Shownotes
Safety starts with a goal. So should cybersecurity.
Craig Duckworth sits down with Shankar Somasundaram, CEO of Asimily and former head of Symantec's IoT business, to explain why plant floor cybersecurity is a safety issue, not an IT expense. They cover why industrial cybersecurity programs stall after the tool is purchased, how to start with a goal instead of a solution, and why fixing the biggest risks first beats trying to secure everything at once.
The conversation also covers network segmentation mistakes, AI as both a helper and a new threat to critical infrastructure, protecting legacy OT and IoT equipment without disrupting production, watching traffic inside the plant, what drives cybersecurity maturity, and what OT security market consolidation means for manufacturers.
Shankar's three takeaways for your next budget cycle:
- Cyber risk is safety risk
- Start with the goal
- Visibility and fixing the problem are one program, not two
Chapters:
- (00:00:00) Cybersecurity is patient safety, operational safety, plant safety
- (00:00:45) Meet Shankar and the four pillars behind Asimily
- (00:03:50) Why OT security projects stall after the tool is purchased
- (00:06:20) Start with a goal, not a solution
- (00:09:20) Exposure management and the segmentation myths that slow teams down
- (00:11:45) AI as enabler and attacker inside critical infrastructure
- (00:15:40) Collecting data on legacy OT and IoT without disrupting operations
- (00:18:20) North south, east west, and the flow data most teams skip
- (00:20:00) Does maturity come from size, budget, or management
- (00:24:20) Consolidation in the OT market and the advice Shankar leaves behind
Links And Resources:
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