Why Cybersecurity Should be Baked into Your Digital Transformation

The Advanced Manufacturing Now Podcast caught up with GrayMatter GM of Brilliant Operations and Industrial Analytics Tod Virden about why it's critical to make cybersecurity a foundational part of digital transformation.

"We ​encounter ​lots ​of ​folks ​that ​either ​want ​to ​start ​with ​a ​cyber ​strategy ​or ​start ​with ​a ​digital ​transformation ​strategy. ​And ​I ​like ​to ​say, ​they're ​really ​one. ​They ​need ​to ​be ​one. ​We ​need ​to ​think ​about ​them ​as ​the ​same ​thing," Virden told Podcast Host Amy Bryson.

"On ​the ​OT ​side, ​for ​cybersecurity, ​it's ​really ​about ​moving ​the ​data ​around ​in ​a ​safe ​and ​secure ​fashion ​and ​protecting ​the ​assets ​that ​make ​the ​money," Virden says, highlighting the differences between cybersecurity for IT and OT.

"If ​your ​email ​goes ​down, ​​it ​kind ​of ​hurts, ​but ​if ​your ​PLC ​goes ​down ​from ​a ​cyber ​attack ​or ​because ​a ​nation-state ​is ​changing ​a ​set ​point ​and ​making ​bad ​product, ​that ​you ​didn't ​realize, ​that's ​a ​really, ​really ​bad ​thing," Virden explains.

Visit our Brilliant Operations Offering for more on how to combine cybersecurity and digital transformation.