Developing a Cyber Resilience Strategy for Connected Infrastructure
The integration of sensors, cameras, controls, and other connected devices delivers smarter, more efficient infrastructure - from transportation to utilities. However the Internet of Things (IoT) also introduces new cyber risks requiring specialized resilience strategies.
With remote access and interconnectivity now embedded in operations, infrastructure must withstand inevitable attacks. Resilience minimizes disruptions when breaches occur by prioritizing rapid recovery and adaptation.
Crafting a Resilience Strategy
A cyber resilience playbook for infrastructure contains four key phases:
Audit - Discover all connected devices and assess for vulnerabilities
Protect - Apply safeguards like multi-factor authentication and microsegmentation
Detect & Respond - Have monitoring to reveal anomalies and response plans to mitigate impacts
Recover & Improve - Restore functions quickly and apply learnings to enhance defenses
This closed-loop approach drives continual improvement.
Best Practices
Experts recommend companies:
Bake in security during design rather than bolting on later
Limit data access and software capabilities to only what’s essential
Use monitoring and analytics to establish usage baselines
Practice incident response through simulations
Maintain backup systems for temporary use during outages
Following guidelines like the IoT Security Maturity Model also provides structure when deploying connected tech at scale.
Connectivity delivers innovative new infrastructure capabilities but requires specialized resilience strategies to manage emerging risks. A continuous lifecycle model contains threats and maintains public services when incidents occur. With collaboration across security, IT, and infrastructure teams, organizations can implement resilient IoT securely and confidently.