Control software

communicationsembeddedremote maintenance

The direct consequences of targeted, destructive access to a machine controller or an unintentional operating error are the same: standstill or even destruction of a machine or plant and thus production stoppage, loss of reputation and money. Therefore, the main objective is to ensure robustness against disturbances. Protection of data and communication as well as the logging of access are preventive measures that make unauthorized access more difficult and bring irregularities to light. Modern machines and production equipment are deeply embedded in IT environments, whether in company networks or in public communications networks, for example, for purposes of remote maintenance. This gives rise to information security requirements that often pose new challenges for the equipment manufacturer and plant owner. In the ever more crowded international competition of machine and equipment manufacturers, the unique selling points are increasingly in the direction of software. The processing quality of different providers is comparable, and so is the resulting production speed. Experience and knowledge of the process make the difference. More and more, know-how is in the applications and data, for example, in the form of algorithms, control parameters and recipes. New opportunities with service offerings, such as online monitoring and maintenance, demand secure communication paths, strictly separate access areas and tamper-proof logging. Ultimately responsibly dealing with one's own company includes protecting its intellectual property against unauthorized modification, and likewise against misuse by third parties.