Siemens and Zscaler join forces to deliver zero trust security solutions for OT/IT

Siemens and Zscaler have announced a partnership that will allow customers to access operational technology (OT) systems and applications in the production network in a secure manner. Secure access will be available in the office, as well as when working remotely. Users will be able to remotely manage and control quality assurance or diagnoses issues.

Siemens and Zscaler have expanded the “Defense-in-Depth” OT concept that is secured by a Zero Trust Architecture. Zero Trust only authorizes application-specific access based on verified user identity and context. This system allows the implementation of a granular access concept in combination with existing OT security mechanisms.

“Operators of larger corporate networks are faced with the challenge of carrying out production work remotely with uniform security guidelines for OT and IT. By combining our communication technology with Zscaler technology, we can bring IT’s Zero Trust approach directly into the OT environment. We have already successfully tested this approach in some of our own plants,” says Hanna Hennig, information technology CIO at Siemens.

To use this feature, install the app connector for the cloud-based remote access service Zscaler Private Access on a Docker container in the Siemens Scalance LPE local processing platform. This provides access for industrial environments.

Outbound connections, combined with centralized management in the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange cloud platform, provide restrictive configuration of existing firewall rules. It also decreases administration and monitoring costs. It is possible to retrofit existing legacy systems with the Zero Trust Exchange solution. Bothe Siemens and Zscaler are offering the new solution.

“Today, the protection of companies can no longer be limited to just IT settings. In times of converging IT and OT infrastructures, organizations must also take the security and access requirements of their production surroundings into account,” says Deepak Patel, OT security, office of CEO at Zscaler. “Together, Siemens and Zscaler are now bringing the benefits of Zero Trust to OT environments, thereby increasing control and protection mechanisms for all technology assets, including in production environments.”