or faster. One topic that’s underpinned my blogs is the need for a secure IoT network to deliver on the promise of Industry 4.0. Failing to attest and secure IoT devices and their data streams can expose critical operating technology to risk.

Security concerns remain a barrier to broad IoT adoption, especially in industrial organizations where 91% of manufacturers are investing in digital, but 35% say cyber vulnerabilities inhibit them from fully doing so.1

According to CSO from IDG, “The IoT environment must be secure by design, secure by default, secure in use, secure in transmission and secure at rest.” The OpenText Industrial Grid solution addresses each of these security areas while enabling the transparency and scalability needed to ensure trusted integration to enterprise applications.

At Enterprise World in Toronto, I introduced customers to the OpenText™ Industrial Grid solution. The OpenText Industrial Grid leverages an isolated network that was purpose-built to support the rigors of an Intelligent and Connected Enterprise coupled with an identity-centric approach to IoT. The Industrial Grid solution delivers a zero-trust framework to enable IoT device management, integration and unified messaging.

Are your industrial IoT deployments a 3-ring circus?

IDC predicts that by 2020, 70% of organizations will leverage commercial IoT platforms to develop and deploy IoT applications, and more than 50% will have multi-vendor IoT platform environments2. With initial IoT deployments solving a specific, tactical use case (e.g. machine monitoring or fleet management) many organizations are finding themselves with multiple IoT platforms. As I mentioned in a previous blog, managing these complex industrial IoT ecosystems is not for the faint of heart. It will take an identity-centric, zero-trust approach to ensure critical IIoT devices and their associated data streams are protected from tampering or misuse. A little paranoia can be a good thing, especially when the threat vector for industrial IoT is growing exponentially. So, if your organization’s industrial IoT deployments are beginning to resemble a 3-ring circus, find a big enough platform to corral and govern them all.

Identity-centric IIoT: Prevent access to the unqualified and do not disturb the uncaring

Even the strongest security measures can be undone by ill-timed or untrained activity. And bombarding personnel with data that is unrelated to their role can be equally damaging. As industrial IoT deployments move from simple monitoring and failure alerts to more complex and sophisticated solutions, such as digital twins, organizations need to adopt an identity-first approach to ensure the data and devices they are extending are not at risk. Failure to adequately attest and verify the IoT device could lead to too much or too little access, hampering integration or possibly exposing data or the device to cyberattacks. Utilizing the principle of least privilege, clearly defining each person, system and thing’s role, purpose and lifecycle within the connected ecosystem prevents unqualified access and does not permit interaction with the uncaring.

OpenText’s identity-centric approach to IoT is what makes its Internet of Things platform unique and ready for integration with enterprise applications. The platform includes advanced out-of-the-box Identity and Access Management functionality which would otherwise have to be built from scratch, consuming development time and taxing already strained IT budgets. This approach is realized through relationship and lifecycle management, meaning you can register, authenticate and authorize all interactions across the entire lifecycle of people, systems and things. The ability to manage the identity of a device, sensor or machine throughout its lifecycle is critical to security across the entire ecosystem. Managing the relationship that an industrial IoT data source or operator has with anyone or anything that it interacts with is what makes this platform uniquely capable to handle initiatives requiring the highest level of security.

Learn more

Learn how to secure the Internet of Things with identity and access management by downloading this special report, “Enabling and Securing the Digital Supply Chain Using IAM and IoT.”

1. MAKE UK and AIG, Cyber Security for Manufacturing (2018)
2. IDC FutureScape: Worldwide IoT 2019 Predictions (2018)

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Bob Slevin

Bob Slevin is the Director of Product Marketing for IoT at OpenText. Bob is an Internet of Things (IoT) architect and evangelist with more than 25 years’ experience in telecommunications spanning Military and Private sectors. He has collaborated with partners to deploy millions of connected devices across business and consumer markets. An IoT thought leader with an MBA in Technology Management, Bob is focused on identifying business challenges and building innovative solutions to improve operational efficiencies, drive growth and mitigate risks.

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