Situation
In this hypothetical use case we explore a modern manufacturing plant, where IoT/OT devices and machinery are increasingly being interconnected to optimize production, monitor equipment health and ensure safety compliance. However, with the growing number of connected devices comes a significant challenge:
The lack of visibility and control to enforce strict privileged access management on its OT/IOT devices.
Due to legacy deployments and configuration of its IoT/OT assets, the factory was vulnerable to unauthorized access and potential cyberattacks. Manual processes for managing machine identities and device updates were not only time-consuming but also prone to human error, leading to potential security risks, unnecessary downtime, poor OEE and questionable data integrity.
The security team needed a scalable solution to automate device onboarding, identity lifecycle management, and privileged access control while maintaining compliance with existing corporate security policies.
Solution
The organization already had a comprehensive strategy to manage privileged access to sensitive data and devices managed by IT Security in its administration centers. By integrating Device Authority’s KeyScaler automated identity security platform with their existing Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution, they addressed these same challenges across their factory environment, allowing the factory to extend privileged access controls to assets beyond the reach of traditional IT systems.
Key benefits of the solution included:
- Elimination of Human Error: KeyScaler automated the device onboarding and registrations processes, which removed the need for manual intervention, significantly decreasing error rates and improving overall security.
- Unified IT and OT Security: KeyScaler enabled the security team to extend centralized authorization policies to critical IoT/OT devices on the factory floor, ensuring that only authorized users could access sensitive systems and data critical to the manufacturing process.
- Simplified Visibility and Control: The integration with their existing security applications provided a single pane of glass for monitoring and managing device access, enforcing compliance with corporate security standards, and mitigating the risk of unauthorized access.
