Siemens and Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS), a cloud security provider, are partnering to enable users to securely access Operational Technology (OT) systems and applications in the production network from the workplace – whether in the office or working remote. These new capabilities enable users to remotely manage and control quality assurance or diagnoses issues.
To ensure that the OT network is not exposed to any increased threat potential, Siemens and Zscaler have expanded the “Defense-in-Depth” OT concept secured by a Zero Trust Architecture. Based on the principle of “least-privilege access”, Zero Trust only authorizes application-specific access based on verified user identity and context. In combination with the existing OT security mechanisms, such as cell protection firewalls, this allows implementation of a granular access concept. In addition, production requirements for availability and real-time capabilities continue to be met. This is operationalized by installing the app connector for the cloud-based remote access service Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) on a Docker container in the Siemens Scalance LPE local processing platform, thus creating an access solution for industrial environments. Centralized management in the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange cloud platform and the use of outbound connections facilitate more restrictive configuration of existing firewall rules, and the reduction of operating costs for administration and monitoring. Existing legacy systems should also be easily retrofitted with the Zero Trust Exchange solution. This offering is now available to customers through Zscaler and Siemens.
Source: Siemens
