Phased-in secure OT communication can start with hardware
A CISA recommendation to help achieve secure communications is to phase-in adoption, starting with hardware that can support secure communication.
“We understand customers may not be able to secure their entire industrial automation and control system at once,” says Molzon. “FactoryTalk Policy Manager has flexible configuration options that allow you to prioritize where secure communication is most impactful and plan upgrades over time.”
By selecting hardware devices that support secure communication protocols, organizations can achieve authentication and encryption when and where it is needed, without forcing system-wide change. This lets teams improve their security posture at a manageable pace, align investments with risk, and help align their system to their security governance.
“Establishing a secure hardware foundation early makes it possible to expand protection as requirements evolve,” adds Molzon. “This approach also helps eliminate revisiting core hardware decisions every time security expectations change.”
Invest in OT security software that adapts over time
While hardware decisions establish what is possible, long-term secure communication depends on software that can adapt as requirements change. Security expectations, encryption standards and system architectures evolve, and organizations shouldn’t have to rework their approach every time.
FactoryTalk® Policy Manager from Rockwell Automation offers an adaptable foundation for long-term success.
FactoryTalk Policy Manager is a free software solution that lets teams centrally define and manage security policies, including secure communications, across CIP Security and OPC UA-enabled devices.
Plus, it offers flexibility to adjust policies as systems grow, devices change or security requirements mature. FactoryTalk Policy Manager simplifies security governance by translating policy intent into consistently enforced, device-level controls without relying on manual, device-by-device configuration.
By allowing users to centrally manage secure communications and trust across industrial assets, FactoryTalk Policy Manager supports organizational alignment with widely adopted regulations and standards (such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act, NIS2 and IEC 62443) while reducing the effort and rework.
“Our users have the flexibility to make broad policy changes or specific device-to-device relationship changes depending on their needs,” explains Molzon. “What drives our product development is to make security policy management as easy as possible for our users.”
FactoryTalk Policy Manager also automatically applies appropriate, standards-compliant security algorithms based on endpoint capabilities and evolving protocol specifications. This built-in crypto agility reduces long-term cost by avoiding repeated configuration cycles as security technologies change.
Advantages of interoperable OT security tools
CISA confirms that investing in security software that is designed to change with the system and incorporate third-party devices helps reduce costs, limit rework and maintain consistent protection as your industrial environment modernizes
Most industrial environments use multiple vendors by design. As a result, their secure communication strategies rely on custom and proprietary mechanisms with limited interoperability. In practice, this requires more tools to manage, more manual configurations and more exceptions – leading to greater effort each time the system changes.
In response, FactoryTalk Policy Manager supports secure communication across Rockwell Automation and third‑party devices using both CIP Security and OPC UA for security. Policies are defined centrally, while the software automatically uses the appropriate, standard‑compliant encryption based on the device’s capabilities.
A free foundation for secure IT communication
The Rockwell Automation product strategy aligns with CISA’s guidance on secure communications.
Lowering the OT security cost barrier is not about avoiding investment. Instead, it’s about choosing tools that help reduce complexity, limit rework, protect hardware investment and align to a long-term security strategy.
FactoryTalk Policy Manager is free, making it easier to start building security policies today with a tool designed to grow alongside your systems and evolving security requirements.
Explore how FactoryTalk Policy Manager can support your secure communication strategy. Download the free software today.
Plus, see the broad Rockwell Automation industrial cybersecurity portfolio. We have offered security services and solutions for over a decade, and our integrated cybersecurity platform, SecureOT™, compliments your security suite.
