Data protection is a trending debated topic in the cybersecurity space. This article will address practical ways that OT security vendors can help to protect data. Non-compliance with data protection can lead to huge sums of penalties imposed on companies.
With penalties going upwards of millions of dollars, companies are looking for a robust option to enhance their data protection. So, to tackle the menace of cyberattacks, OT security vendors are providing great solutions by offering enhanced security in data protection.
For cybercriminals, the motives shift from organization to organization. They mainly target based on the weak network infrastructure, weak cybersecurity protocols, and inexperienced cybersecurity teams.
Companies need to deploy a robust network infrastructure and security protocols to prevent any mode of cybersecurity attacks. Now let’s get into the article where we would discuss five ways that companies can protect data with the help of OT security vendors.
What is OT (Operational Technology) Security?
OT security is a collection of all the standard cyber security components which are transformed into a combination of specifics to OT. Operational technology is very common in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and it will be developed exponentially in the future.
There is a big challenge in OT security as the technology evolves because cybercriminals are getting updated. They use all the robust methods to initiate a cyberattack, so, in such situations, an OT security venture helps in preventing data breaches.
Actually, in the past, OT systems have been disconnected from the IT environments. As soon as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gained prominence, the two environments were separated. This helped in enhancing the overall standards of OT security.
The operation technology systems use all the same tools as the IT environments, but still, they are used for different purposes. OT devices are used for machines like the Industrial Control Sytems (ICS).
5 Ways OT Security Vendors Can Help in Data Protection
Asset Inventory Management
Many companies do not manage the hardware and software asset inventory on their own. These companies outsource them to cybersecurity agents to maintain a high standard of security levels.
OT security companies monitor all the systems that are connected to the environment. The responsibility that asset inventory management takes is massive. It is because they are fundamental in dealing with all the cybersecurity measures for the business.
The IT operations staff should make sure that all the devices and applications are monitored proactively. They should also be brought under a single dashboard to manage them in the same place so that data protection can be handled efficiently.
Configuration Change Management
Configuration change management means that when the network complexity is surging higher, numerous configuration changes occur periodically. The network administrators have to process all the changes manually.
While processing all the changes manually, there is a high possibility of errors in the manual changes, which would lead to faulty configurations. So, in such scenarios, there would be a breach in security which would result in data compromise.
Sometimes, they would also lead to network downtime. It is because such faulty configurations would pave the way for vulnerabilities in the network. Configuration change management helps in securing the data by keeping a complete track of the configuration changes.
Vulnerability Monitoring
Usually, an OT security company would monitor the vulnerabilities round the clock to prevent any potential cybersecurity breach. Routine monitoring of data breach prevention and cybersecurity controls is the utmost responsibility of such companies.
Vulnerability monitoring helps enhance the overall network security. So it would become impossible for any cybercriminal to breach the network and steal data. Everything has to be organized when it comes to cybersecurity, so it helps in preventive measures.
There are various things that vulnerability scanning does, such as:
- Failed login attempts
- Unauthorized device access
- Network breaches
When such vulnerabilities happen, the cybersecurity team should proactively fix them promptly without delay to protect data.
Security Policy Management
Security policy management helps in tracking, identifying, and managing all the rules and procedures. This would allow the employees to use and access IT resources and assets without leading to data breaches or potential security breaches.
The primary goal of this policy is to prevent network intruders and address security threats with a robust method. This security policy management has all the guidelines and details on addressing a cybersecurity issue when any such things happen.
The guidelines in this policy clearly state what the employees should do and not to do. Such proactive cybersecurity measures as these help in enhancing data protection. Also, there would be consequences that would follow if a team member breaches the stated policy.
Incident Response Plan
The incident response plan is actually a documented process that would give clear instructions to the IT and Cybersecurity team. It would help them in responding to any serious security incident when there is any data leak, data breach, or loss of sensitive information.
There are four phases in the incident response plan such as the preparation, detection, containment, and recovery. So, when such a cyberattack happens, the cybersecurity team should implement all these things to manage the incident.
A data breach is a sensitive issue, so when such an incident happens, you may have to do certain things legally. The legal process depends on factors such as the size of the data breach and loss. In some instances, you might have to pay a huge amount of money as a penalty.
Without a clear plan in the cybersecurity team would be like leading to a destination without a path. So, such cybersecurity measures like this incident response plan are essential. It gives the cybersecurity team knows the complete procedure during such unexpected cyberattacks.
Final Thoughts
This article has given detailed insights on how security vendors can help in data protection. Many OT security companies offer all such services for protecting the data. They take complete responsibility to prevent data breaches round the clock.
Operational technology (OT) works with the help of a transparent security framework. Organizations need to invest money in cybersecurity, or they would be paying a huge price when any data breaches occur.
Organizations globally need a robust security infrastructure and a dedicated cybersecurity team to tackle all the challenges. Also, outsourcing the vital parts of cybersecurity tasks to the OT security vendors would be very helpful to businesses.
Also Read: VMware Introduces a Hotfix for vSphere Data Protection (VDP)
