Honeywell has joined the Global Cybersecurity Alliance (GCA) as a means of aiding the process of keeping infrastructure and building systems secure and protected.
“Cybersecurity is the great equalizer for any company,” Matthew Bohne, vice president and chief product security officer – Honeywell Building Technologies, said. “All companies should thoughtfully incorporate cybersecurity into the products and services they sell. The entire industry and connected world at large needs to operate with the confidence that our digital infrastructure is robust and secure, whether it’s utilities or facilities and even specific products we use every day.”
Bohne said the International Society of Automation (ISA)-created initiative is core to Honeywell’s collective future, noting the GCA provides the implementation platform and partnership.
The endeavor also aligns with Honeywell’s intent to protect customers and technologies from on- and offline threats, as the firm served as a founding member of the ISA Security Compliance Institute, which oversees product certification for ISA/IEC 62443 – a series of standards adopted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and is endorsed by the United Nations for the cybersecurity lifecycle of industrial control devices and systems.
“The ISA/IEC 62443 standards outline what’s needed to secure automation systems,” ISA Executive Director Mary Ramsey said. “Now we need to move from what to how, providing the practical direction, tools, and support to guide how the standards are applied. The involvement of industry leaders is vital to make this happen. Honeywell will help build the coalition and momentum needed to safeguard essential-yet-often-vulnerable technology.”