Closing The IoT Gap: 5 Ways IT And OT Providers Can Work Together

Closing The IoT Gap

The Internet of Things requires IT solution providers and operational technology-focused providers to work together to deliver building automation solutions, said an executive from KMC Controls at its partner conference this week in Chicago.

Dave Bohlmann, vice president of technology at KMC Controls, said one definition of the term "IoT" is an area where "the IT world and OT world meet in order to accomplish buildings' operational requirements." One particularly critical part of IoT that is impacted by that relationship is security – especially the confidentiality, integrity and accessibility of smart connected buildings, he said.

"What we're trying to do here is start the conversation between IT and OT working together to meet building specifics," said Bohlmann during a panel with executives from RSA, Flashpoint and Intel.

Following are five ways IT solution providers and OT providers can forge a relationship in implementing these IoT solutions.

Better Communication

Communication is the No. 1 barrier between IT and OT providers right now, said Lance James, chief scientist at business risk intelligence company Flashpoint. The language barrier between IT and operational technology needs to be addressed as part of building automation security, according to James.

"No matter if it is software engineering to cybersecurity, or firmware engineering to cybersecurity, or operational work to IT … I think the theme here is that there's a language gap between the two worlds," he said.

Involve IT Early

Jennifer Gilburg, director of strategy at Intel's IoT Security Group, said operational technology providers need to involve IT solution providers early in building automation projects.

"We feel that OT springs it on IT, and from the IT side [what] I hear is that they're not just waiting around for OT to bring them projects, they have a full schedule of things they need to do with their network and other things," she said. "If you involve [IT] not just in the concepts of what you're doing and the decision-making process, but involve them early enough where they can be part of the schedule, you'll find that you won't have windmills sitting on your roof for a year because IT was scheduled out."

Build Out Mentorship

Flashpoint's James said that IT and OT providers can bring valuable information and knowledge to the table. For example, operational technology needs to deal with critical situations involving life or death if their technology goes down, something IT doesn't face in office back-end networks.

Mentorship is one way that IT and OT leaders can work together effectively to bridge that gap and learn more about the information on both sides, said James.

"There [aren't] really any good write-ups on IT or OT, [so providers] need to start with mentorship," he said. "Find accountable leaders on both teams to build out that [relationship] from the top down – so the leaders from IT go to the other guys and say, 'Let's go have lunch.' Once we're OK with having lunch, we can bring together the cultural differences."

Coordinating Policies And Specs Between IT And OT

Intel's Gilburg stressed that IT and OT teams should work together to flesh out coordinating policies and specs during projects. At Intel, said Gilburg, the company has a certain spec for all gateways going on its network that need a proxy – and several operational technology companies were buying gateways without them.

"That was a big source of contention," she said, "So just understanding what IT's requirements are for what goes on the network and making sure that your vendors meet those requirements is important. Go to the IT guys and ask, ’We're looking at these gateways, do they match your spec?' That will be a big time-saver."

Make A Bullet-Point List

KMC Controls suggested that operational technology providers make a bullet-point list outlining their agenda so they can realize what similarities they may have with IT providers in similar projects.

"One thing we're working on is what kind of bullet points can you bring to the IT guys and say, 'This is what our system and solution does,' " said Bohlmann.

This list can help providers on both sides outline the conversation they need to have, discuss the requirements for things that will be on the network, and jointly decide what vendors meet those requirements.