Mobile Risk Management for Manufacturing: 3 Key Elements to Consider

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a great infographic that describes vulnerabilities associated with the future manufacturing floor. The visual representation shows a mission-critical area within a manufacturer’s operation. However, as a manufacturer, if your core capabilities aren’t cyber security or technology, how do you interpret this visual from a risk management perspective?  

To start, understanding the difference between risk and risk management is essential. Risk is any complex area that aligns with a manufacturer's operating strategy, whereas risk management intends to identify, assess and control threats to the organization.

In analyzing the NIST visual, coupled with our expertise in the mobile domain, we've identified three key elements to consider when managing mobile risk on the factory floor.

3 Key Elements to Consider

1. Device Ownership – Only allow corporate-owned devices on the factory floor. BYOD seems like an option initially when you consider the initial OPEX. In the long run, it introduces more risks that can impact productivity. By only allowing corporate-owned devices, you maintain a controlled environment where employees focus on the appropriate tasks.
   
2. Utilize Over The Air (OTA) Provisioning – When deploying corporate-owned mobile devices, ensure devices use an OTA enrollment process like Apple Business Manager and Android Zero Touch. With OTA, you can lock the device-management mode (i.e., supervised or fully managed). At a minimum, this mitigates the risk of a user bypassing any set corporate security policies.
   

3. Limit Applications – Productivity on a mobile device is only as good as the applications on the device. To increase productivity, only deploy the minimum applications needed and enable data-loss prevention security controls.

At INFRASI, our objective is to enable technology adoption with manufacturers that facilitate success. The NIST illustration starts you down the path of developing a plan. To speed up adoption, INFRASI will not only challenge you to think about business, but we’ll also steer you toward realistic solutions that minimize risk.

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