5 Benefits of Asset Inventory Management for OT

The secret to a successful operational technology (OT) cyber security program is real-time, automated asset inventory management software.

Why do you need automated asset inventory management?

It’s simple. You cannot protect industrial assets or create mitigating measures without identifying the types of assets you have. Each asset type is unique in its security shortcomings. By knowing which assets you have, how they are configured, and how critical to operations they are, the better you can protect your network from attacks.

Top 5 benefits of automated and comprehensive real-time OT asset inventory software:

Asset Inventory Management Increases Accuracy

Automated operational technology asset inventory software offers improved accuracy compared with manual processes, providing a real-time view into which assets are connected to a network.

It is important to use an asset inventory tool built specifically for OT that discovers the peculiar asset types seen in the OT space. For example, when rolling out Verve’s automated asset inventory piece for a customer, it was discovered an entire undocumented wireless network with a handful of unknown assets.

This wireless network provided river water level data to the plant, which was essential to safe operation of steam turbines. This was a big deal because the network used WEP encryption. The river water sensor had a web interface and could have been easily hacked to send false readings to the plant and compromise plant safety.

Real-time data means you’ll make more informed decisions on emerging threats while better protecting your networks.

Asset Inventory Management Saves Time

Previously, the only way to get an accurate inventory of assets was to do a “walk down,” physically locating and documenting every asset in the plant.

Even a perfectionist may inaccurately record data on operational technologies. We are only human and prone to errors. When walking around a massive industrial plant that covers a large area of real estate, the chances of missing a room full of assets is great.

An automated real-time asset inventory software saves time by discovering all of your assets with minimal intervention. The best part is reducing walk downs.

Within minutes of deploying an automated discovery tool, you free up staff time to focus on other tasks.

Asset Inventory Management Leaves an Audit Trail

Operational technology has an interesting love-hate relationship with transient assets because these assets, like laptops, pose a massive security risk to delicate OT networks.

Engineers use special software packages, sometimes expensive, to troubleshoot operational issues. This usually means the software is installed on that one laptop in a corner, which is rarely used or connected to receive security patches or anti-virus signature updates.

This laptop also has connections to myriad networks in its lifetime. It’s a necessary evil that requires unique policy and procedural documentation.

Wouldn’t it be great to track where these devices have been in your network?

Automated asset inventory solutions provide this information to you in real-time, letting you audit which assets migrate around your system. It also tracks vendor or third-party equipment that connects to your network. In the event of a cyber breach, this data could be crucial in determining the point of infiltration.

Asset Inventory Management Automates Detection and Investigation

Discovering new assets connected to your network is critical to maintaining your system’s integrity.

In some cases, real-time OT inventory software detects new assets expected to be on the network. But in the event the assets are not on the network, an automated discovery tool is your saving grace, providing real-time detection of all unapproved assets.

Automated real-time asset detection and investigation lets you detect an unwanted or a malicious asset connected to your network, so you can respond and start remediation immediately.

This results in catching threats quickly before it becomes a critical or even life-threatening event.

Asset Inventory Management Finds Unauthorized Devices

Many OT systems utilize network segmentation to minimize risk and protect their assets from attacks.

The issue with network segmentation is that without some auditing body, it’s relatively easy for someone to plug something into the wrong network or bridge segmented networks. This often is done by mistake, not on purpose or maliciously, but simply because the individual didn’t know any better.

With an automated asset discovery software tool, OT asset owners can protect themselves from incorrectly networked devices through discovering the assets and the networks they are plugged into. With this enhanced real-time visibility, owners can quickly remediate these issues.

There are many benefits to real-time automated operational technology inventory tools for your industrial organization. Once deployed, you’ll see immediately improved accuracy, reduced employee time, transparency through audit trails, quicker detection of threats and an easier ways to locate devices. This all results to improved OT and network security.