During a recent Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group meeting representatives from the Department of Defense (DOD), International Society of Automation (ISA), and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) outlined a new program to address the growing risk of unprotected and under-protected building control systems in the U.S. and abroad.
Building owners, users, and manufacturers of control systems continuously work to find practical ways to create safe and more secure environments. Combining the expertise from ISA, NEMA, and DOD advisors, the working group spent several months developing a proposed program in preparation for a roll-out to a wider audience of industry peers.
The national program will incentivize the use of existing Standards for cybersecurity in building control systems. It will create easy-to-understand tiers for end-users to apply industry-accepted standards to products, processes, and technology to allow end-users to market cyber protections and consumers to understand the level of security present. The program would also help building owners protect building automation systems, and provide a means for insurers and other stakeholders to offer incentives for buildings to incorporate safer and more secure systems and processes.
The working group plans to open the frame document to additional stakeholders’ input, with a potential launch date later this year.
