As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the digital transformation of industry with more employees working remotely and more remote connections to equipment being deployed to reduce the need for in-person repairs and maintenance, the cybersecurity threat vector for industry is increasing. Amid this increase in remote connectivity, Belden and Honeywell have announced expansions to their industrial cybersecurity offerings.
In Belden’s case, the company has partnered with Forescout, a provider of technology for device visibility and control, to advance cybersecurity for industrial organizations and critical infrastructure. Joint offerings from Belden, along with its Tripwire and Hirschmann brands, and Forescout will focus on industrial network segmentation and threat detection to maintain visibility to and protection from cyber events that threaten safety, productivity, and quality.
According to the Belden and Forescout, integration of the Forescout platform and Belden’s Hirschmann network infrastructure makes segmentation an immediate, viable defense against cyber incidents by allowing for rapid implementation over heterogeneous automation networks to minimize disruption and downtime. Forescout’s eyeSegment reportedly simplifies the initial creation and ongoing lifecycle management of segmentation policies at scale, while also providing simulation of enforcement before implementation to avoid disruption to mission-critical operations. Integration across Forescout, Tripwire, and Hirschmann products also enhances threat detection and response.
“Network segmentation will be imperative to meet availability requirements for real-time, next generation industrial automation networks,” said Ashish Chand, executive vice president, industrial automation at Belden. “Belden and Forescout will allow operators to begin segmenting their networks today with existing infrastructure, while also providing a trajectory for additional controls as next generation networks are deployed over time.”
Honeywell Forge Cybersecurity Suite provides users with a single dashboard to centralize security operations and asset security management. According to Honeywell, the newest release addresses common pain points in operations technology domains, including:
- Safely moving and using operations data;
- Strengthening endpoint and network security; and
- Improving cybersecurity compliance.
“As more operators move to support remote work, they’re increasingly vulnerable to cybersecurity issues,” said Jeff Zindel, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Connected Enterprise Cybersecurity. “The Honeywell Forge Cybersecurity Suite helps customers increase productivity by providing the next level of protection required for more secure remote operations and better securing operational technology environments with asset discovery, inventory and continuous monitoring, as well as risk and compliance management.”
