Secure Remote Access Architecture for Virtualized OT Development
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in development cycles due to complexity and custom nature, leading to project delays and cost overruns, and lack of virtualization and simulation capabilities, making it difficult to manage OT-level systems and protect proprietary intellectual property from failures or cyber-attacks.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based Industrial Development Hub (IDH) with enhanced storage and design tools supports development and testing, providing a repository for control project code, device configurations, and digital aspects, facilitating backup, restore, code conversion, and version management, along with secure remote access features for industrial assets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If industrial automation systems are developed using traditional methods, then development can proceed with existing tools, but development cycles are extended due to complexity and lack of virtualization capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of industrial automation systems through virtual machine images that can be instantiated on cloud platforms. These virtual representations allow developers to work with system copies rather than physical systems, enabling parallel development, testing, and simulation without interfering with actual operations, thereby accelerating development cycles while managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional on-premises deployment to cloud-based virtualization, adding a new dimensional layer to system architecture. By moving from physical to virtual environments and enabling remote access through secure connections, the system gains flexibility and scalability dimensions that traditional methods lack, improving productivity without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Ease of operation
If secure remote access is implemented for cloud-based virtual machines, then access to industrial engineering applications is enabled, but security risks increase from potential cyber threats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces multiple intermediary security layers between users and cloud-based virtual machines. These include identity providers for authentication, secure tunneling services for encrypted communication, and runtime services that mediate access requests. These intermediaries enable remote access while filtering and protecting against cyber threats, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and security.
3Adaptability or versatility
If virtual machine images are stored on cloud platforms, then remote access and collaboration are improved, but data security and proprietary information protection face new challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a secure, isolated environment for storing and accessing virtual machine images on cloud platforms. Through secure tunneling and encrypted communications, it establishes an inert network atmosphere that protects proprietary information from external threats while enabling remote collaboration. This allows teams to work together on cloud-based systems without exposing sensitive data to cyber threats.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial information hub (IIH) and an industrial development hub (IDH) serve as an industrial ecosystem platform where multiple participants can deliver repeatable and standardized services relevant to their core competencies. The IIH system is centered around the development of an ecosystem that creates and delivers value to users—including industrial enterprises, OEMs, system integrators, vendors, etc.—through the aggregation of digital content and domain expertise. The IIH system serves as a trusted information broker between the ecosystem and the OT environments of plant facilities, and provides a platform for connecting assets, contextualizing asset data and providing secure access to the ecosystem. As part of this ecosystem, the IIH system uses a secure remote access architecture to allow users to remotely access data on their plant floor assets via a virtual private network connection.