Bad Actors and the Operational Technology World
Session Absract:
SoftServe’s latest industry data shows the highest priority for manufacturers wanting to improve their operations is to connect their Operational Technology (OT) to the Information Technology (IT) of the cloud. However, the data also shows the last item on their priority list is OT cybersecurity. With factories accelerating the linking of their internal systems to the cloud, one can see the increasing risk of bad actors getting into the OT world creating havoc in a new way. Our panel will discuss the security challenges being observed in our hyper connected industrial world, leading practices to mitigate those security risks and how the future may unfold if we do not systematically address those risks facing the industrial sectors.
Speaker:
Guy Merritt is an experienced C-suite executive, Guy has 35 years engineering leadership advising and developing IoT solutions, native cloud-based systems, products and engineering & manufacturing test solutions for a wide variety of industries. He is an author of the award-winning book “Proactive Risk Management: Controlling Uncertainty in Product Development.”
Eric Simone is the Founder and CEO of ClearBlade Inc., an Enterprise Edge Computing Internet of Things (IoT) software company focused on large Enterprises in the transportation, building facilities, and connected products markets. Prior to starting ClearBlade, Eric was the founder and CTO of Compete Incorporated, which sold to Perficient Inc. (PRFT) for $63M in May of 2000. Earlier in his career, Eric achieved success in senior engineering, product and sales positions at IBM and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Eric has a degree in Computer Science from Purdue University and is a recognized Distinguished Alumni.
Matt Malone, After graduating from Texas A&M, Matt embarked on his eight-year career in the U.S. Navy as a salvage diver and bomb disposal technician. He completed three overseas deployments, two of which were combat deployments. He returned home to Texas to begin a career in sales before transitioning to project management. During his time as a project manager, he caught the cybersecurity bug and changed his master’s thesis to address the current state of industrial cybersecurity in North America. He has since devoted his career to learning everything possible about how to secure industrial control systems against cyberattacks. Matt joined Yokogawa in April of 2020 as a cybersecurity consultant, earned his GICSP certification soon after, and is passionate about securing ICS networks.