Blaze Technology, LLC can provide a comprehensive approach to help businesses separate their Operational Technology (OT) network from their Information Technology (IT) network while adhering to national and international standards for cybersecurity and industrial control systems. Here are some specific steps and actions that Blaze Technology can take:
Employee Training and Awareness:
The weakest link to any cyber security protocol is the employee, unfortunately. Blaze Technology can provide the necessary training OT personnel on the importance of network separation and the specific security practices required by standards.
Ensure that employees are aware of their roles and responsibilities in maintaining the separation.
Assessment and Analysis:
Conduct a thorough assessment of the existing network infrastructure, identifying the critical assets and systems that need to be separated.
Analyze relevant national and international standards, such as NIST Cybersecurity Framework, IEC 62443, and ISO 27001, to understand the requirements for OT-IT network separation.
Customized Plan Development:
Create a tailored network separation plan that aligns with the specific requirements of the business and the relevant standards.
Define the scope, goals, milestones, and key performance indicators for the network separation project.
Risk Assessment and Management:
Perform a comprehensive risk assessment to identify potential threats, vulnerabilities, and impact scenarios related to network convergence.
Develop risk mitigation strategies that prioritize critical assets and systems to be separated first.
Network Architecture Design:
Design a network architecture that ensures physical and logical separation between IT and OT networks while meeting the requirements of applicable standards.
Implement network segmentation, VLANs, and subnetting based on the design.
Security Controls Implementation:
Deploy industrial firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and intrusion prevention systems to enforce security controls between IT and OT networks.
Configure access control policies, application whitelisting, and network monitoring mechanisms.
Access Management and Authentication:
Implement strong access management practices, including role-based access control and privileged access management, in compliance with standards.
Utilize multi-factor authentication for secure access to OT systems.
Encryption and Data Protection:
Apply encryption protocols for data transmission and storage within the OT network(s).
Ensure that sensitive data is protected in accordance with encryption standards.
Documentation and Compliance:
Develop detailed documentation outlining the network separation strategy, configurations, access policies, and security controls.
Ensure that the implemented measures align with the relevant national and international standards.
Testing and Validation:
Conduct thorough testing and validation of the network separation measures to verify their effectiveness and compliance.
Perform penetration testing to identify potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
Continuous Monitoring and Auditing:
Implement continuous monitoring solutions to track network activity and detect any unauthorized access or anomalies.
Regularly conduct audits to assess the effectiveness of network separation and its alignment with standards.
Regular Updates and Adaptation:
Stay informed about updates to national and international standards and adapt the network separation strategy accordingly.
Ensure that the network separation remains effective against evolving threats and vulnerabilities.
By following these steps and actions, Blaze Technology, LLC can help businesses achieve OT-IT network separation that not only enhances cybersecurity but also ensures compliance with the relevant national and international standards governing industrial control systems and critical infrastructure protection.
