Slowly but surely, the role of cyber security is increasing in importance in industrial and manufacturing organizations of all kinds. One key bit of proof is the growing number of Chief Information Security Officers—CISOs—being appointed to corporate C-Suites. While there was once no professional assigned to cyber security in most organizations, over the years the role had evolved to a management level position such as “Information Security Manager” in many places. Now, we are seeing the role take its rightful place among top executive positions, with a seat at the table alongside the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Executive Officer and other C-Level leaders of the organization.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)—a technology that allows network operators to provide electric power to many types of devices through the same cable as data is transmitted—has become fairly commonplace in office IT environments. Unfortunately, industrial OT environments have not yet embraced it to the same extent. And that’s a shame, because the benefits of PoE may carry even greater weight on the plant floor. However, PoE in OT areas also carries some additional challenges—challenges that your IT folks may not be aware of. Here’s how to bring the “power” of PoE to bear at your facility—while maintaining optimum reliability in both data transfer and power flow. 

When it comes to industrial Ethernet network installation, field termination—the onsite preparation of each end of each cable and then joining it securely to an RJ45 connector—can be among the most vulnerable steps in the process. With eight conductors per cable and potentially hundreds of cables in a midsized installation, occasional errors are not uncommon, which can lead to intermittent data failure and interruptions that are often challenging to track, further adding to downtime and frustration. Of course, best practice dictates that every termination be tested upfront, and estimates suggest that resulting rework rates are as high as 8-10%. 

To help provide a flavor of the insights and experience that Tripwire makes available, we’re conducting one-on-one interviews with several Tripwire in-house experts. You may have seen some of their bylines in Belden’s industrial blog over the past couple of years, but in this new series we want to provide a more direct glimpse into each expert’s individual industry purview. Each of them will discuss their own personal views on the current state of cyber security in the industrial environment. You’ll learn more about how they have been working with Belden industrial customers to help bolster their network security and optimize their uptime in today’s challenging environment.

Odds are, if you’re reading this, you’re among the growing majority of OT network operators who have made the jump from traditional fieldbuses and have implemented Ethernet in your operations.