Cloud security specialist Zscaler has teamed up with Siemens to deliver a new all-in-one solution, designed to accelerate secure digitalisation for Operational Technology (OT) environments.
The new offering combines the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange cloud security platform and Siemens’ devices to enable customers to securely manage, control quality assurance, and analyse production OT infrastructures and their applications from any location.
Offered directly from Siemens, global customers will be able to obtain the Zscaler Remote Access for OT alongside Siemens’ flexible local processing platform SCALANCE LPE.
In an announcement, Zscaler said that factories layering in Zero Trust access capabilities can reduce their risk while using remote staff, or connecting to the internet or cloud, which will enable them to take “greater advantage of technology innovation that speeds factory output.”
“I am thrilled that Siemens’ and Zscaler’s joint customers now have an integrated, highly secure approach to obtain and deploy Zscaler Private Access for OT environments directly from Siemens,” commented Jay Chaudhry, CEO, Chairman, and founder at Zscaler. “Customers will be able to digitalise their factories faster by adding a Zero Trust access layer to their OT infrastructure.”
With this extension of Zscaler Private Access for OT, the firm said factory staff, contractors and third-party workers can remotely access factory systems securely to perform maintenance, monitoring and other tasks.
“Our product and go-to-market collaboration will help ensure that industrial customers can improve factory uptime through reduced risk to remote worker access, while at the same time protecting themselves from the influx in cyberthreats facing them today,” Chaudhry added.
Among its benefits, Zscaler and Siemens said their new secure OT remote access solution will provide secure remote access to plants and machines, as well as enable privileged remote access for internal and third-party users.
The offering also promises seamless integration into existing OT networks thanks to Docker-based app connectors, OT-IT convergence through Zscaler Private access, and SaaS service via a distributed, multi-tenant security exchange.
Herbert Wegmann, General Manager of Digital Connectivity and Power at Siemens Digital Industries, said the Zero Trust principles are “incredibly relevant to smart factory initiatives.”
“Operators are embracing digitalisation to bring more automation and intelligence to their production,” he commented. “But it also brings a new dimension of connectivity between shopfloors and the internet.”
