Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can integrate with, and retrieve data from, systems for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). However, there is a risk that Operational Technology (OT) systems and their operations can be disrupted by threat agents targeting the data flows between IT and OT. With the right solutions, allowed data can flow between IT and OT without risking the sensitive OT environment.
The ability to integrate with and retrieve data from SCADA systems enables services and functionality based on real-time data produced by the SCADA system. In this process, data is collected from SCADA and transferred to a database from where the data is shared with other applications related to the GIS located in the office IT environment. Hence, there is a flow of data between the sensitive OT zone and the office/IT zone. Dataflows between IT and OT can potentially be exploited by threat agents trying to gain access to or disrupt the operation of the OT systems. This is particularly relevant when dealing with advanced threat agents such as foreign states or well financed and motivated cyber criminals.
The OT dispatcher service and server machine are protected using Advenica’s ZoneGuard, a stand-alone device from the ground up developed as a security device with a hardened platform and defence-in-depth security architecture.
