Reducing Expenses & Increasing Profits: Companies Adopt SCADA Operation for Business Networking - Paper Sample

In recent years, companies have greatly changed their way of business networking. According to the reference, the pressure to reduce expenses and increase profits has made many companies integrate SCADA operations into their business networking processes. The Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) network differs from the traditional business networking process in various ways. Consequently, the change in the networking system has greatly changed the security requirements in business networking. This paper explores the differences in the security requirements between the traditional business networking processes and the SCADA network.

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Before the evolution of SCADA networks, businesses on the deployment of personnel in different stations to report and address any system issues. (Tsochev et al., 2020) shows that businesses with busier operations deployed technicians who operated permanently in different stations. The technicians communicated through telephone wires and they addressed network issues manually. Although the method was costly and less effective, the manual operations of the network operations had fewer security threats due to the system’s inaccessibility by hackers. Consequently, business networking had fewer security measures requirements. Later, the development of the local network systems contributed to the development of the SCADA network. According to (Tsochev et al., 2020), the development of the internet increased customers' access to their accounts and eased bill payments thereby increasing their network exposure. However, (Tsochev et al., 2020) show that the usage of the internet has raised numerous security issues due to the rising cases of cybercrimes. With the development of SCADA networks, the business networking systems that were once harmless systems inherited the risks associated with internet protocols.

(Tsochev et al., 2020) shows that business using SCADA networks receives various security threats. Firstly, SCADA networks face enormous threats from hackers. Unlike businesses using traditional networking methods, business systems have to lay out security measures to deal with groups or individuals aiming to access SCADA networks with malicious intentions. According to (Tsochev et al., 2020), hackers can cause a wide range of challenges in organizations. This challenge includes disruption of service delivery which can cause great losses.

Secondly, unlike traditional networking, the use of SCADA networks necessitates laying out security measures to deal with malware. According to (Tsochev et al., 2020), malware including ransomware, spyware, and viruses poses a great threat to SCADA systems. According to v, although malware may not threaten the network system directly, malware reduces the effects on the infrastructures responsible for the management of SCADA networks.

Thirdly, the use of SCADA networks necessitates security against the terrorist. Unlike the hackers who access SCADA network aiming to achieve sordid gains, (Tsochev et al., 2020) shows terrorists attack SCADA networks aiming to damage them and cause losses.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the development of the SCADA network changed the business networking systems from manual to online system. Consequently, the adoption of online systems increased introduced internet protocol vulnerabilities to the business networking systems. These threats include attacks from hackers, terrorists, and malware. In contrast with the security requirements of traditional business networking systems, businesses using SCADA networks have been compelled to adopt security measures against cybercrimes. the management of the SCADA network can be a challenging experience if necessary precautions are not put into place. Since SCADA networks are vulnerable to both physical and cybercrime threats, business is supposed to incorporate necessary measures to deal with the discussed threats and ensure their sustainability.

References

Tsochev, G. R., Yoshinov, R. D., & Zhukova, N. A. (2020). Some security issues with the industrial Internet of Things and comparison to SCADA systems. Trudy SPIIRAN, 19(2), 358-382.