Cyber Security Skills Shortage
In the booming age of Industry 4.0 (the fourth and current industrial revolution), manufacturers are replacing legacy shop-floor equipment with “smart” ways and means – enabling safer, more efficient factories with greater Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE.) Enterprising new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies like construction robotics and smart assembly lines are at once enabling manufacturers to remain competitive while placing them squarely in the hacker’s crosshairs, with attack vectors just as vulnerable as those seen by popular targets like retail. In fact, the manufacturing sector is now one of the most-hacked industries, second only to healthcare.
As cyber threats continue to plague manufacturers, they are now forced to evaluate potential consequences that follow the implementation of new technologies, and the precedence for investing in security.
Major Challenges
IIoT
By 2020 the number of connected things is expected to reach 50 billion, returning an anticipated $19 trillion in cost-savings and profits.
Newgen Apps, “13 IoT Statistics Defining the Future of Internet of Things,” January 2018
Shadow IT
A recent survey found that businesses have between 17 to 20 TIMES more Cloud applications running than the IT department estimated.
Quick Base, “5 Shadow IT Statistics to Make You Reconsider Your Life,” January 2018
Intellectual Property Theft
A staggering 47% of breaches that take place within a manufacturing business involve the theft of IP.
Attila, “Protecting the Manufacturing Sector from Cybercrime,” November 2018
Cyber Security Skills Shortage
A global shortage of IT talent has left large staffing gaps across all industries, with a projected shortage of 3.5 million cyber security professionals worldwide by 2021. Forbes, “The CyberSecurity Talent Gap is an Industry Crisis,” August 2018
Manufacturers who look to protect the equipment – and people – occupying their shop floors by way of enterprise-grade, easy-to-deploy WatchGuard solutions will find them with Quality Plus Consulting.