Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 26 | Page 36

Partnership formed to protect industrial control systems from cyberthreats African value-added distributor, Networks Unlimited Africa, has announced that it now offers industrial cybersecurity in South Africa through a partnership agreement with Indegy, a leader in industrial cybersecurity that protects industrial control system networks from cyberthreats, human error and malicious insiders. S ss en , G en era l Ma 36 tefan van de Giessen, General Manager: Cybersecurity at Networks Unlimited Africa, said he was excited to bring the new product on board with the security division. “Through our partnership with Indegy, we provide security for applications and systems in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Operational Technology (OT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and critical infrastructure arenas,” he said. OT is the use of information technology to control physical processes, devices and infrastructure, and has operational and management uses in public infrastructure, transportation, energy, urban planning, industries and manufacturing. Critical infrastructure is a term used by governments to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and its economy. An industrial control system is unique in the interaction that it has with physical processes. “Networks Unlimited Africa is a leading provider of security solutions for operational and information technology networks across several key industrial markets,” said Erez Shalom, AVP Strategic Channels EMEA & APAC at Indegy. k or tw Ne t a nager: ty Cybersecuri s U “This partnership will enable Indegy to rapidly penetrate and build market share in South Africa.” Van de Giessen added: “The combination of IIoT connectivity offered across production and supply lines, and the way in which OT is automating the modern world, interfacing through electro-mechanical devices and sensors, is opening up new vulnerabilities and thus making cybersecurity for industrial infrastructure a critical business imperative. “The potential penetration of OT systems by hackers puts critical infrastructure such as water and energy supplies, transport networks and production lines at the risk of being disrupted or even shut down. The main challenge in ensuring cybersecurity for industrial systems is therefore the ability to maintain uninterrupted industrial processes.” Showing its diversity across industries, Indegy’s customers globally include the following: Ÿ One of the world’s three largest automotive manufacturers Ÿ One of the three largest electrical power utilities in Europe