LONDON (Sept. 10, 2015) – New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, “The Safety-Security Argument: Expanding Needs in a Connected Enterprise,” has found that the global cybersecurity market for control systems is expected to grow at a rate between 20 to 25 percent every year until 2021. North America and Europe will remain at the forefront of creating awareness and initiating technology advancements that address attacks from advanced persistent threats.

“Enterprises currently employ a broad, layered approach towards protecting cyber assets while industry organizations work on establishing suitable standards,” said Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation and Process Control Senior Research Analyst Sonia Francisco. “Partnerships among government, industry and research institutes will be vital in forming robust, industry-based standards that will speed up the development of comprehensive security management solutions.”

As the Internet of Things (IoT) concept transforms plant architecture, defence-by-default security strategies will give way to defence-by-design solutions. In-built security solutions that can sense, adapt, modify and respond to threats based on various ecosystem parameters will gain traction.

Creating industry- and application-specific solutions will also be crucial as information technology (IT) solutions continue to stream into the operational technology (OT) space. Solution providers in the IT and the OT ecosystems must join hands to deploy end-to-end cyber security solutions for industrial systems.

“Such extensive integration will require a new age workforce with both IT and OT expertise,” Francisco said. “Cybersecurity service providers can provide training and change management solutions that will bridge the knowledge gap.”

As a majority of industries upgrade to smart systems and processes, industrial cybersecurity will soon make the inevitable shift from a reactive operating model to a proactive design philosophy.

“The Safety-Security Argument: Expanding Needs in a Connected Enterprise” is a market insight that is part of the Industrial Automation & Process Control Growth Partnership Service program. This study provides a strategic outlook of cyber security requirements and best practices in the era of connected assets and connected enterprises. The Insight sheds light on the challenges, opportunities and strategies in the cybersecurity space evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

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