| The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) promises revolutionary improvements in the efficiencies of industrial operations, manufacturing platforms, transportation systems, utilities and others. However, these benefits require the massive deployment of connected devices that gather and communicate data, thereby increasing cyber-security attack surfaces dramatically, and opening paths for attackers to enter industrial networks. Just by connecting to the cloud, without the addition of the devices and sensors related to the IIOT, increases the vulnerabilities open to cyber attacks on industrial sites from the cloud.
Another challenge to overcome prior to widespread adoption of IIOT is the multitude of different protocols and applications used by industrial systems versus the typical “cloud-friendly” IT systems.
To overcome both challenges, Waterfall offers the Unidirectional CloudConnect, an innovative solution based on Waterfall’s market-leading Unidirectional Gateway technology.
The CloudConnect solution utilizes unidirectional security technology to enable safe and reliable IT/OT integration. Providing hardware-enforced protection, the technology allows data to flow out of industrial networks, without any possibility of attacks getting inside, and replicating data collected from the industrial devices and systems to the outside.
Many sites, one cloud interface
Waterfall’s CloudConnect uses Unidirectional Gateway technology to gather data from industrial sources such as historians, industrial control systems, OPC servers, and industrial devices. CloudConnect converts that data into a unified cloud-friendly format, such as XML files, relational databases, publish/subscribe protocols, or SOAP web services. CloudConnect transmits the unified data securely out of the site and into the industrial cloud. CloudConnect’s foundational Unidirectional Gateway technologies ensure seamless connectivity with both industrial and cloud systems and provide absolute protection from network threats that are fundamental to Internet-exposed networks and systems.
Waterfall has developed the support of its Unidirectional CloudConnect™ for GE Predix The Industrial Internet Platform, enabling customers to securely connect their industrial sites with cloud services. In addition, Waterfall’s Unidirectional CloudConnect provides real-time translation of industrial systems, formats, and protocols to GE Predix platform’s systems and formats. Once translated, CloudConnect publishes the cloud-friendly data to industrial cloud providers using the Predix software development kit (SDK).
Benefits
IIOT benefits without the risk of cyber attacks on industrial sites
Interoperability between industrial and cloud-based systems
Gathers data from industrial sources of various protocols
Transform a wide variety of industrial data into unified, cloud-friendly formats |
