Cybersecurity incidents will have serious ramifications if today’s workforce is not better trained to deal with them. The Automation Federation (AF) thinks this issue is even more acute in the operational technology (OT) world.
Despite widespread awareness of cybersecurity issues and the availability of training courses on the topic (e.g., ISA’s IC32 course Using the ISA/IEC 62443 Standards to Secure Your Control Systems), competency and preparedness remain varied throughout the industrial landscape. The electricity sector is strictly regulated, and the oil and gas industry has spent a decade improving its cybersecurity posture. The water industry is generally less well prepared than those industries, with neither the regulatory requirements of the electricity industry nor the funding and resources of the oil and gas industry.
