The purchase of industrial computer systems should go hand in hand with the protection of the system and is an important selection criterion in the face of increasing cyber threats. Marcus Finkbeiner, Head of Sales for Prime Cube® at Schubert System Elektronik, supports his customers in selecting an HMI system that not only meets process-relevant requirements, but also security-related ones.

Are German companies adequately prepared for potential cyber attacks and are their protective measures sufficient?

Finkbeiner: Large companies are usually very well prepared to take appropriate protective measures in the event of impending cyberattacks. In SMEs, however, we repeatedly see a great deal of uncertainty and ignorance in this area. We position ourselves as a partner at eye level, providing expertise and advising customers along the entire system selection process with scalable hardware and software solutions for different requirements. This enables us to work with customers to significantly minimize the risk of value-adding processes being compromised.

Regardless of the budget, which three security measures should companies implement to protect themselves from cyber attacks?

Finkbeiner: With a good IT and system architecture that meets the requirements, you can counter most attacks very well.
Furthermore, cloud computing is not just a trend, but makes a significant contribution to strengthening the security of systems and, above all, data, without cannibalizing the actual value creation.
And with an edge computing solution, companies can move smaller data condensates to the cloud that cannot be used on their own. Decentralized processing not only conserves resources, but also minimizes the risk of data loss in the event of cyber attacks.

Keyword security as a service: should the manufacturing and process industry consider managed security services?

Finkbeiner: Large companies are in a position to manage their security services themselves. Due to the complexity and constant changes in security risks, smaller companies are generally unable to provide the necessary resources themselves. This is where managed security services from a competent service provider make sense.