A cyber security focus safeguards plants

The key to growing, whether it is in a bad economy or a robust environment, is squeezing as much out of the process as possible because increased productivity and lower production costs means profitability.
In many cases though, it really does not take much to hack into a system, and as quick as a jack rabbit, your profit goes out the window.
That concept has occurred more than most would like to think, and that is one reason why cyber security is becoming a hot topic in the corner offices around the globe.
“Security has always been high on our minds,” said Norm Gilsdorf, president of Honeywell Process Solutions at the Honeywell Users Group Symposium in Phoenix on Tuesday. “We build a lot of security in the systems we put out there, and we continue to keep that an area of focus.”
“This is headline front page issues we hear about every day,” said Andrew Wray, senior global marketing manager for security at Honeywell Process Solutions. “It goes beyond firewalls; this is an open society, so cyber security is top of mind.”
“I don’t know if (security) has changed focus in the industry,” Gilsdorf said. “I think if you look at security going forward, I think the broad issue of security will get some more thought and development going forward. This is where we as Honeywell Process Solutions combined with our brother companies at Honeywell will be able to help our customers with solutions.”
The foundation for a system has to be secure. Security should not be an after thought; rather it needs to be the first thing a manufacturer has to think about before putting together their systems.
For a user to become totally secure, in quite a few cases, they have to change their mindset and commit to ensure a secure environment.
“We are historically a reactive society, and (security) is about being proactive,” Wray said. “Some of our customers are becoming more aware of the challenges of implementing a complete security solution.”
Mindsets are changing though, as users are becoming more aware on what to ask to find the right approach.
“I think some obviously are more aware,” Gilsdorf said. “I think others are trying to get up to speed and ask questions, and that is the role we need to play in talking to them and consulting with them to help them with what we know. I think this is an area that will have more discussion in the future.
One other area becoming more dynamic is the plant floor working with IT. Some trends show IT is taking a stronger role in a plant’s cyber safety.
“We are seeing a fundamental shift on who the decision makers are when it comes to security,” Wray said. “Ultimately, it will become the IT manager or the CIO to make sure the systems are the appropriate enhancement to the IT platform. So, yes, these folks are starting to take an increased role.”
Guarding against cyber attacks is obviously a key aspect to the ensuring a secure environment, but so, too, is the physical side.
That is why Honeywell was displaying at the users group their physical security systems that focus on ensuring against any intrusions at a plant.
One product they were talking about centered on the TWIC system. TWIC stands for Transportation Workers Identification Credential. This card swipes through a reader, and the system then passes the ID along to the TSA, which then authenticates the card holder, said Michael Reinert, principle project specialist industrial security, Americas for Honeywell Process Solutions.
The card also has an additional safety feature. “If there is an incident at a plant, people can place their card in a muster point in case of an emergency,” Reinert said.