The convenience of real-time production data at your fingertips is a reality of today’s manufacturing. But the flip side of instant access anywhere, is your most valued systems could be open to malware and hackers.

Today, Trident Automation is focusing on service beyond the firewall–systems and add-ons that are designed to protect your plant yet allow secure access. A far cry from past production environments where the DCS was always isolated from the Internet.

“Now, C-level execs and plant staff want the same access to production data at home that they do at the plant. They want to be able to troubleshoot at any time,” said Jason Hurst, CEO of Trident. “It’s a changing field and one that requires increased protection.”

Hurst and his teams describe the systems as a “check valve” for operations and stresses that security systems are appropriate for any sized plant, not just mega manufacturers. Security systems create a firewall between the plant and the DCS to protect information yet allow access. Trident uses a combination of hardware appliances and software solutions called industrial hardening. Some of the features Trident deploys:

• Two-factor authentication providing a second layer of security.
• Modified group policies in the MS operating system to restrict traffic and resources.
• Security appliances are added to restrict access and unwanted traffic.
• Patch management and firmware updates.
• Security training and best practices.
• Asset protection.

Trident’s security systems follow the guidelines set by ISA/IEC 62443 standards that provide criteria for industrial automation and control systems security. Major vendors for DCS systems supply their own security appliances and Trident incorporates their technology with other industry leading firewall companies to offer the best in class solution.

“We’ve been implementing firewall solutions for a while, but we’re going deeper into the architecture to secure the DCS even further,” Hurst said.

To customize a security program for your DCS, contact Trident Automation at [email protected] or 920-759-7477 for a quote.

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