Re-examine training programs
The convergence of IT and OT technologies has blurred the roles and responsibilities of those who are responsible for installing, operating, and maintaining them. As a result, IT and OT jobs are no longer mutually exclusive, and new training is needed to provide the knowledge and skillsets for managing and administering networked industrial control systems. At the same time, organizations must be able to retain these skills and knowledge for the long term, particularly through worker retirements.
Plant managers should review their training programs to ensure that they are documenting standard processes and procedures to help maintain consistency even as their most experienced workers leave. They also should conduct an analysis of job skill and knowledge levels to help workers perform at the required level. Lastly, they should have a competency-improvement program in place to make productivity and profitability improvements a constant goal.
Embrace security
Cross-functional collaboration is crucial to helping a company protect its assets from a vast and ever-growing threat landscape. For example, IT and OT personnel must collaborate to establish a secure network architecture. Safety and IT personnel also must work together to help prevent safety-system breaches that could threaten worker safety, product quality, the environment and the critical-infrastructure systems on which populations depend.
At the same time, even the best security policies and procedures will fall short if all workers don’t follow them. In fact, one of the most common security risks comes from good workers who make innocent mistakes. That’s why a strong security culture is important: All workers should understand not only the appropriate usage of their system and data access, but also the risks that exist and the important role they play in security.
Rethink safety
Contemporary safety systems can provide access to valuable safety-system data, such as device and operational statuses, error or fault codes, event sequences and more. When harnessed in a connected enterprise, safety and operations personnel can use this data to better understand risks, enhance safety programs, reduce safety-related downtime and ease compliance.
Remote monitoring, for example, can reduce the need for oil and gas workers to travel across sites to physically check on well heads, storage sites and pump stations. This can be especially beneficial given that transportation incidents are the leading cause of work injuries in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, safety and production data in a manufacturing plant can be combined to help identify and reduce safety-related downtime incidents.
All of this can only happen, however, if safety professionals are able to actively define their goals with IT and OT personnel as part of a companywide connected strategy.
Utilize third-party support
The skills needed to maintain and support a converged infrastructure may not be locally available or may simply not be required in the form of a full-time job. One-time activities, such as conducting a network’s assessment, design, implementation, and validation, may be best managed by a third-party provider.
Once a converged infrastructure is operational, many organizations also find it easier to outsource various support functions. Today, machine builders and vendors can use remote access to provide real-time and continuous condition monitoring, data collection and live support for any issues that arise.
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