industry unlocked
to be considered at all stages of a
firm’s operation. The construction
industry as a whole is unfortunately
known to be rather slow at adopting
new technologies. Countless studies
and surveys over the years have shown
that business owners continue to under
invest in technology.
While it may seem daunting,
cybersecurity can be approached and
managed in surprisingly the same way
as many other risk factors. Luckily,
we’re seeing large construction
companies already stepping up.
Can you outline any use cases of
how technology is being used to
mitigate threats?
Mobility: Construction is carried out in
a variety of sites and locations, and this
represents a physical risk.
Bases can often be temporary locations
such as on-site cabins and trailers, with
workers connecting to business networks
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and systems via laptops, tablets and
smartphones. Nevertheless, security
must not be any laxer than it would be in
a permanent office, especially if there is
a ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) policy
in place, which allows workers to access
critical systems on their own devices.
It is important to have a policy that
requires passwords and other validation,
while mobile devices should be
assessed for vulnerabilities.
Besides the regular antivirus and VPN on
the devices, a better solution is a small
and easy to manage security extension
with built in Wi-Fi that effectively forwards
all traffic for inspection, covering the
whole temp site.
For machine connectivity: The above
functionality is available in an ultra-
small form factor to fit into literally
any industry, making sure the latest
security standards are enforced on
every device.
In an increasingly
digitised and
connected world,
cybersecurity needs
to be considered at
all stages of a firm’s
operation.
Would you offer any best practice
advice for dealing with threats in
this industry?
There are some relatively simple steps
that construction companies can take to
reduce the risks of cybercrime.
All networks, even temporary
construction sites, should be protected
with security software and firewalls.
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