Security in globally distributed industrial information systems

Abstract

Today's industrial market is global. Manufacturing and measuring products are geographically distributed all over the world. Furthermore, the products are sophisticated and include know-how, often in the form of software. Thus the manufacturer is often the only party that can provide the maintenance services. In this paper, we focus on single intelligent and resource Iimited devices, which need to be remotely monitored or controlled. With the global Internet, satellite and telephone networks the access itself becomes possible. However, security is achallenge, because the remote devices' Iimited resources are pitted against threats from the Internet. We discuss the assets of and threats against a globally distributed industrial information system. To protect the assets, three possible security architectures, Centralized connections, Layered architecture and Integration of centralized and layered architecture, are proposed. Of these three, the integrated architecture meets best the requirements of a globally distributed industrial information system. © 2004 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.