Key considerations in securing digital supply systems

Digital supply chains (DSCs) and digital supply networks (DSNs) are modern approaches to supply chain management. These terms sound alike, but DSCs and DSNs represent significantly different things in manufacturing and industrial environments. DSCs are supply chains that make the most of connectivity, system integration, and "smart" components to improve a linear flow of goods. DSNs are ecosystems of supply-related activities that mirror and enhance the physical supply system on the ground. DSCs and DSNs improve the delivery of goods, but DSCs are siloed to a supply chain, while DSNs share data across the entire business.

DSCs and DSNs rely heavily on IoT devices, machine learning, cloud computing, and other technologies to do their jobs. The nature of these systems exposes them to common risks:  

Human error or intentional actions, such as disclosing login credentials or failing to secure a device on the network.

Poor cybersecurity practices by third-party businesses put all DSCs and DSNs at risk. According to Gartner, 60 percent of organizations work with more than 1,000 third parties.

DSNs and DSCs depend on third-party software and hardware, some of which may be counterfeit or compromised. The SolarWinds and Codecove breaches are examples of vendor attacks that result in many victims.

There is no single solution that defends all threat vectors and attack surfaces that might come into play. Securing digital supply systems should start with some high-level considerations:

Begin your security strategy with security in mind. Yes, it sounds obvious, but this concept requires you to take a risk-based approach to what is and is not truly secure. What needs to be secured? Where are your vulnerabilities? Think of more than cyberattacks here. How do you secure your assets from personnel, world events, and natural disasters?

The next concept is vigilance, which is your security in action. This is how you monitor your systems and respond to threats. How will you perform these tasks? Will you keep security in-house or bring in a third party to manage this for you?

Your strategy must also make your company resilient in the face of an attack or other threat. Getting this right means accepting that you could fall victim to an attack or disaster that disrupts your operation. How will you minimize the effects of an incident? How will you quickly restore production?

Companies that rely on connected devices and third-party integrations have to manage risks that aren’t always visible at a single point in time. The concepts mentioned above are comprehensive and flexible enough to revisit anytime you add new systems and vendors. Even an organizational change could trigger a review if existing processes are moved to a new department.

Barracuda offers security and data protection solutions for companies of all sizes. Visit www.barracuda.com for more information.