Operational technology (OT) systems, such as industrial control systems and SCADA, were overlooked by cyberpunks in the past. Robbing OT system data was challenging as it was not connected to external networks.

But that’s no longer the point.

It’s been a very exciting year for ATS – and we are very glad to say that in this time marked by significant challenges and fast market changes, we’ve succeeded in keeping a close beat on new industry developments while staying aligned with the needs of our clients.

It’s been 18 years since the first National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), a campaign that was initially launched by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance in order to empower both consumers and corporations in defending against cyber threats.

Cyber attacks on small municipal systems and infrastructures have been increasing in the past year, and this is a serious concern as it involves the lives of the people that these public systems serve. Earlier this year, cyber attackers accessed a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida and warnings were out of sight.

As the newest Accenture Cyber Security report highlights, cyber attacks in 2021 continue to evolve – becoming more widespread, speeding up deployment, and getting creative in their choice of entry points and overall strategies.

Furthermore, the current trend of diversifying targets – ranging from smaller companies to huge industrial sites – means that no one is safe.

ATS is a company that combines innovative technology, products, and services in a well-balanced synergy to enhance any organization or firm seeking top-tier performance and efficiency in today’s modern generation.

Integrating technology into the energy industry is critical for increasing operational efficiencies throughout the value chain.

A strong base for OT/ICS security needs real-time access of the entire hardware, software and firmware in the network, customer’s data, active accounts information, patches status, susceptibilities, network system configurations, windows updates, implanted system backplanes, the status of diverse security components such as application firewalls, whitelisting, antivirus,

It is vital to put in place a security plan to protect your company’s Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) database systems and prevent ransomware attacks that has been increasing in occurences in the past 2 years.

A study done in 2014 by ARC called “The Future of Industrial Cyber Security”, highlighted the need for a developed security plan for organizations.

Energy companies are evolving as prime targets for threat actors. The growing value of business data, the importance of fuel infrastructure, and the vulnerability of networked systems are a few primary reasons this industry is exposed to malicious hackers.

Oil and gas companies need to start investing in cyber security at the earliest. Otherwise, some of the nation’s most critical infrastructure would be left wide open to future cyber attacks.

Cyber security has become a critical problem in the Middle East region and the UAE. The executives of these regions have been raising their spending on cyber security services/products/solutions to decrease security problems (e.g., Aerospace & Defense, Retail, and BFSI) and defend data from cyberpunks.

Critical infrastructure is described both physically and digitally as the root systems, assets, and strategic networks that are so critical to a country that their collapse could weaken physical safety, continuity of the economy, interruption, or national public health system.

ATS, one of the most trusted ICS / OT technology solution providers in the Middle East region, today announced that it has achieved Operational Technology (OT) Specialization as part of the Fortinet Engage Partner Program.

ATS has recently concluded its first webinar as a certified Cisco IoT Advantage Specialization Partner.

Participating in Cisco’s IoT Advantage Specialization Partner program and adding Cisco’s solution to our OT cyber security solutions portfolio, has enabled ATS to widen our cyber security strategy playbook and approach the prevailing issue of industrial cyber security issue head-on.

During October Cyber Security Awareness Month, we brought attention to best practices in cyber security today, some of the more prominent cyber attacks during the past year, and the current state of cyber security regulations worldwide.

We chose to close this special series of articles with a look into the cyber security of defence organizations

This article is part of ATS’s four-part series highlighting the importance of Cyber Security Month – in previous pieces, we explored best practices in cyber security today and highlighted some of the most notorious cyber crime cases from the past year.