Community Short Facts - July/August 2022

Less protected

Manufacturing companies are investing more in the cyber security of their IT systems than in their actual production systems. This is one of the findings of the latest smart manufacturing survey conducted by the market research and consulting company Information Services Group (ISG). The survey also shows that it is often not the IT department that drives smart manufacturing initiatives, but rather managers responsible for supply chains, production and product development, as well as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). When introducing smart manufacturing, manufacturing companies face major challenges in the area of cyber security.

The transition from conventional to "smart" manufacturing requires an extensive IT infrastructure and software to connect previously unconnected systems to the company network or the internet. The risks here are great, as very few of the old operating systems have modern security-oriented structures. As soon as these systems are connected to a company's IT networks, the attack surface for cyber attacks increases. At present, the IT department is often still on the outside when it comes to recognizing and defending against these threats. However, ISG recommends systematically involving IT when dealing with the cyber security implications of new business models and technologies.