Laying the foundation for Industry 4.0: crafting the ultimate industrial secure segmentation blueprint

As we embark on the transformative journey of Industry 4.0, the first phase or the foundation phase is crucial. This phase involves crafting a resilient industrial network blueprint that aligns with strategic frameworks like the Purdue Model. The goal is to build an automated and intelligent network that acts as a proactive sensor, enhancing both visibility and security from the ground up. Let’s delve into the key components and functions of this foundational phase.

Table of Contents

The Purdue Model: a strategic framework example

The Purdue Model, also known as the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture (PERA), is a hierarchical model that segments industrial control systems (ICS) into different levels. This segmentation helps in organizing and securing the network by defining clear boundaries and communication pathways between different layers. The model typically includes:

Level 0: Physical processes
Level 1: Basic control
Level 2: Area supervisory control
Level 3: Site manufacturing operations and control
Level 4: Site business planning and logistics
Level 5: Enterprise network

By aligning the network blueprint with frameworks such as the Purdue Model, we ensure a structured and secure approach to network design, which is essential for the complex environments of Industry 4.0. Remember that the frameworks are guidelines on how to segment the business by function, process, application, or capability. How you choose to leverage the framework in your environment will vary.

Building an automated and intelligent network

The ultimate goal of this initial stage is to build an automated and intelligent network. This will elevate the network into a proactive sensor and enforcer. The Cisco IE Switching platform and the Cisco IR routing platform both have the ability to virtualize sensor capability, so it is not an afterthought but part of the network. This involves:

Automation: Implementing automation tools and protocols to manage routine tasks, such as device configuration, monitoring, and maintenance. Automation reduces human error and increases efficiency.
Intelligence: Leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning to gain insights from network data. This enables predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and proactive threat mitigation.
Proactive sensing: Transforming the network into a proactive sensor means it can detect and respond to issues before they escalate. This includes identifying potential security threats, performance bottlenecks, and operational inefficiencies.

Enhancing visibility and security

Visibility and security are paramount in the Industry 4.0 landscape. By building a network that acts as a proactive sensor, we enhance both:

Visibility: Real-time monitoring and analytics provide a clear view of network operations, enabling quick identification of issues and informed decision-making.
Security: Intelligent segmentation, combined with advanced threat detection and response capabilities, ensures robust protection against cyber threats. The network can automatically isolate compromised segments and mitigate risks in conjunction with Cisco security platforms. Cisco offers enhanced detection response capabilities via Cisco XDR and Splunk to provide that comprehensive closed loop view to security.

Selecting the right networking architectures

The next step is to strategically select networking platforms that offer software-defined capabilities. These platforms should excel in the following areas:

Scalability: The network should be able to dynamically grow and adapt as the industrial environment evolves. This includes supporting a growing number of devices, sensors, data streams, and AI workloads without compromising performance. By selecting Cisco Industrial Networking architectures, the platform gains instant reliability and uptime.
Dynamic adaptability: The network must be capable of adjusting to changing conditions in real-time. This includes rerouting traffic, adjusting bandwidth, and prioritizing critical data flows to ensure optimal performance and reliability. This is made possible via intelligent automation through products such as Cisco Catalyst Center to automate network management and provide network infrastructure visibility. Although not part of the manufacturing floor, it is important to note that WAN bandwidth from the factory to the data center or cloud can be intelligently managed and scaled via Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN.
Industrial asset visibility: Comprehensive visibility into all network assets is essential for monitoring and managing the industrial environment. This includes real-time tracking of devices, data flows, and potential security threats. Cisco Cyber Vision provides this base service and is designed to run as an embedded network application. Embedding the application reduces network overhead and latency, which can be detrimental to industrial control networks.
Intelligent segmentation: Effective segmentation is crucial for security and performance. By dividing the network into smaller, manageable segments, we can isolate critical systems, reduce attack surfaces, and improve traffic management. The asset and vulnerability information gathered via Cyber Vision is shared amongst the other security tools such as Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and integrated into the Cisco Catalyst Center management platform to help make these intelligent segmentation decisions.
Remote Access: In today’s hybrid work world and diverse geographic location of resources, it is critical to have a reliable, secure, and easy to use remote access solution. Cisco Secure Equipment Access (SEA) provides secure remote access to maintain and troubleshoot your ICS and OT assets while enforcing strict cybersecurity controls at scale with a zero-trust network access (ZTNA) solution made for industrial networks.

Conclusion

The foundation phase of the Industry 4.0 journey is all about building a resilient, scalable, and intelligent industrial network. By aligning with strategic frameworks like the Purdue Model and selecting the right networking platforms, we can create an automated and proactive network that enhances visibility and security from the ground up. This sets the stage for the advanced capabilities and innovations that Industry 4.0 promises to deliver.