The Optima Group from Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, has joined forces with cybersecurity specialist Lancom Systems to develop a new type of VPN solution for machines and systems.

It is now possible to establish an even more secure connection with the systems installed at a customer's site and maintain them remotely. The solution allows for VPN connections monitoring, protects the machine network at the customer's site with a firewall, and is particularly user-friendly. 

"With Lancom Systems, we have found the ideal partner to take our cybersecurity to the next level," said Dr. Eng. Benjamin Haefner, group leader industrial IT at Optima. In the future, every machine built by the special-purpose machine manufacturer will be equipped with an edge firewall from Lancom that has been specially developed for Optima.

"In addition to the highest security VPN routing functionality, the edge firewall functions as a kind of central doorman in the machine. As a result, uncoordinated data flows with potential risks can be systematically reduced and controlled," explained Haefner.

Functionalities for Maximum Security

In addition, the VPN connection between Optima and the machines at the customer's site can be permanently monitored with what is known as a central firewall. "These functionalities are one-of-a-kind on the market and ensure maximum IT security," said Haefner. The structure of the entire VPN solution is strictly aligned with standards relevant to cybersecurity, such as IEC 62443 or CPwE reference architecture.

User Friendliness Increases IT Security

The Lancom solution is also user-friendly and easy to operate. In addition, the automated solution can be configured for the customer's network faster than previous applications. There is freedom for making flexible adjustments to the customer's individual IT infrastructure, which facilitates harmonious integration. Retrofitting can be carried out on existing machines at any time. "Usability is a particularly important issue for us," added Markus Irle, vice president firewall & security at Lancom Systems. "This is because a large proportion of cybersecurity incidents are due to errors in use, not the security technologies themselves."

Such a challenge can be overcome by making the system less complex. The development partnership with Lancom Systems is part of an extensive series of measures Optima has taken to further enhance cybersecurity.